Orphanage Visit

At the Orphanage...

This morning we were all up and ready to go by 8:00 a.m. (an unusual event for our group) to go visit an orphanage on the southern outskirts of Beijing (about a 1 1/2 hr. drive). The orphanage/foster home that we visited was incredibly clean - probably the cleanest place I've visited in China thus far. When we arrived, we were greeted by friendly staff. They gave us a tour of the orphanage, which was pretty cool. The woman that showed us around also shared several of the children's stories with us. It was amazing.

The orphanage was nothing like I expected - very cheerful, bright, clean, organized and upbeat. When we stepped inside the living quarters, we were instructed to either put on slippers or plastic bags over our shoes... and smothered hand sanitizer all over our hands. I was glad to know that they go to great lengths to keep the children's environment clean. They had 21 preschool age children and six babies. Watching the workers administer such love and care toward the children was really neat.

I was astonished by the needs of each of the children. Most of them are there because of medical problems. Almost all of them have had one type of surgery or another - ranging from a cleft palate to serious heart surgery to spina bifida along with several other conditions. The children seemed happy. Most of them will probably be adopted by American families eventually.

It was refreshing to be able to hold a couple of babies and play with some of the preschool kids. It was a sweet time. I think almost everyone from our group enjoyed the time we spent there.

Update on Running
After we got back from the orphanage, Josie, Em, Sara, and I all went running since there wasn't time this morning. The weather was gorgeous. Unfortunately, my run didn't go quite as well as I was hoping. I consulted my trainer (a.k.a. Rob) and we made up a new plan, so hopefully things will get better. My calves were on fire... which made for a rather unpleasant experience. When I get home, running shoes will help, I think. :)

Update on Homework

So... things are coming along quite well. Today I finished all of my World Civ maps and my final paper for Issues & Trends - also the last paper I will ever have to write in college! That was pretty exciting. I've been doing a lot of studying for Chinese as well. We have our final written exam tomorrow and our oral exam on Friday. The end of homework is in sight!

It's crazy to think that a week from now I'll be packing my suitcases and getting ready to head back to the States. Wow. That's so weird to think about. I really do love China...