你好！好久不见！(Hello! Long time no see!)
I apologize for my negligence in updating you all in regards to my activities in China. The internet here has been giving me difficulty, and so it has been hard to access my blog.
Currently, I am living in a small farming village just outside of downtown Beijing. The residents of this village are typically farmers, although do also operate the small shops and restaurants which line the main street of the town. In our town, we have access to most of the amenities we need, although they often are available only in non-Western brands. One of the objectives of the organization I am with is to make ourselves, the westerners, as local to the Chinese people as possible. Of course, we do stick out with our light skin and hair, but we attempt with all alacrity to adapt to the Chinese lifestyle as practiced here in the village.
The first week, we interns received bicycles, which I was at first a little frightened to ride. I had not ridden upon a bicycle in ages and now I was supposed to do it in Chinese traffic? However, I soon had not only renewed my bicycle riding abilities but had also mastered the art of riding it in the middle of the street! Now, for those of you who have been in foreign traffic before (where they really do not seem to have a multitude of rules and vehicles come literally inches from hitting each other before they yield to the other person), allow me to reassure you that this is a decently safe thing to do. Since there are many people in China - and therefore many bodies, bicycles, and cars to not hit - Chinese drivers are very skilled. They know how not to hit people in the middle of intense traffic. And, moreover, honing is not considered a rude habit, but rather a courteous way of saying, "I am here, coming up behind you." Then, the pedestrian /bicyclist usually moves to the side of the road and allows the car to pass. Therefore, honking in China is a nice way of making the other users of the road more aware of their surroundings and increases everyone's safety.
Additionally, I have been having a marvelous time exploring the village we are living in, speaking Chinese to the local people, and eating food at the local Chinese restaurants. One specialty you all will find particularly interesting is our village's taste for donkey sandwiches. Yes, it is really donkey meat, and there are several shops all over the village. Lately, we went to one and tried the delicacy for the first time. It was actually very good! Almost like a roast beef sandwich. We all hope to return to the restaurant sometime during our internship.
So what exactly are we doing on our internship? We are volunteering in an orphanage, which mostly means taking care of children, and, for me, doing child education. In the mornings from 8:30-10:00, I have one-on-ones with three little children, whom I teach basic motor skills too via the means of play. Then, from 10:00-11:30, I interact with the Backyard School children, which engages the older children in elementary school activities. From 1:30-2:30, I teach an intensive English class to two of the children who are about to get adopted into an English-speaking country. From 2:30-3:00, I plan for the pre-school class, which meets outside at 3:00, after which we play until the children's foster families pick them up. Then, I hold the upstairs babies, which are the youngest at the orphanage. Afterwards, I often occupy the time between work and whenever my fellow interns are ready to depart for home with conversations with the college-aged students from the English school, which is run by the same company as the orphanage and shares the same campus as the orphanage. I have made friends with a few of them, and it is quite fun for us to speak in a blend of English and Chinese, thereby instructing each other in our particular second language.
Working at the orphanage has been quite interesting. The children certainly arrest your emotions, and you earnestly begin to hope for them to receive families as quickly as possible, and rejoice with them when they do. Instead of seeing their handicaps, you see their own set of unique gifts and talents. These children have so much to offer the world, from their ever-present smiles to their intellectual capabilities to the ability to give love to whosoever arms they run into. In just these few days, I have sincerely fallen in love with the children entrusted to my care.
As far as tourism goes, we haven't really done much of that, but we have made several excursions into Beijing. We have been to Yashow market, which is a huge, six-storey market where knock-off (or *ahem* "real", according to the clerks) products are bargained off at a price bantered over by both clerk and customer. Usually, the clerk begins at a ridiculously high price, and the skilled buyer will begin a bit lower than the price they desire to buy the item at. Then, as each demands a certain price, the seller slowly, hesitantly, works his way down while the buyer slowly and hesitantly works his way up to a price that satisfies both. One hint at bargaining: don't be afraid to walk away if the seller will not negotiate on his price after awhile! If he truly wants your service, he will call you back (possibly even call you his friend) and offer you a more reasonable price.
Another interesting thing we've done is visit Chaoyang park, a 5 yuan (about 1 dollar) amusement park, where eight of us rode a six-person bicycle. Other than that, we haven't really done much except for explore the village. One storeowner even pulled out chairs for us and proceeded to talk to us about how to get around Beijing! It was quite fun :).
BUT...we ARE embarking on an eleven-hour train ride to somewhere special! I'll reveal the destination next week! Stay tuned!
