Day of Pride

Each time as we went to our hotel in Beijing, we passed the Olympic area and saw the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. I think our guide had intentions of just driving us there one day and letting us walk around the grounds, but no one in the group thought that was enough. We wanted to go inside and see where all the athletes entered, where the winner podiums were, and where the fantastic opening ceremonies were held. We just had to go in! I'm so glad we insisted, because it was such a day of pride to think of all the wonderful athletes around the world who worked so hard to be there, and to recognize the Chinese government for sponsoring such a truly memorable Olympic.

Even though they have put out the Olympic torch in Beijing, you can still see the tower where it burned brightly.

Inside, it was really a party. Music was playing and big screens were showing highlights of the Olympics. Everyone was overwhelmed with excitement just being inside!

George, standing in front of the Olympic mascot.

On our way out of the Olympic area, we walked past the Water Cube. We didn't get to go in, but it was phenomenal just seeing it lit up from the outside. We also saw where the gymnastics were held. What a great experience to be part of the Olympics--even if we were a little late!

Favorite Memory of an Airport

Come on--admit it. One of the worst parts about flying is sitting in an airport waiting for the next flight out. You're bored, you're tired, and you just want to get going. Well, the Korean Airport has definitely solved this problem--in fact, we were always a little sad as we were coming and going through that airport to get on the plane.

The Korean Cultural Committee has placed Traditional Experience Centers all over the airport where you can go (FREE of charge) and be taught about ancient arts and crafts and actually make them. In addition, you can put on their traditional costumes and see what they were like. It was such great fun!

Here Lauren, Allison, and Kate are learning to make a Korean toy that is kind of like a hackey-sack. It is made of rice paper with a weight in it. Other items you could make were fruit trays and raised art, but sadly, we didn't have enough time to make those items. Alison, Lauren, and Kate with the Korean Cultural Aide.

These traditional costumes were so beautiful and made us feel elegant, even though I felt they made us look huge. Oh, well.

What a novel idea! Thank you to the Korean young ladies for such a great time.

More Special Memories of China

MOST HEART-WARMING DAY

I would have to say the day I will remember the most on our wonderful adventure is the day we went to an orphanage just outside of Beijing. This wasn't a regular orphanage because the kids weren't regular orphans. They still had parents, but the parent or parents were in prison, so they really didn't have a home. There were about 136 children in this orphanage which was privately run. We were so impressed with how much care was given the children.

First, our family was given a little tour of the orphanage and told about how it was run.

These are the little houses where they lived according to their age. The insides were pretty simple, but clean and adequate.
Each of the houses has a sponsor. This house where my brother Jerry and my sister Joyce and are are standing in front of has been sponsored by the Rotary Clubs. Jerry is a member of Rotary as well as many members of our family, including my dad who has been a member for over 50 years.

The children are taught various crafts which we were privileged to see.

We had been told beforehand that we could bring gifts to the children and have fun activities with them. I was so proud of how everyone got involved!

Our older boys played basketball with some of the Chinese older kids. They had a very lively game!The little girls shared toys and dolls with their new friends! We brought lots of toys for the kids as well as notebooks, coloring and writing items, paint supplies, and modeling clay.

Our kids watched as the children were organized into teams for some activities.
Kevin cheered on the teams as they played a great game of tug-o-war.
The kids all had fun throwing and catching the ball together.
In addition to just having fun with the kids and giving them gifts, Kent had volunteered beforehand when I was setting up the tour, to do dental work at the orphanage if they needed any help. Did they ever! So many children lined up to have the "Mr. Dentist" see them. Kent was wishing he had a regular dental lab where he could have done so much more like root canals, but in the time available and the barest of circumstances, he was able to help so many young people who were in pain by doing extractions and advising those at the orphanage what else needed to be done.

George held the flashlight, Doug reclined the chair and held it on his knee, our guide and people from the orphanage were the interpreters, and Natalie was the assistant/care giver. It worked great!
I couldn't believe how the young people would just climb right on the chair, take the shots and have the work done without a single word of protest. There were a few tears, but the kids were so good. Our guide told me that Chinese children are very obedient.

One little girl about four or five years old really touched my heart. For starters, her father had killed her mother. In addition, her hair was falling out, so they had a little cap with fake hair attached on it so that she would look like she had hair. They told us she was losing her eyesight, and when Kent saw her, it was really a life-threatening reason for him to be there. Her cheek was so swollen, and if left unattended, she could die from her air passage getting blocked off.

Alison and Lauren let her know they wanted to be friends and be there for her.
Kent took a look and saw what needed to be done.
The tears started flowing down her little cheeks, but Natalie comforted her.

The work began and ended with much success. The little girl's dental problems would subside once the deadening was gone. There were so many children that I would have taken home--they got to my heart so much, but especially this little girl.

The oldest young person that Kent worked on was 13 years old. Hers was an especially difficult problem. Kent was surely wishing he had all his tools, but mission was accomplished.

While the surgeries were going on, some of our kids started a little craft table outside where they were helping the kids with some modeling clay they brought. They also help them paint pictures, color, etc.






When the afternoon was finished, we all were holding back the tears as we returned to the bus. What a beautiful experience this was. We thought we were helping them with our gifts and time--but in the end, it was all of us who benefited through seeing and feeling the love of a child, even when no words are exchanged.