Chun Yu's operation will start on Friday morning at the Navy hospital. She is well taken care of--everyone there seems to love her because she's so pretty. We were able to get a room just for her and the nanny taking care of her. The doctor who will perform the operation is a renowned expert. The operation has a 99% success rate. We're still praying she will be fine, and everything will work out to our highest expectations.
In other news, we had an awesome time tonight (Wednesday). We decided to take the maid who cleans our house to dinner along with her family. Her name is Li Yun and she lives on a farm a few minutes from here. Her family has been in Lang Fang since they were very young, and the place where they live has a totally different atmosphere than the new development area (kai fa qu). It seemed like her parents had never been in cabs before; I was in the same cab as her parents as we went to pick up her husband on the way to the restaurant.
Their house is very interesting. Although the dirt path outside is pretty worn out and uneven, and there aren't many cars in the area, the roof of their house has a high-tech-looking solar powered generator to heat water. It can used stored energy for up to 36 hours if the sun's not out. It would be cool to have that in the US.
8 of us (Isaac, Chris, Adam, Laurie, Sarah, Audrey, Melanie, and I) took the five of them (Li Yun, her husband, her parents, and her four year old daughter) to a restaurant in downtown Lang Fang. Among the Bethel people, only Isaac (Bethel's 24 year old webmaster) and I could speak Chinese, so we conversed with Li Yun's family and translated for the volunteers.
Afterward we went to sing karaoke, all 13 of us in a big room. It was pretty fun, a nice mix of English and Chinese, including Backstreet Boys, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Disney songs, a Chinese national song, Chinese love songs, etc. We ended with Twist and Shout, which almost everyone danced to. Li Yun's little daughter was dancing the whole time in her fluffy white dress. It was very cute.
Afterward we paid for a cab to send Li Yun's family home. We made an ice cream run at McDonald's and decided to go for a massage. That was pretty fun. 6 of us were in the same room getting a foot massage. It was only 30 RMB per hour. That's less than 4 dollars.
It was nice to do something fun with the other volunteers. Every weekend, I go out to Beijing to see relatives or friends instead of hanging out with people at Bethel. Especially since Laurie, Adam, Sarah, and Audrey are leaving this Saturday, I feel closer to them and that I should really treasure the time I have left with them.
Volunteering has not just been about the kids. It's also about the friendships that have been built among the volunteers. We eat lunch and dinner together every day, see each other in classes, go to the supermarket together, watch LOST together, and look out for each other. Some of us pray together. Everyone has left an impression on me, and I'm really glad to know them. We have the same goal of making the kids happy and teaching them useful things. I guess that unites us from our different backgrounds. I'm going to miss them as much as I miss the children, but at least I have a greater chance of seeing them in the US than seeing the kids in China.
In other news, we had an awesome time tonight (Wednesday). We decided to take the maid who cleans our house to dinner along with her family. Her name is Li Yun and she lives on a farm a few minutes from here. Her family has been in Lang Fang since they were very young, and the place where they live has a totally different atmosphere than the new development area (kai fa qu). It seemed like her parents had never been in cabs before; I was in the same cab as her parents as we went to pick up her husband on the way to the restaurant.
Their house is very interesting. Although the dirt path outside is pretty worn out and uneven, and there aren't many cars in the area, the roof of their house has a high-tech-looking solar powered generator to heat water. It can used stored energy for up to 36 hours if the sun's not out. It would be cool to have that in the US.
8 of us (Isaac, Chris, Adam, Laurie, Sarah, Audrey, Melanie, and I) took the five of them (Li Yun, her husband, her parents, and her four year old daughter) to a restaurant in downtown Lang Fang. Among the Bethel people, only Isaac (Bethel's 24 year old webmaster) and I could speak Chinese, so we conversed with Li Yun's family and translated for the volunteers.
Afterward we went to sing karaoke, all 13 of us in a big room. It was pretty fun, a nice mix of English and Chinese, including Backstreet Boys, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Disney songs, a Chinese national song, Chinese love songs, etc. We ended with Twist and Shout, which almost everyone danced to. Li Yun's little daughter was dancing the whole time in her fluffy white dress. It was very cute.
Afterward we paid for a cab to send Li Yun's family home. We made an ice cream run at McDonald's and decided to go for a massage. That was pretty fun. 6 of us were in the same room getting a foot massage. It was only 30 RMB per hour. That's less than 4 dollars.
It was nice to do something fun with the other volunteers. Every weekend, I go out to Beijing to see relatives or friends instead of hanging out with people at Bethel. Especially since Laurie, Adam, Sarah, and Audrey are leaving this Saturday, I feel closer to them and that I should really treasure the time I have left with them.
Volunteering has not just been about the kids. It's also about the friendships that have been built among the volunteers. We eat lunch and dinner together every day, see each other in classes, go to the supermarket together, watch LOST together, and look out for each other. Some of us pray together. Everyone has left an impression on me, and I'm really glad to know them. We have the same goal of making the kids happy and teaching them useful things. I guess that unites us from our different backgrounds. I'm going to miss them as much as I miss the children, but at least I have a greater chance of seeing them in the US than seeing the kids in China.
posted by Ann Chao at 10:25 AM
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