The Firsts

Firsts are always fun. But for many of us on this trip, it wasn’t our first time in Beijing. I had been here visiting earlier this year with the Confucius Institute Summer Program. However, it is only week one and there are already things that I am doing for the first time!

it was the first time our team hung out together.

The first time we stayed at this hotel.

The first time we ate together, family style.

The first time we climbed a mountain together.

The first time we took a selfie together. Man, gotta love ‘em!

To me, firsts are always fun! These first few days—getting to know my team, visiting museums and palaces, mountains and temples--are filled with firsts. And actually life is filled with firsts. But as long as we keep appreciating them and keep embracing moments and experiences as they come, no matter how many times we do something, we will always find it interesting and exciting! I am gonna share some of my favorite FIRSTS with ya!

Tuesday was our free day! We ended up deciding to travel as a team to places the tour guide wasn’t going to take us. Although I had been to Beijing before, I got to do something new! We climbed up to the top of Jing Shan and saw the most beautiful view of the Forbidden City and Beijing from on top of a mountain! It was so beautiful!

On Wednesday, we got the chance to meet the American diplomat Brian Brendel! It was amazing to hear him share his knowledge about Chinese-American relations with us, as well as the story of how he became a diplomat. But what was even crazier that happened while we were there was that one of the security guards had a seizure in the middle of Brian’s presentation. Unsure of what to do, Brian asked for help from anyone who is medically trained. It just so happened that Dylan (another guy on the team) and I both were lifeguard certified. We were able to help by protecting his head during the seizure, putting him in recovery position after he was done seizing, and monitoring his airway, breathing and circulation. We were able to help take care of the security guard until the medical professionals arrived! It was the first time I have been able to use my medical experience to help someone across the globe! What an amazing experience!

On Thursday, we had the opportunity to visit the Dandelion School, a school for migrant workers’ children. In China, many people who are in need of a job move to popular cities like Beijing or Shanghai in order to find a job. These people are called migrant workers. When they work in a place that is not their home province, their kids are not able to register for school. As a result, there are many kids that are uneducated or have to stay in their hometown, separated from their parents. This sad truth is the reason that Dandelion school exists. 

These kids are in need of not only a proper education but also love, care and attention. In addition, they need to be reminded of how much POTENTIAL they have! Dandelion is the only Junior High School in all of Beijing that admits migrant workers’ children. After meeting the principal and volunteers, we got a chance to meet these students and teach a class! I was a part of a team teaching in the arts and crafts class. Kathleen, Cindy, Peter and I decided that we would teach them how to make friendship bracelets, as well as teach them the significance of friendship bracelets in America. It was awesome to see how hardworking these kids are, to interact with them, to hear how well they speak English! My favorite part about teaching the class was to hear these kids stand up one by one and share their names and favorite food and hobby.

One girl in particular really inspired me—Sarah. Sarah is only 12 years old but she already knows that she wants to be a doctor when she grows up! Although it is a difficult goal, she is working towards it and is going to continue working hard to achieve that goal! We also got a chance to visit her family and her home. They live in an apartment that is only as big as my dorm room in Butler, plus a bathroom. Although their living situation is not the best, their dad shares that this is the happiest their family has been in their whole life—they have a place to live, a job, a school for their kids to go to, and food on the table!

On Friday, we got to visit the Summer Palace! I have visited before but this time, we entered in through another door bringing us to the most beautiful view of the palace! It was gorgeous!! Here are some pictures to show you! (Although pictures can never FULLY show the beauty of a place.)

On Saturday, we climbed the Great Wall! It was such perfect weather outside! It was sunny and only a bit windy! We climbed up over 300 steps to get to the Great Wall and walked more than 2 miles on the wall! The view is absolutely gorgeous—surrounded by mountains! Though it was challenging at times (very steep) and our leg muscles are so sore, it was DEFINITELY worth the hike!

 On Sunday we had to say goodbye to Beijing as we headed to Xi An, where we will be staying for the next 8 months! It was so sad to have to leave Feng Hua, the world’s best tour guide ever! He pretty much let us explore and taught us so much!! We’re gonna miss you, Feng!!

We took the high speed train! It was going 299 km/hour but you would have never guessed! The ride was SO SMOOTH. The 5 hour ride consisted of napping, reading, eating, and playing Settlers of Caton! Such an awesome ride with amazing scenery on the way!

The train arrived Xi An at around 4pm on Sunday…time to say hello to my new home! J