The kids played again in the play area while I went back to the hotel room to rest for a few minutes. It was literally just a few minutes because Phil said the kids were too wound up in the play area and he was itching to get our room organized so it could be cleaned later while we were gone. We met David in the lobby at 8:30 again and because he was concerned about the rain, he asked Phil to go get umbrellas from the hotel with a deposit. He asked if we would do Summer Palace first in case it was going to rain in the afternoon, we could do little shops and dodge the rain easier. Honestly, guides ask if things are okay, but really, they know best. If he wants to rearrange the day, I'm all for that!
David had been teaching us Chinese characters and words each day so far, so he pulled out his notebook to review and then teach us more while we drove to summer palace. We had such a beautiful day of touring the grounds of the palace. It had been destroyed during the cultural revolution, but since then, it has been returned back to the gardens again. It was a beautiful park. So many bridges and trees. So unfortunate for everything to have been destroyed during the cultural revolution. China lost so much of its history because one man wanted everyone to forget what had been and rewrite history.
We walked through the park and then took a Dragon boat back to the front entrance! It has been SO amazing to experience such special things on this trip!!!
After the Summer Palace, we played Go Fish on the way to the Olympic Park. It was a photo op so we got to see the Birds Nest, Water Cube, and Olympic torch! The Olympics will be back in Beijing in 2022.
After that, we went to Hutong Village. We split up between three pedi-cab drivers who drove us all over the village. It was bitter-sweet. In some ways, it reminded Phil and me of Jemma's village. It did things to our hearts. I had Jemma with me. Looking back, I think Phil would have appreciated having Jemma with him as his heart just wanted to hug her close during that ride. On the other side, I felt so at peace with where we were. Riding through the village gave me a sense that I was where I belonged. As we rode, I tried to soak it all in. All of the doors standing open into family's combined home and business. I contemplated how people made money to survive having a business in a hole in the wall in a spot along all these twist and turn alleyways. It occurred to me that they survive because of each other. Phil and I had watched a Korean show where the father sold tofu. I think that is similar to what I saw here.
A man slept on his wagon - lunch break. A few older ladies stood at a small corner and talked. One mother was squatting down by her son hugging him... just taking the time to be with him. There were old abandoned bikes EVERYWHERE. Not rusted out bikes... but used up bikes. Bikes that had been protected from rain but worked until their last possible minute.
We arrived at a local family's house for lunch. We walked through a small vestibule (I doubt that is the right word, but it is the best I can come up with for a description) and a large old tree was coming up from the ground as part of the wall. As we entered the house, there was a living/dining space in front of us with a table set for our family. Behind it was a bedroom/art room. One of the family members made paintings inside jars. She showed the children how she had a custom paintbrush and let them each try to paint in the jar. Sammy and Titus were priceless with this - they concentrated SO hard. Lily and Phoebe loved it too.
We were then served a traditional meal. First salted/shelled peanuts, fat pork with potatoes, lotus root. Then white rice, celery (my favorite) and dumplings. I fed Jemma on my lap and after she was done, David offered to take her so I could eat. He was so attentive and a wonderful friend during our time in Beijing! While I was eating, the grandfather of the family came in from smoking outside and showed the kids how to play hacky-sack. WHAT A HIT! The kids laughed and played with him and had such a fun time. The women who had cooked the meal laughed and watched and cheered. Jemma was hilarious saying, "Can I try?" over and over. David helped her try. She's such a go-getter that sometimes she makes it hard for people to help her. She wants to do things she sees others do in the same way others do them. Everyone was having such a fun time. After I finished eating, I held Jemma on my lap and bent her leg to the side so the hacky-sack sat on her foot the way the grandfather had showed them and then flipped it up in the air. Her laughter came from deep inside her belly! Her laugh made everyone else laugh even more. It was a moment. I hope I never forget.
The grandfather went back outside to smoke more and we headed out as well. I came back in to thank the ladies and the woman clearing the table said some things in Chinese about Jemma and reached out to take touch her arm. I told Jemma she could give the woman a hug. I motioned to the woman and let her take Jemma in her arms and hug her. In that moment, I couldn't imagine what it feels like to be restricted on the number of children I can have. In that moment, I couldn't imagine being taken from my home and forced to have a sterilization procedure performed on my body because I had already registered my one child. This trip, my goal has been to be a blessing to anyone we can bless. That means smiling at those taking pictures of us. That means waving and saying ni hao to those video taping. And in this morning, it meant having our crazy bunch of laughing playful kids learn hacky-sack with a new friend and let the lady in the house hug my baby. Oh, I hope we can make an even bigger impact. My heart is here. My heart is in this country.
We came outside to find our pedi-cab drivers all waiting with their bikes and communing with other men from the village. We all loaded back up and headed back through the alleys to the pedi-cab parking. Many of the men were napping at that point. The weather was BEAUTIFUL!
After that, we drove over to Qianmen Street so we could get Tanghulu and Sugar Painting candy! SOOOOO delicious! Better than I ever expected and much better than the Hawthorn Berry tang hulu we had on our last trip! We stopped at the market to pick up magnets as souvenirs for our time in Beijing and Sammy picked a keychain for his backpack. We headed back to the hotel and Phil ran over to get McDonald's to get food for everyone. We decided to pack in the morning and so I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Phil stayed up late and went to bed at 7pm (LOL).
Check out the lady's face - LOL One person came up to me with Jemma in the ergo in the bathroom and turned Jemma face to see if she was Chinese (I'm assuming) and then shouted back to her group of friends (a confirmation I think).
1 comment:
What fun! Summer palace hasn't changed much since I was there 13 years ago! :)
Post a Comment