Posting a Letter in Lang Fang

from Aug 2


Today the preschoolers went on a field trip to the post office. We talked yesterday about different ways we communicate with other people: face to face, on the telephone, via email and by sending letters. We discussed the fact that you have to pay money to buy your stamp, put it on your envelope and put it in the mail box. We learned about delivery of the mail.


You would be surprised, perhaps, by how many blind children - even teens - in the states, don't know why we put stamps on the letters. (One kid in a class in Washington took a guess: "it tells when the letter was mailed?"). It's one of the things that falls between the cracks for blind students.


So, these preschoolers are now ahead of the game. They "wrote" letters to one another (e.g. "scribbled" using a Brailler and put foam stamps all over their pages. The ones with a little vision scribbled with a pen as well). Then we put our letters in the envelopes and Rosa wrote their addresses on them (since they cannot do this themselves).


Today we completed the learning experience with a trip to the post office in two taxi cabs, (since Bethel's van is down). Each child went to the window and said: "I would like to buy a stamp, please." They gave their one yuan (one dollar) and got back two jiao (20 cents). Then they glued on their stamps (with help from me - and yes, this involves putting glue on the stamp with a brush) and put them in the mailbox. The postal workers were pretty sweet about the whole thing. Fortunately there was only one other customer in the post office at the time, so we did not create an inconvenience for other customers.


The taxis waited for us, so we hopped in and returned to Bethel. Back in the little school room we taped another envelope into our "experience" books, and I gave them each one jiao to put into their envelopes.

MuTianYu (continued)

While looking out between the ramparts, I saw below that there are alternate activities to be had in the vicinity of MuTianYu – one of them being horse riding. This particular horse and rider were not in agreement about the activity involved, and the horse was definitely in charge. This rider disembarked shortly after the photo was taken as the horse kept ramming its butt up against that cement wall.


One of the charming aspects of the wall were the occasional little side openings, like the one in the photo. This provided a nice spot for a rest from the hiking and gave Vida a chance to tell us a little more about the history. I’m going to try to get a short video of her on YouTube so you will get in on the action.


Shuli was absolutely right about “the most fun part” of going to the Great Wall. The Wall was awe-inspiring but the luge (I had to look that word up to find the spelling – and written down is sounds like something you might blow out your nose) was a thrill. As you can see from the photo (and sorry, there’s no photo of me zooming down it) there’s a metal chute. You are provided with a little sled thingy that has a joy-stick; when you pull back, it brakes, and when you push, it zooms. I put my baseball cap on backwards (less wind resistance☺) and away we went. A group of Chinese standing along the way got a great kick out of me for some reason???


Soon after we got off the luge, we saw this unlikely group. Two elderly Chinese fellows dressed up in the ancient soldier’s uniforms, along with the African teenagers, lined up for a group photo. Of course this is a money-making scheme, but it was an interesting combination of faces. Sorry I didn’t get my camera out quicker, but you get the idea.

More about MuTianYu

Everything about the trip to the Great Wall of China was magic for me - so I could go on at length - but let me hit the high points.

This particular day was overcast, so really a perfect temperature. That part is impossible to plan in the summer, so if you want temperate weather for the adventure, you will have to go in spring or fall. But we lucked out!


Riding on the ski lift gondola (unless you are afraid of heights) is the way to go. Then you can expend all your energy actually hiking on the wall itself, which as you can see from some of the photos, is not a walk in the park. Friends who went to the BaDaLing site, complained about being hot, tired and sweaty before they even got to the ancient structure. This way you arrive fresh, serene and poised for adventure. Just be ready to be hauled off the moving ski lift if you happen to be daydreaming as you cruise into the landing area:)


Walking on the wall, (the only man-made structure that can be seen from space - and I will have to look for photos online) and looking out over the expanse below, was transporting. As I stood by the enclosed structures with their scary protecting dragons and looked out through the ramparts, I imagined what it must have been like for the soldiers through the centuries when this actually served a defensive purpose. Awesome.

The Wall is not a continuous structure, but exists in sections that have been built at different times. These sections stretch over about 1500 miles and are of various lengths. The construction started during the Qin (pron Cheen) Dynasty (221-206 B.C.) when sections were built to keep out invading Mongols. These sections were built of earth and stones in wood frames. Construction of the "modern" walls begin in the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644 C.E.). Rising from the basic undulating structure of the wall are the guard stations (where soldiers ate and slept) and watch towers.


You have to keep your wits about you on the wall, since the steps are very uneven. Some of them are 2 or 3 inches high and others are 18 inches or more. In some sections you see people angling their bodies sideways to take the steps down (and I'm talking young people, not just those collecting SS checks) - so that tells you something. If you are over 50, or somewhat out of shape,(or both) be prepared to take breaks.
(to be continued...)

Great Wall of China at MuTianYu (2)

Finding our hotel and actually getting registered were adventures in themselves - but for now, on to our Great Wall experiences.


We were up and hunting for breakfast by seven, and returned to our favorite little neighborhood street where we were greatly entertained by all the activity. There was lots of cooking going on outside: dough being rolled out for noodles, long doughnut-looking things being deep-fried, and some small flat rounds of bread being cooked on a grill. Those looked most appealing to us, along with some bananas that we figured would be safe because of the fact that they are hermetically sealed in their skins before cooking.


We met Vida on our return to the hotel and quickly gathered together our things for the day. When we went outside, instead of the expected tour bus, we found a black audi with tinted windows and the air conditioner running. Our driver, Mr. Guo, opened the doors for us and we clambered into the back seat, thinking that maybe we were going to be delivered to the “coach.” Instead, we soon discovered that for $30 we had a private car with driver and our personal tour guide. On top of that, lunch was included. We were incredulous but happy as clams at high tide.


Vida works as an HR person at her regular 9 to 5 job and does this on the weekends in order to earn some extra cash. Mr. Guo was a very friendly and helpful fellow, and on top of that, he was an excellent driver – something you do not take for granted here in the Beijing area, as I’m sure you have concluded by now. Before long we were out of the worst of the city traffic and heading down a highway that was more pleasant than the route to Lang Fang. We were traveling north of Beijing – new territory – to Hairou County. After a while we could see the faint line of hills in the distance, emerging from the density of the ever-present Beijing smog. Farms started to appear – lots of corn and other vegetables growing by the highway and eventually some apple orchards.


We chatted along with Vida and complimented her on her English, and Mr. Guo on his excellent driving. It was soon time to disembark and run the gauntlet of vendors who line the sides of the street that lead to the ticket booths. Before heading up the hill, it was time for perhaps the least pleasant part of the experience: using the public bathroom. This had the usual pit toilets, which stink, and the added danger of a stone floor (maybe marble) which was totally soaked with…water?


We purchased our tickets and with Cindy and I in one ski-lift type gondola and Vida (her adopted name) in the one behind us, we headed up the hill to the Great Wall of China. Yes, this is Vida. Let me know if you are going to China and want a wonderful tour for a steal of a deal. I will connect you with Vida:)

The Great Wall of China at MuTianYu (1)

Last year when others were contemplating a trip the Great Wall, I cowered. The thought of riding for over 2 hours in a hot taxi, squished in with two others in the back seat did not sound inviting. Also, the thought of climbing up to the Wall in the heat and humidity was majorly intimidating. Then, as timing worked out, and due to other members developing “travelers complaint,” the trip to the Great Wall at BaDaLing did not happen. I had heard that the site at MuTianYu was less crowded and more beautiful, so that was where I really wanted to go, in any case.


This year Cindy and I discussed the option of the Wall and decided that we both wanted to go. We talked to the 20-somethings who had all been to MuTianYu and loved it. Shuli told us that the toboggan ride down from the Wall was the best part – and not scary. But the trip there did sound rather scary. First getting to Beijing, riding the subway and finding our hotel, then getting up at the crack of dawn and taking public transportation to the bus that goes to Hairou County. We would have to get off and find a second bus…oh dear. My language skills are very basic, and Cindy knows how to say “Ni hao” and “shie shie” (hello and thank you).


We were due to leave for our Beijing hotel weekend on Friday, when I finally got a brainwave the night before: why don’t we do it the American tourist way and take a tour. I went online and found “Beijing E-tours” which said that we could have an air-conditioned coach ride, there and back, a guide who spoke English and lunch was included – for $30. Hey, that sounded like the ticket. We could relax, view the scenery without worrying about our language skills or getting lost.

The photos show the approach to the entry gates of the Wall at MuTianYu - where there are the usual troupes hawking their wares.
to be continued....

Trip to Tian Jin - final episode

This is the last installment of my trip to Tian Jin (about 2 hours from Lang Fang) to visit little Chun Yu in the hospital. In the photos you see a hospital staff woman dragging the laundry cart into the hospital, the funky little vehicle that some water was delivered in, the child playing near the elevators (forget about children's play areas!) and a shot of Jude with a plate of delicious snap peas that we ate on the way home.

10:30 a.m. July 26th

We’ve just had another conversation with Dr. Wang who has a different opinion from another doctor in Wuhan, who is widely recognized for his expertise. Jude is doing his best to navigate through this maze of varying opinions and politics of doctors who don’t wish to coordinate with one another. Jude is walking the delicate path of trying to communicate another way of approaching the problem, without offending Dr. Wang. I don’t envy his position, as when it comes down to it, he is having to sort through the options and make a decision that will affect Chun Yu’s life.

We are now in an office, which is used by the other doctors on this floor. It is most basic, having half a dozen desks along the wall by the windows and a couple of cots on the opposite wall. The terrazzo floor dates back to the 40s or so, is pitted and it’s impossible to tell whether or not it is clean. Jude is now having a discussion with one of the younger doctors – I don’t know what this means, but will soon find out.

As I said, this is a hands-on hospital, most of the hands being attached to relatives of the patients. Just now, as we were waiting for the elevator, a gaggle of people came into the are with a man on a gurney. Of the 5 people surrounding the gurney, only one was a nurse. As you could see from the previous photos, the nurses here wear the traditional white uniforms with the cute little white caps. The other four attendants were sweaty men in T-shirts and slacks.

In the waiting area people sit in a variety of chairs – the kind we would take to the beach. On the 8th floor near the elevators, one mother had brought interlocking squares of foam rubber for her child to sit on while he played with his toys (see photo above). This hospital is strictly bare bones, as witness the doctor’s offices I described to you.

Later:
A couple of days after our trip to Tian Jin, Jude came to the volunteer’s quarters, which also houses the medical room where there are some supplies and medical charts for the children at Bethel. He was in a bit of a panic, because Chun Yu was not doing well and he needed to find a piece of equipment. What he was looking for was a metal tracheotomy tube, size 5 or 5.5 mm. When he finally did find what he was looking for, it turned out to be 6 mm, which I assume was too big. The hospital did not have one the right size. Jude didn’t know what other options they had, since the one he had found wasn’t right.

This piece of information really gave me pause. There is so much we take for granted regarding our medical infrastructure in North America. We rightfully have a fair amount of confidence that we will not die because the hospital lacked an essential piece of life-saving equipment. I didn’t see any of the operating rooms, of course, and I have to say, in retrospect, that I am thankful for that.

Tidee Didee

This time I will provide a couple of photos, to offset what might be considered an unseemly repetition of subject matter...These photos of lotus flowers were taken at Beihai Park, which I will tell you about in due time.

I stayed in Japan for a night, at the Hotel Emion Tokyo Bay, where all is spiffy and neat as a pin. In contrast to the complaints of my last blog about the facilities in China, the Japanese toilet is something to behold. One might think that these amazing devices are provided only in the 5-star hotels, but no! they are also at the airport, and a woman en route to the hotel told me that they are all over the place in Japan.

OK. In the downstairs bathroom of this hotel there is a little dispenser of sanitizer that you can squirt onto a piece of TP and use to clean your toilet seat (more ecologically sound than paper toilet-seat covers, don’t you think?). When you sit down, a little humming noise immediately begins. Not to worry; that is just your toilet seat warming up to a cozy temperature. When the reason for your visit is complete, you have some buttons to choose from. There are three larger ones that say “Shower” “Bidet” and “Stop” and two smaller ones that allow you three “strength” choices. What is the difference between “Shower” and “Bidet” you might ask. Well, it has to do with the part of the anatomy that is struck by the flow of water from beneath. Let’s just say that “Bidet” is especially for women. Of course, you are still provided with TP for the purpose of drying your derrière.

Now for the best part of all. In public toilets, (such as the airport ones) another button is provided. This one says “Flushing Sound” – that’s right, just the sound, without the actual flushing. This is what we would call a “cover-up” sound, if you take my meaning. At first I had a hard time believing this, so I decided I would push the “Flushing Sound” button right before I pushed the actual flusher. The somewhat embarrassing thing was that the fake “flushing sound” went on a LOT longer than the actual flushing sound, which meant that I sheepishly left the stall with the sound still reverberating forth. But, of course, no one gave the slightest indication that anything was amiss, in this land where people are trained to provide for one another’s privacy.