After airline challenges and delays, our team has arrived in China. While AGCI President Hollen Frazier participates in a training event for orphanage directors, the rest of our group had a chance to explore and experience the culture of China. VP of Adoption Jodi Miyama updates us on their day…
After about 5 hours of sleep we woke up excited to experience Xiamen and acclimate to the culture. The temperatures were slated to be in the 80’s. We started our day with and amazing breakfast buffet and created a plan. First stop was Nanputtou Temple, where we saw many locals. Jordan was the bravest of all climbing as high as he could go to capture just the right photo. We could see many parts of the area from different locations. Both Jordan and Jessica became drenched in sweat, yet repeatedly said how worth it was for the photos and video they were able to take.
Second stop was to “Old Town”. We were most intrigued by the people and captured shots to represent “A Day in the Life”. We saw various modes of transportation, fascinated with the many forms of bicycles. There were 2 and 3-person tandems as well as many small children riding along. One semi scary moment was watching a mom navigate traffic with a baby in the bicycle’s basket. Cars do not stop or slow down for pedestrians.
We ate lunch at authentic, local noodle shop and had to guess what to order and eat. Luckily it turned out to be good!
We went to Gulangyu, hoping to take the ferry to see the island. Unfortunately, we arrived just a bit too late so could only see from a distance. Instead, we went to the beach where we bartered in the sand for a bubble blower, which we will use to get some smiles from the kids tomorrow.
Its been fun getting to know Rocky and hear how much he loves the children and wants the very best for them. Rocky was able to talk with the Director at Xiamen and we plan to be able to see the children playing both inside and outside. He’s truly amazing and so committed to the “work” he does. We are definitely fortunate to have him on the team.
We managed the day on our own without any translator and were somehow able to communicate.
In just a few hours we’ll begin meeting the children!!
One Response
So love seeing the pictures of your trip…these just add to the excitement of planning for our trip sometime this summer! Enjoy your visit with the kiddos in Xiamen! Our little guy is there.