Location: Beijing
It’s day 1 in Beijing and thanks to jet-lag, the day began quite early for the majority of the students on the trip. By early I mean it’s 4 in the morning and everyone is already dressed and ready for the eventful day to come. After scarfing down a breakfast of assorted cereals and accidentally exploding oatmeal in the microwave, we were finally ready to board the bus that would take us to the Great Wall of China. The drive went by quickly and shortly after arriving at the Wall; the group began to realize the GREAT Wall of China lived up to its name. The Wall climbed the mountainside: a terrain so steep it looked as though one false step would send you tumbling down. Students were dared to make the climb to the top, and some did within the couple hours that were given. Others decided it would be more worth their time to casually pop into the photos of the locals and spend their trip to the Great Wall in the limelight. Covered in sweat and tears from laughing so hard, we piled back into the bus and made the trip back to the apartment for a sandwich lunch. The most anticipated part of the day was finally getting to the baby home. It was impossible to resist smiling when we saw those baby’s faces. They were all so adorable and just as curious about us as we were about them. However, before we got to play with the babies, we had to undergo a rigorous course in “baby crawling.” Picture 16 girls are lying on the floor and slowly figuring out the way to crawl as though we were newborns. Hilarious. Especially for the nannies who worked in the baby home. After passing “Baby Crawl 101,” we were allowed to play with the toddlers and newborns. To say we’re all awed by their cuteness would be an understatement.
We spent hours holding sleeping babies and running trucks around the crazy toddlers. The only thing that could pull us away from the baby home was the one thing all teenagers are driven by. That’s hunger. And after such a long day, we were starving. We dined at Yao Dian Zi, a restaurant that served delicious Chinese food, from traditional fried rice to fried corn…which was surprisingly tasty. With full bellies, we road home where students quickly lined up for the showers. Day 1 has come to a close and I think it’s safe to say that it leaves high expectations for the days to come.