3
Location: Beijing
Since it was our first real day, jet lag was a bit of an obstacle. Visiting the children’s hospital helped us as a group to gain some insight into the program. We learned about the children’s conditions and situations. Many of them are no older than four-years-old, but the oldest kid in the program is eight-years-old. It was interesting to learn about how we should interact with and play with the kids. Speaking for the whole group: we are all very excited, but a little nervous (in a good way), to spend 12 days making such a huge impact on these children’s lives.
After exchanging money, we made our way to the Great Wall of China. Due to traffic, we spent three hours on the bus ride, but it was totally fine because we bonded as a group! We played mind games, two truths, and a lie, and we just started to learn more about each other. The Great Wall of China was everything we expected and more. We motivated each other to trek up the high and steep steps. It was quite a workout! As you could imagine, jet lag made this hike difficult, but we all had an amazing experience. We took many pictures, and some of the locals were so fascinated by us that they took pictures with us!
The day felt long, but it was without a doubt an incredible start to our three-week journey!
Average rating for the day: 8.16/10 (this comes as a result of the jet lag)