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Location: Beijing
Hello friends and family! Today was our first full day in the fantastic city of Beijing, and it couldn’t have been more fun! Though we’re all still getting over our jet lag and the crazy time difference, it hasn’t stopped us one bit! We started today by climbing the Great Wall, and I think we all agree when I say it was the coolest thing we’ve done in our entire lives. The hike was no small feat between the thick air and heat, but we carried on none the less, and the views made it worth it. Throughout our hike, we kept getting stopped by Chinese locals to take pictures. That happens to foreigners a lot here. We took it in stride and laughed and posed for every photo, enjoying our fifteen minutes of fame. Looking out over the wall was incredible. It was so amazing to know you are standing on years and years of history.
After the Great Wall, we headed over to Dew Drops Little Flower, our service site, for orientation. Orientation was a lot of fun and informative. We talked all about how Dew Drops Little Flower came to be, what services they provide, and the children that are currently in their care. We even got super lucky and got to sit in on song time with some of the kids! I know we are all excited for tomorrow, our first day working with the kids. After orientation, we had a little down time then headed out to dinner. The food’s been delicious! The favorite meal of the group as of now definitely seems to be sweet and sour chicken. We’ve all agreed that we love that all the food here is family style. It’s so sweet to get to sit around the table and be able to see everyone and try all the different dishes, instead of just picking one.
So far, the vibe of the group is fantastic. We’ve all been getting along so well and enjoying each others company. I can tell that the next three weeks are gonna be incredible! We played some groups games after dinner that helped us get to know each other and any secret talents we had in common. Between sun salutations, singing Hamilton and playing ukulele it’s clear we all have lots in common. After games, we were all exhausted, but some of us managed to stay up to watch the World Cup anyway. Also, as a group, we’ve decided to keep a quote book of all of our funniest moments of the trip. We’ve also decided to share the best quote of the day on the blog every day.
THE QUOTE OF THE DAY “Are we gonna walk the whole wall? – Bianca.