A Bunny Making Day!

Another fun day here in Fuzhou! Today Debbie, Alice, and I spent the day in the workshop making stuffed bunnies. We took the many pieces of fabric and stitched it up, all by hand! They took a very long time! We started at about 10am and were still working on our one each at 5:30! Mine is all done except for the emblem that needs to be stitched on the foot. I made a whole bunny by hand! Hope, one of the founders adopted daughters and her husband run the workshop. It's called Hands of Hope. They do several projects like that to help fund-raise for HTH. I was planning on giving the shop my bunny to sell but, while it's pretty good, I'd feel bad giving them my less than perfect bunny. So, I'm just going to buy him and take him home with me! Debbie and I made the same rabbit and Alice helped with ours. I'm glad I decided to keep it because once I started to think about it, it's a really special project that I can keep for many years and remember this trip and everyone who helped put him together. Ross, the guy staying in the guest house with us lives here in China going to  grad school, but he's originally from Missouri. He only came for a little bit so he just worked on mine for a bit. I think he did one arm and attached it to the body. Nine year old Julia, who speaks perfect English and Chinese, translated for her mom who doesn't speak any English when she helped us. So I have a few stitches in there from them. Alice did a leg and part of the face, and Hope attached the movable legs. There's a little bit of many people in that bunny.

After bunny making time, Kyler picked us up at the shop and we walked to his house. Shi Yu made an EXCELLENT dinner for us! We even had brownies and Chinese ice cream! They have been so good to us on this trip! We had a good time looking through old pictures first of the kids when they were babies and then pictures from their church and past trips. We walked a little ways from their house to the Chinese temple that sits right in the middle of the village. There were people doing Tai Chi outside the temple. Very cool cultural experience.

This whole thing of living in the village is a culturalexperience. I love walking down the streets where most tourists would never get to see.  I love walking the narrow dirt roads, seeing the artistic old buildings, constantly sweating due to the 115 heat index, not flushing toilet paper, turning off the AC before leaving a room, the giant window in the bathroom that we open while showering so we don't suffocate, ... etc! 😂 Yes, it's a different lifestyle than anything we're used to but it doesn't make them any less or us any better. Different is different and that's good.

   

Before I say anything, I just want to ask you to pray. I believe that God wanted me to go on this trip for a reason. Not for me but for Him. Specifically, I believe there is someone out there who feels that tug on their heart to adopt but they're just not sure. Whether you're a married adult, high schooler, college student, retired, single, thinking about adoption or have never thought about adoption at all, I just ask that you take a second to pray for these children and the hearts of everyone reading this blog. Pray and maybe ask, is it me? Is it someone I know? And ask that God would put the answer on your heart. Go ahead, I'll be right here waiting! 

Ok, are you done? Thanks so much!! So, anyway, we had an unusual day. We didn't stay in the village like normal but Kyler, Shi Yu, and Malia, (and Jaden, who is  Kyler and ShiYu's son), took us out to see the town in the afternoon. During the morning, however, we stuck to our routine. I went up to 2nd floor, Shyla went to 4th, and Alice and Debbie worked in the shop. This morning we said goodbye to Lynn, who just stayed a couple of days. She was Debbie's MSU international student a few years ago. She stopped by on her way back to MSU for another year of school. After hanging out with the kids, I helped take them to school. Today, Shyla and I switched classrooms, just to see how things were in another room. I  had the room on the 2nd floor with less responsive kids who are accomplishing big things, if they react in any way. Upstairs, today, was quite a bit different. We had kids in there such as GC who is very bright! There were 2 kids with Downs Syndrome, one boy with possible autism too, and one spunky little girl who is just as cute as can be! I'm honestly surprised she hasn't been adopted yet! You know, HTH is basically a giant foster home for government kids you have been deemed too severely disabled to be adoptable. However, many of these kids are so sweet and so bright and as cute as can be. Obviously HTH has been very much responsible for that transition from hopeless and dying to brilliant and thriving! Kyler used a good metaphor today. He said something like, "the kids are all like Flowers. But when they come to us, sometimes they're a bulb, sealed up tight. But as they live here and are loved on and receive therapy, the will open up and blossom!" I just love that! It's easy to see the ones who were laid in a bed, never to be picked up and loved on. And to hear stories of how they've opened up and blossomed, is amazing.

We had 2 kids with downs, one girl who looks Indian, with a repaired cleft lip and some small cognitive delay (but she's very smart and helpful), a girl with crossed eyes who must have cognitive delay too, and my smart little GC. GD is usually in that class too but she hasn't been in class pretty much all week because of the awful cough she has. Since a lot of the kids at HTH are non verbal, they teach ASL to all the kids. And it's just amazing how well the kids respond to it! The little crosseyed girl wanted to wander around the room but a quick sign of "sit down" and she was in her seat again. I was in favor of baby ASL before, but now, I am a wholehearted believer!!

We met Kyler at the house we stay in after lunch and we were getting ready to go when I was showing everyone my beautiful new sun-brella I bought in the village a few days ago. (Everyone in Fuzhou carries an umbrella at all times because it's either raining or the sun is blazing hot) We were admiring how beautiful it was, when Kyler noticed it and said, Oh wow do you know what that is and what it's for? Of course I had no idea, it was just a pretty umbrella I bought. He said, this is the umbrella they use when you get married. Its a bride umbrella, people only use them during the wedding. It's a sacred part of the wedding ceremony. Of course, I would buy something that I can't even use here without getting laughed at! We get enough stares and pictures as it is! Needless to say I did not use my sun-brella during our day out!

We went to this place in downtown Fuzhou called, Historic Street. It's basically the Branson Landing of China. The look of the street and shops has been preserved from Ancient times. It was absolutely beautiful with lots of really cool places to shop! We went to one store that was much bigger and deeper than the rest. There were probably 25 or so table like booths with a person stationed at each. When you picked out what you wanted to buy from one booth, they bagged it up and kept it at the table and gave you a slip of paper. When you had gone through the whole store, you took all the papers the vendors gave you and paid at one register. Then you go back around to all the booths you bought from and show them your receipt, then they would give you your stuff you bought. It wasn't like the market, where you barter for the price, everything was a set price and they weren't aggressive about it, which was nice. I bought quite a bit there, but not as much as Debbie and Shyla! We had an awesome time with food today! Tonight we went to an ice cream shop, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut! It was so great to eat American food again! We went to the three story fabric market (the only fabric store in Fuzhou) to get materials for the work shop. Tomorrow we'll be doing an all day workshop, making big bibs for the older kids (mainly CP), teddy bears, quilts, and purses for the kids and to sell. Enjoy all the great pictures from today! Goodnight from Fuzhou

Debbie and WaeWae with their finished quilt.

Lynn and the bib she made.

Mango Ice Cream 

Inside Starbucks

Starbucks is Starbucks no matter what country you're in.

Historic Street

Beautiful sunset over Fuzhou

They put lemon in our (non refillable) pitcher of Pepsi at Pizza Hut

At the fabric market they sell iron-on copyright logos
to put on clothes to make them look authentic.

One of many bike parking lots.

A bonus pic of Jaden cause he's so cute!

HOT Day!

Today has been very hot. I'm actually looking forward to Missouri weather after the insane heat and humidity here. The humidity is worse than the heat. I'm not sure why today, but me, Alice, and Debbie all woke up with a sore throat. It feels like some kind of allergy drainage but I'm curious as to why all of us and why today. One lady makes a drink mix that's supposed to be good for sore throats. I'm on my 2nd one right now. It's not the tastiest thing on earth but it's not bad. It's basically sugar and lemons in a mason jar. It's a brown thick liquid that looks and tastes like molasses. I made this cup stronger than the last in hopes it would help more but I can barely get it down. This lady makes and sells the mix at the workshop.

With only 3 days left here at HTH, I'm already getting sad about leaving. I love these kids so much and just want to see them all thrive in life. But I know that they're in a good place here while waiting for their forever families. GA has me wrapped around her chubby little finger. My heart explodes when I think about here growing up without a mommy and daddy. I know HTH takes amazing care of all these babies, and all 90 staff and 50 kids are their family, but I still wonder about their lives with a family. GA cracks me up with how much she loves to sleep! She fell asleep right before time to go to school at like 8:45 and would NOT wake up! It was so funny. I did everything possible to wake her. Finally one of the girls grabbed her and made her stand up. Then when she was limp and asleep again, they used the spray bottle of water they use to do the girls hair and gave her a little spray in the face. It took like 5 sprays and wiping her face with a wash cloth to finally wake her up! She fell asleep while in my lap at 6 tonight and stayed that way after I laid her in her crib. She's so funny, like a big heavy baby. I hadn't really worked with people with special needs much before I came here, so I was a little worried. But now I'm so in love with these amazing babies and all the workers who work tirelessly around the clock to make sure the kids are well taken care of and loved. 

BD continues to love the light up toy I bought yesterday. Today he laid his head on my lap for a good hour and a half while I made it spin and light up for him. After the little monkey girl, GB came and took the fan, we discovered a new game. I put my thumb and index finger on his eye lids and pushed them closed then open again, over and over and over. He thought that was hysterical. I wish I could see what he can see. Depending on how I positioned my fingers on his eyes, he would smile bigger. We discovered this game when I noticed how he digs his finger into his eye lid to (I imagine) help him see better. It's so interesting. Speaking of interesting, GC showed me just how much sign language she knows, and it's a lot. I wish I knew why she is nonverbal and doesn't walk. She's so smart and beautiful too. I got an awesome video of her showing off her signing today! I'll try and attach it to this post after I get back to the states. 

I could talk about each of the kids for so long, like how GD is the alarm for when she sees someone doing something they're not supposed to, using my monkey GB. She will say her name over and over until someone finally sees. It's so funny. Or like how the two boys with Downs and Autism sit around all day grunting at each other like old men. It's so cute. I just pray that all the kids have long and happy lives, where they are. 

I've been meaning to post about the shop but I keep forgetting. Alice and Debbie have been working in the shop, making quilts for the kids. The Chinese ladies that work in the shop, make things to sell that helps HTH. They have an array of fabrics and make coin purses and regular purses in many shapes and sizes. They're not terribly expensive so if you'd like to purchase one, make a comment or let my parents know and I'll be sure to bring some back! It's a very neat way to raise money for the kids.

Good night from Fuzhou

¥298=$44.32   ¥268=$39.86

¥328=$48.79   ¥238=$35.40

I think she said the little ones would be around $20

¥178=26.48      ¥=$23.50

¥148=22.01     ¥128=$19.04

A Dollar of Great Joy

Every day in Fuzhou is different and amazing. I love living completely immersed in Chinese culture. I connect with the kids more and more each day. Today, as I was holding and rocking GC on the floor of the play room and staring into her beautiful almond eyes, the quote from Fault in our stars came to mind. "We fell in love like you fall asleep: slowly and then all at once." That's how I feel about these babies on my floor. I got to really connect with GC today and she showed me just how incredibly smart she is. I'm still not sure on her diagnosis but I feel like it's something with therapy she could overcome. She doesn't speak words or walk but she scoots around on the carpet and knows sign language in English and Chinese. I learned she knows colors in sign today too. I really wish I knew more ASL to see what else she knows. Shyla says she is in her class at school and she knows animals, letters, and more. It's just amazing how these kids are essentially learning 3 languages at once. I love how they teach these kids every thing you can think of and more. One of the girls said, "whatever they can learn, we'll teach them." And that's so true! I want to see GA, as well, find a family more than words can say. That girl is so incredibly sweet. I know she's bright too. If she had a family who knew how to care for a child with downs, she would thrive in unspeakable ways!

Another cool experience with the kids today happened this afternoon. Before I left for China, I got a letter in the mail with a $1 bill from my second cousin Lana Stewart. She wrote to me about this dollar that had blown into her yard many years ago, after a devastating tornado. She said that the dollar was sort of a symbol of great loss. She saved the dollar all these years to spend it on something that can bring great joy out of great devastation. So she mailed me that dollar to use in China and today I spent it. One of the little boys, BD, has limited eyesight but loves to look at light. I bought him a toy that lights up using the dollar. It is a fan that lights up and spins when you crank the handle. When I came back into the room after I bought it, he was laying on the ground next to the door, staring at the lights as usual. I sat down next to him and took his hands in mine. I put the toy in his hands and guided his fingers to show him how to work it. Once he got the hang of it and had it lighting up, he was so happy! He absolutely loves that thing! He just laughed and smiled and kicked his feet on the ground with excitement! I played with him for hours. He can do it himself, but he likes it when I do it. So, he would find my hand and put it on the fan for me to wind it. It was just such a cool and simple thing that brought him great joy. Thank you Lana for giving a little boy a light in the darkness.

On the tourist side of things, we are having a fun time with food... lol. Today, we went to the local market just for fun. It was 1 in the afternoon, right in the middle of rest time, (the whole country pretty much shuts down from 12-2 for naps and rest. I have happily joined and taken a nap everyday!) so the market didn't have much in it. There were 2 produce stands still open so we bought some tomatoes, grapes, and bananas for our breakfast. We went to the bigger store next door and got some more snacks. It's fun to try all the different stuff. We've kept it pretty safe though with snack cakes and chips. However, the worker girls in my room enjoy giving me food to try. That's one of the really cool things I love about Chinese culture; everyone is so generous with every little bit they have. A lady on the street yesterday gave me her umbrella. Anyways, Malia brought chicken feet for breakfast for me to try. So, let the record show that I have eaten chicken feet! It took a while to build up the courage to get close enough to it to take a bite. I closed my eyes and went for it. Honestly, it wasn't too bad. There's not much meat on it though. I took a couple bites and gave it back lol. So we buy stuff for our breakfast at the market but HTH provides our lunch and dinner. It's about the same everyday, but I like it. When I leave my kids room after they've eaten lunch, I stop by the kitchen in the main house to pick out our meal and take it back to the guest house. They prepare it in dishes for all of us at the guest house to share. The pictures below are from dinner tonight.

"Also pictured below is my new favorite drink, Fanta Watermelon! If they don't have it in the states, I may need it shipped home!"

Good night from Fuzhou

8/1 9:30pm CT 8:30am US time 

I'm so overwhelmed with the events of the day that I'm not sure what to talk about first. My heart is shattered into a million pieces upon spending an entire day at HTH. The love the workers have for the children- these are the ones that the state orphanages deemed in-adoptable, hopeless, or too much to handle. These beautiful children are thriving here at HTH. I can't imagine the progress they would make if they  had a family.

Our day started at 7am to help feed the kids breakfast. So HTH is structured with one group of kids per floor in 2 buildings. I'm on 2nd floor with 8 kids. Shyla is on 4th with 5 (I think) kids with CP. I am loving getting to know the kids and their huge personalities. I really connected with the kids today. Boy B (see last post) really opened up to me today. He is self harming and has bruises on his face and hands. He sits on the couch with his head hanging off the side in pretty much all his free time. He's nonverbal DS and Autistic but today I sat on the couch with him and tickled his belly while he just laughed and laughed. He held my hand and played with my fingers for a long time. He's such a sweet and loving boy. 

Girl A has captured my heart completely. She just turned 4 last week but because she has Downs, she's very small. She is so sweet. She would really thrive in a family! All she wants is to be held and loved. I think being held tight makes her feel safe. Tonight, I fed her dinner and then rocked her to sleep. I got to see her little personality at school today! The teacher blew bubbles and she went wild! She grinned so big, I'm not sure she could see! She flapped her arms and legs up and down and laughed hysterically! 

Girl C continues to amaze me with how brilliant she is! I talked to another of the girls from the US that's a part of the staff about what C's diagnosis is but she didn't know either. She's nonverbal and communicates well with ASL. She doesn't walk but does have feeling in her legs and has 6 digits on each hand and foot. She's so independent and smart. She's absolutely beautiful too. I can't imagine the progress that beauty would make in a family. 

Boy D is so so special. I can tell he's smart but is nonverbal. It fascinates me how drawn to light he is. I imagine with his form of blindness that that's all he sees. He presses his face to lights on toys and just stares. I think with the right treatment, he could have much improved vision! I know he can see light so it makes me wonder exactly how much he can see and what it would take to help his vision improve!

Girl D has everyone wrapped around her beautiful little finger. Spina Bifida will never keep this girl from living a big life! She speaks both Chinese and English and uses ASL too. She has had surgery. She has a large knot on her back where she is paralyzed from there down. She walks on her hands and rolls around, making life look easy. She is another that with the right equipment and treatment would absolutely thrive!!! I can't advocate for this beauty enough!! If you or anyone you know might be interested in any of these precious kiddos, contact either of my parents and they can send pics, videos, and more information! We had some new guests join us here in the HTH guest house today and last night. One of which is a mother and her 9 year old daughter Julia. I am so jealous of her language abilities. At 9 years old she speaks perfect Chinese and English. This kid is a ball of energy! She brought her Tenzi game to play and really wanted to play during dinner. I had to go back to work so I promised to play at night. We played Tenzi for a good hour or so. (If you've never played, it's super fun and super easy) I'd like to take Julia around with me all day as my little translator. That's probably the most difficult part about living as an only English speaking person in China. Although many people speak at least a little English, it's still really hard to communicate. I feel very out of place and a little isolated when everyone around me is speaking Chinese (even though some can speak English) and I can only pick up small bits and pieces. I feel ashamed to be so ignorant in only speaking English when so many here are bilingual. I wish more American children  were taught another language. All over the world, millions of children learn 2+ languages. 

Shyla and I made a trip to the village store during our afternoon break for some snacks. It's so difficult to describe the village. HTH is a part of of the village like a university is a part of its city. There are many building that belong to HTH but many buildings mixed in that do not. The weather has been so wet and humid since we arrived in Fuzhou, so making a trip to the store means walking in the rain down the dirt roads between the many rundown houses and buildings along the way. Trying to dodge puddles, broken slabs of concrete, junk piles, bikes, cars, mopeds, people, and more. We stocked up on sodas and snacks. Our goal was to find some fruit or something for breakfast but we didn't quite hit that goal. We got a couple packs of dried fruit and some breakfast like snack cakes. If you've never shopped in a Chinese market or store of any kind, you're missing out on a real culture shock. It's very difficult finding anything familiar. Even the lays chips and Oreos taste different. But it's all a part of the experience and wild ride. 

Good night from FuZhou

First day at Hidden Treasures

July 31, 1:30pm CT. This morning Malia took us to breakfast in the village at 7:30. We trudged through the rain, puddles, dirt, and mud to a little outdoor corner restaurant. It was basically a roof, 2 tables, plastic stools, and a stove. People from all over the village sat around eating noodles and dumplings. We all had peanut noodles and pork dumplings. It was so good. Everything seems to taste better in China. It was fascinating and humbling to eat with the local people under a roof on a dirt street in the rain. It's almost shocking to see the way these people live their everyday lives. Kyler and Shi Yu later gave us the tour. There are about 9 buildings that Hidden Treasures owns. We saw all the rooms and all the kids and workers. So many of the kids have severe Cerebral Palsy and Autism. The majority of the kids are non-verbal. Many of the kids however seems to have less severe special needs. Afterwards we ate lunch back at the guest house and met with the schedule coordinator to plan out the rest of the week. I'll be with the youngest kids this week. They're 3-5 year olds. Mostly heart defects, autism, and Down syndrome. We work 7am-7;30pm Tuesday to Saturday. Sunday after church and Monday before we leave, Malia will take us to see Fuzhou. Mostly markets and stuff.

I'll go to my kids room at 3 to meet the staff and kids better. Then we'll go to the local market to get foods for breakfast. It's been raining pretty much since we got here yesterday and it'll probably stay like this all week. Which is fine because it has been 115 degrees for the past few weeks. I'm very excited for the weeks ahead! I can already tell that these kids are going to bless my heart more than I am going to bless theirs. I won't be able to post pictures of the kids until I get back to the states but I'll write all about them and put names to faces later. There are about 15 children here that are available for adoption. Please share with anyone you know that may be interested in adoption of a child with special needs!

Here are some photos of the village:

6:45pm CT. Very fascinating and emotional day. At 3 Debbie and I went to the room on 2rd floor and Shyla and Alice went to 4th floor. I'll be there everyday all day for the next 5 days and Debbie will be there in the afternoons after her and Alice teach the girls to quilt in the mornings. There are 8 kids in our room 4 boys and 4 girls. I can't remember all their names yet; they're mostly Chinese names. 2 of the boys have Down syndrome and autism. Boy "A" is less severely autistic than boy "B". The two other boys are visually impaired. Boy C does not have eye balls and has severe autism as well. He does self inflicting pain a lot. He banged his head against hard objects over and over, including mine and Debbie's heads. He was probably the most heartbreaking of the group. Boy D who has eyes but can't see well, had heart surgery a while back. He seems to be more developed cognitively than the others. He really likes to lay on the floor and stare at the lights on the ceiling because they're bright enough for him to see. The four girls are amazingly full of hope! Girl A is 3 and has Down's syndrome. She is funny because the girls that work in the room say her hobby is napping (and it is). She fell asleep once while Debbie was holding her in our short time. They said she goes to school but falls asleep the whole time she's there 😂 (they have a school part for the more cognitively developed kiddos to attend in another part of the buildings for a couple hours a day.) Girl B had a stroke as a baby on one side of her body. They said she would never use that side of her body but today she's 4 or 5 and running all over the play room. She's probably the most active of all the kids! The last two girls are amazing. I'm not sure what Girl C's special need is. I know she's 5 and pretty small. She doesn't walk but crawls around well. They watch ASL videos during play time and she can sign very well! She may not say a lot but she can understand everything you are saying to her! She's so happy and smiles all the time! Girl D really touched me. She's 4 and has spina bifida. Her head, arms, and chest are normal size for her age but her waist down is very small. She is just absolutely beautiful! She seems to be on track cognitively. Frankly, I'm surprised she doesn't have a family yet. She's so beautiful and so full of life. She may not walk but she gets around on her arms perfectly fine!

I can't post pictures of the kids but if you would like to see them, tell either of my parents and they can have me send them pictures and videos.

The girls that work in the 2nd floor room don't speak much English, so it's difficult to communicate with them right now. They're all about my age or younger, which really surprised me! We'll go to the market in the morning, then go to the 2nd floor room at 7:30am. Tonight I plan to reorganize my stuff and go to sleep early.

Goodnight from Fuzhou!

Leaving Beijing

July 30, 12:30pm CT 

This morning we were able to sleep in until 9am. Even though we cancelled our 4am wake up call, they still called. 😑 We went back to sleep though, or at least I did! Then we woke up to another call at 9 from Debbie. I think she was bored and wanted us to be up 😂 We had breakfast down on the first floor. I wish hotel breakfast in the US was like they are in China. They have so much food of all sorts. This morning I skipped the congee, had so ham, fruit, bread, tea, coffee and some other stuff. I've eaten every meal with chopsticks here.

After breakfast we went back up to our rooms and packed up our stuff to be airplane ready. We bought so much yesterday that we're having a little trouble stuffing everything in already! Since we had so much time before our flight, we took a walk down the street of our hotel. Our final destination was a shopping mall called "the place." We were looking for the bathroom but the signs kept telling us to go upstairs. We took 3 or 4 escalators until we finally found it. I nabbed a western toilet but it still didn't have TP. They keep one holder on the wall outside the stalls by the hand dryer. I think I've used 3 or 4 squatty pottys during our trip so far. (If you don't know what that is, google it. I've meant to take a picture, but they're all so gross that I just can't get myself to do it 😂) When we were leaving, we found the bathroom on the first floor... lol oh well. Before we had made it to the place, we went into several little shops along the way. One was a fabric store with a little pregnant lady running it. The walls were lined with the most beautiful silk rolls. We went into one store with a boy a little younger than me running it. The front had a handwritten sign that said "fair prices, no negotiating." That was fine by us, we had had plenty of that yesterday. His sign was right! He had really really great prices. Debbie and I had a hay day in there! She finally got her umbrellas she had been looking for. I got 4 six packs of off brand command hooks for ¥4 each ($2.37 all together!), 2 apple brand lightning cords for ¥15 each ($4.45 all together). I also got a bunch of other things too. That was our major jackpot for the day! When we were leaving "the place" afterwards, a man on a motorized rickshaw (an enclosed motorcar thing) waved us down. I had been really wanting to ride in a rickshaw so me and Alice went with him. He didn't speak any English so we weren't for sure where he was taking us but he seemed to know what he was doing 😂 Just like everywhere in Beijing, the motor vehicles have the right of way above any bikes of or pedestrians. He drove really fast and on the sidewalks. Most everyone was coming towards us and he layed on his horn basically the whole ride! He stopped in front of the subway stations just a few blocks from our hotel. We payed and thanked him and went back to the hotel lobby to wait for Shyla and Debbie who opted to walk. 

3:20pm

We're at the airport now waiting for our flight to Fuzhou. The security is a lot tighter here than all the other places we've gone through. We all got frisked, had things we needed to take out and even took away. We said goodbye to LiLi before going through security. Me and Debbie bought some peaches at the Great Wall (it's peach season here) So we're eating our peaches and waiting for the flight. 

Goodbye Beijing!

This is a squatty potty

We just got to Hidden Treasures in Fuzhou! It was a really nice flight. We were the only non-asians on the plane lol. The plane was a lot bigger than I expected. All the seats had the TVs in the back of the seats like from Dallas to Hong Kong. We had a surprisingly good meal on the plane for Asian airlines. The flights that we have taken in-country have had a strict no phone policy. They want it turned all the way off for the whole flight. I didn't understand when we flew from HK to Beijing and got in trouble lol. So I watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and then played some games on the tv. Kyler Temple picked us up at the airport in Fuzhou and we drove an hour to the village. It's very dark so it was hard to see the village today. We met some of the workers who helped showed us to our rooms. We stay in the guest building. It's 4 stories and our floor has 3 guest rooms with 2 bunk beds in each room. There's another typhoon coming through tonight so it's very muggy and humid! We've all gotten settled in and I'm headed to take a shower and go to sleep. We're going to breakfast in the village tomorrow morning then we'll meet the kids and get started! Good night from Fuzhou!

... "here's some bonus pics of our snacks in the Beijing airport. The chips were MUCH better tasting than original chips in the US and the packaging is so smart! Also, we took a bus from the airport to where the plane was parked to board.