20080731-Nat-Day 5

Today was one of our longer days, we taught for 2 and a half hours instead of 3 because we went to tour the Maio Village and visit some hospitals Partner's International started up. The Maio Village we visited had about one thousand people, about one hundred were Ch type people. PI built a CH there, it is pretty nice and Nhat will edit in some pictures for me :D. Usually only 3-4% of minority's in China are CHs about 10% are where we are. We taught the kids about anger and they started on thier banners which look amazing so far. These kids are so creative. We took an ambulance to the village... it was SO bumpy, we were sitting on strechers and on the ground, about 14 people in an ambulance equivalent to a minivan in size. The roads (if you would call them that) were very narrow and we had HUGE trucks pass us....I bowed my head and talked to my Father a lot... I will hate Cliff Hanger at Canada's Wonderland when i get back... After seeing the Maio Village I realized how lucky I was to be born into such a great environment. Loving friends and family, free education, free healthcare (and it didn't smell like manure everywhere I walked). We sang "From the Inside out" with the kids for an hour because there was thunder outside. We played the trust game and the kids do not actually sit they sort of stand with thier knees bent a little. As usual the girls with the girls and the boys with the boys, in thier culture they are very seperate. I learned how to play Chinese Chess, with the cannons and the elephants and the king's guards. It was fun we played one game and I kept going through all the scenarios with George and Jonathan that one game took about 45 minutes and did not end till Nhat, Jack, Albert, and Andy arrived to save the day! After we left the school we were in front of our hotel, and we needed to eat supper, Andy suggested a fastfood restaurant (one of three that i have seen so far) named "Suntray's Chicken" he told us it was on one side of the circle (every city we have been to has had one.... the cars go around and around till they find thier exit and there is an underground passage way the pedestrians walk through to get to the other sides, there are four exits) Andy told us one side we (Jonathan and myself) walked to everyside of the circle..... so did Andy.... moral of the story.... Andy has no sense of direction. Jonathan and I bought "ripsticks" (sort of like skateboards, but with only 2 wheels, one on each side... and you twist to move.... VERY hard to balance). so now I am back at our hotel and they are prepping for tommorow's lesson. Nhat says life is full of suprises, it is very true.

P.S. Andy is bonding a little too much with the other guys on the team......

Signing Out,

Nat