So we were working at the ICC (google it) this month with orphaned and abandoned children, some with disabilities, some physical, some mental, some completely healthy. I was overwhelmed with disability the first day, taking a tour of the place walking into all the rooms and seeing all the kids. Then it just became the norm and life as usual, but at first it smacked me in the face and I didn’t know how to respond.
Over the course of our time, I made some true friends, learned how to love people in the way they needed to receive love. It didn’t matter if they drooled on my pants, it didn’t matter if they could/would bite me or if they completely invaded my personal space, because they needed love. We worked with a lot of the older girls doing arts and crafts, which was completely different than what was expected, but they loved it. Paper chains, beauty day, snowflakes were tricky, pipe cleaner animals and glasses and really anything that can be done with pipe cleaners, coloring, painting, glitter day tested the patience, the whole thing.
It was cool for me to connect with some of the girls that were harder to relate to-one was a biter so a lot of the carers (people who care for them) are hesitant around her, but she is so smart and receptive and so it was good for her to understand that I was there to dance with her or just hold her hand.
On our 30-40ish minute hike up to the orphanage and back everyday we are blessed with the sights and smells typical tourists might not see when they visit China. Good thing I am not a tourist, but I lived here for a month.
Acid rain. Smog. Smoke and spit anywhere and everywhere, inside or out, bus, car, train, restaurant. Hawking loogees should be a professional sport here. Exhaust from cars. Honking from every car or bike that passes. Trash heaps. Pigpens. Urine is constant because kids pee anywhere.
We pass through the cattle bones-big heap of cow bones right outside of the big shack they kill and drain the blood of the cows. That smells like rotting animals. Just after that, walk in between two ponds-both black, both full of trash, one with stagnant algae on top-which are either fish ponds or irrigation lakes-either way you’re eating the filth. For this corner, I usually have to put my gloves over my nose because this ones the worst one, its just rancid. We cut through backyards (concrete slabs) and vegetable farm pathways.
The sun does not shine, on the one day you could actually tell which way was east/west because you could faintly see the outline of the sun, everyone runs to the park. It was the first ‘sunny’ day in three weeks. Corporate aerobic dancing is a daily commonplace at any park or place of gathering. Smog I will not miss you.
