So the past month in China I couldn't update you because there was no internet… CHINA.
China was a great month even though the sky was gray, and we couldn't see the sun. The kids we got to work with were awesome. In China we worked with an organization called ICC. It was an orphanage for all kids, but mostly for kids with disabilites. Because in China, as you know, they're only allowed to have one kid. If they have a kid with a disability, they get rid of the baby. There were 24 babies in a room to only 3 caretakers. They didn't get very much attention because there were so many of them. They would sit in their chairs or sleep in their cribs all day. It was so sad to see these kids not wanted. There was a little boy that we called "old man" because his Chinese name was too hard to say. His story was that he was found in a dumpster because he was not perfect. In China it was weird going into a month where we had a 9-5 job. It was kinda preparing us for when we go back into the real world.
Also in China, we got to spend a week in Beijing for our 8-month debrief where they started to talk about us re-entering home. It's crazy that we're coming home in 86 days. I'm very excited about coming home. I think that's one thing that's been hard– trying to be here while thinking about going home and what's next. But thankfully, I have my team to keep my accountable. Also on the debrief, our leader Brandon, decided that God called him to step down. So that meant team changes. Sarah, from a different team, is now our leader which she is one of the most awesome girls ever. And Leah, is also a new teammate which means we lost Kayla and Jaime. World Race is all about getting out of your comfort zone.
In China we got to do some crazy things like, go see the Terracotta Soldiers. It was crazy that a man buried a thousand soldiers in his tomb. I also got to go to the Great Wall with the squad. It's been something I've always wanted to do since I was a kid. While we were in Beijing we also got to see the Bird's Nest and the Cube from the 2008 Olympics. And we pretty much stayed in Tiananmen Square. We got to stay in an awesome hostel that was a short walk from there with all the American things you needed.
*Due to privacy I cannot post the kids’ pictures online.
