Ni Hao, China!

Good morning from China!!

I have woken up at the bright and early hour of 5 AM for the last several days, thanks to jet lag. It is HOT and HUMID here in China. Yesterday it was so muggy, we couldn't see the end of the street we were walking on. I have been having a great time- the last few days have just been spent getting to know other interns, the Chinese staff, and of course, the precious little kids in the foster home.

On Friday, I got to spend almost the whole day in the foster home with the preschool aged children. There was a huge rainstorm the night before, so we took them all outside to splash in the puddles- they had a blast and it was just the cutest thing ever to watch. The special needs of the children here range from mild to very severe. They all seem happy and well cared for, however. This weekend has been spent getting to know the village where I will be living for the rest of the summer- it is very rural China, with lots of street food vendors selling lots of "exciting" dishes, as well as the very typical chicken on a stick, etc. The most adventurous thing I have eaten so far has been cow tendon/veins that was cut up and on a stick. The taste actually wasn't awful- very VERY chewy texture however. I'm not sure I'm a fan. I've been told that this week I will get to experience other local delicacies such as dog, chicken kidney, and perhaps even donkey. Mmmm.... :)

This weekend has been spent getting to know all the staff here, Chinese and American. We played soccer at an outdoor "cultural activities center" in the village for about 3 hours with some of the Chinese locals, and I don't think I have ever sweated so much in my life. It was so much fun though, and the people here are just the most genuine, loving people. In about two hours we will be heading into Beijing (about an hour and 20 minute drive) to spend the morning at an international service, then going to the Temple of Heaven and maybe some shopping at this 6 floor mega-center. It will be fun to get out into the city and see and experience more of the "big city" China!

I will hopefully be including pictures with my next post! I would LOVE to receive any emails from back home that you would like to send! My email address is meretoering@gmail.com- You can facebook me as well, but I can only access that on certain computers. I appreciate all your thoughts and p**yers for this week- that I will be able to love these kids, and be a help and a light to the nannies, as well as p**yers for my language classes! It is so frustrating not to be able to communicate well- especially with the ayis (nannies) and the children, though sign language can definitely get across more than I thought! More updates to come!

Zài Jiàn!!
Meredith