The Sights of Ho Chi Minh

Oh the weekend! Khaly and I woke up a bit earlier this morning (I didn’t think that was possible) to make sure we got a half hour run in. Today I did THREE laps! Wahooooo! We wore our new tank tops which made it MUCH more enjoyable not to have a shirt bogging you down. We both went very slowly (but we weren’t walking) to ensure we would make the most of our exercise. I will be the first to admit I am out of shape! I have no problem saying that. BUT I am not a runner and now am running, so my body is SO sore! On top of that, even though its 5:30am the air is thick and muggy and hot which makes my already out of shape body work even HARDER to breath!

I love taking showers after working out! I had some time to relax and then met Khaly and Ken downstairs for our tour of the city! We met “Mr. Long” and he was SO funny! We can’t tell if he is gay or not, but he is 23 just graduated from university and wants to be an English teacher. He had the mannerism of Michael Jackson which made us all laugh!

We didn’t exactly know what we wanted to do but gave him some thoughts and off we went! We took a taxi to our first stop, the Jade Emperor Pagoda. After China, I am a bit Pagoda’d out! I think Ken and Khaly appreciated it because they hadn’t already seen 2,348 (aren’t I spoiled) but also the ones in China were MUCH better! It was great to see though!

We then took another taxi to the Reunification Palace. This was where the President worked and lived and is now a museum. It was nice, but it was sort of, after you have seen one room you have seen them all. We all enjoyed the basement area which had old machines and rooms and everything from the 70’s, which was cool to see.
It was VERY hot (a CLEAR day which I actually DON’T enjoy here!) so we stopped and treated Long to frozen yogurt! It was awesome and it was a ‘do it yourself’ very westernized frozen yogurt place. It was nice to sit down and chat with Long. He told us how his sister just got married and he will be an uncle soon. He has never had a girlfriend (the girl he likes doesn’t like him and the girls that like him, he doesn’t like! We told him that was universal!) Throughout the day it was just fun to hear about his life and the Vietnam culture. He was born here and has never been out of the country but would like to travel to the United States to practice his English.

We continued on to Notre Dame Cathedral. It actually looked very similar to the one in Paris (yes, I am a travel snob). Unfortunately, it wasn’t open so we weren’t able to go inside, but I had already planned to go to Mass there on Sunday (although I can’t this Sunday because we are taking the orphanage ladies out shopping) but I think that was God’s way of saying, “COME BACK!!!”

We then went to the Central Post Office which is actually a tourist destination! It looks like a train station both outside and in but it is very beautiful. I was able to get some postcards, so keep your eyes peeled! When we were leaving to go to lunch, we heard Long ask Ken something and found out he asked Ken to dinner. I think Ken was a little worried, but later on Long told us girls, “Oh I asked Ken to dinner -- we should all go out sometime” so I don’t think it was a date!

We ate at Quan An Ngon, featured in lonely planet, which was nice. The place is HUGE and both foreigners and locals go. I got a pork and rice dish with a strawberry smoothie and all was well. But, they brought out soup, which none of us had ordered, and I could tell both Long and Khaly were getting aggravated that they wanted us to keep it and eat it. They finally left, only to come back and say they couldn’t return it to the kitchen so we had to keep it. VERY different from the American “the customer is always right” philosophy.

We left from lunch to go to our last stop of the day, the War Remnants Museum. I am so glad we saved that to the end, because I don’t think it would have been a good way to START the day. It was HEAVY stuff. They have a LOT of pictures..actually I think that is mostly it. It reminded me of going to a museum about the Holocaust in a way, just a lot of death and torture and murder etc. I am VERY glad we went, but it was a lot to take in and see.

I did ask Long about how Vietnamese people viewed Americans. He said he thought in general the last few years have changed a lot. He thinks most people are accepting of Americans and also thinks tourism has increased in the past few years as well.
By then it was about 3:00pm and we were EXHAUSTED and hot and ready to go back! We thanked Long and gave him our phone numbers so maybe we will see him again!

On our way back we stopped so I could add more minutes on my phone (yay) and to get some shakes at a café (NOTHING is better on a hot day).

Khaly and I got tickets to see the Water Puppet Show, so we came back to rest in the AC. I ended up taking a little nap which felt SO good! We walked the 20 minutes to the Water Puppet Theater and while we already had tickets we needed to get seats. Unfortunately, we were the second to last row. It is a very old theater, and while it was slanted, it was very hard to see. The show was only 50 minutes and very..different? it was all in Vietnamese so between the language and not being able to see very well I didn’t really understand. But, it felt very Vietnamese and it was something different and fun to do. I am not sure if I would recommend it though..but hey..while in Rome!

When I got back I quickly got ready for my big date! Woo hoo! Whenever Steve and I skype I never know what I am going to get. Sometimes he doesn’t have a webcam or a microphone so we IM. Other times he has just a microphone (so it’s like we are on the phone) or just a webcam (so we IM but can’t hear each other and we think this is good practice for when we are old and deaf). Last night I got to see him (wahooo..luckily he is still cute!) but no microphone so we just IM’d!

Hugs and kisses from the sites of Ho Chi Minh!

Volunteer Skipper

Khaly and I were up again at 5:30 and out the door! Since we didn’t see Ken we figured he still wasn’t feeling too hot. I could only manage ONE lap today (embarrassing I know) but I was BEYOND sore and I have a hard time breathing in the heavy air (that and the fact I am out of shape!) I decided (since I was now walking..) that I would use my iPod pedometer to see how long one lap was. We moved on to aerobics which was good as always. I think the class is an hour, but after a half hour they take a break and we usually leave then because it gets very repetitive.

I got back and took a WELL needed shower and decided to figure out how much I “ran” today. 1/8 of a mile!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH! Not ok! Afterwards I skyped my family who RAGGED on me the entire time once I told them (even though it was THANKSGIVING). I told Khaly about this and we were BOTH in shock (although we did question whether or not we were just trying to make ourselves feel better) but we both agree it looks like a standard track..so who knows.

So, I am a volunteer skipper. Ken was going to spend the day resting, so Khaly and I decided (since we were not scheduled for anything) to spend the day doing errands. I KNOW how that sounds, and we both thought, “Are we awful people?” We decided we aren’t. First of all, we are exhausted. It is our own choice to be out by 530am but we go until about 6:00ish pm and by the time we shower and have dinner it’s bed time! The heat (not that I am complaining) drains us even more! So we decided we had a lot we wanted to do but couldn’t get done during the week. Tomorrow (Saturday) we are doing a mini tour of the city and on Sunday (EARLY) Ken is taking the ladies at the orphanage out to get a new outfit! So as bad as this sounds we decided instead of getting run down and sick we would get our “stuff” done today.

First stop, laundry! We both dropped it off so it would be ready tonight. Then we headed to find an iPod arm band (for when we run). We walked and walked but couldn’t find it ANYWHERE. We were both STARVING so we made a pit stop at a bakery and it was SO good! We continued on to try and find workout shirts. We both wear t-shirts which are DRENCHED just from walking down the stairs at the hostel, never mind working out. Today, Khaly asked our instructor where to find them and she gave us an address. However, when we got there we realized it was all imported Nike and other brand names and we were thinking something VERY cheap!

We continued on to the grocery store (I LOVE this place) and we were able to get some cheaper tank tops. I had to get the XL and it is STILL too short, but it will have to work. We both love the supermarket because you can get anything you want. I also got PB&J that I am hoping to make for the days we don’t really have lunch. My problem is I do TRY local food but am sometimes nervous at the street vendor’s cleanliness and when we don’t have time to eat I just snack all day which isn’t healthy (at least what I end up eating). So I am hoping I will be able to make myself a sandwich!

On our way back we stopped at an Italian place! I have converted her to the dark side. It was a pasta buffet and it was DELICIOUS! I was actually “good” (relatively speaking) and had cucumber, tomato, watermelon and pineapple. Everything was delicious and gave us a boost of energy.
We then came back to rest and both tried to fall asleep but just ended up resting..it felt great though! We were off again to find a bookstore! I had been telling Khaly about teaching in Beijing and how flashcards seemed to work. I think we will really only use them for the boy’s shelter because we don’t teach English at the orphanage or soup kitchen. I thought we would be teaching English at the deaf school but it sounds like we go during their activity period so we really are just there to hang out and play games! SO we found a bookstore but couldn’t find ANYTHING good until finally we spotted some posters! We got a lot (in hopes they can put them up around the room) that have themes (animals, fruits, numbers) in both English and Vietnamese. I think it will be GREAT and was very excited!

We also stopped by the main tourist information center in Ho Chi Minh because we are hoping to see more of the “country” of Vietnam and not just the city. The prices were WAY too expensive but we wanted to get an idea of where to visit and then book on our own.

We came back and after a LONG week treated ourselves to a pedicure! It was great! Definitely a little sketchy but no problems! I told Khaly to play dumb (not speak in Vietnamese) to see if she overheard anything good. I don’t know why I got such a kick out of this. She did tell me the ladies said, “She looks Vietnamese..no Pilipino” and she said it was hard not to speak in Vietnamese at all. I always think when I get pedicures that they are saying how I have nasty feet etc. but Khaly said they didn’t say anything mean (or she just didn’t want to hurt my feelings). When we were done they had us fill out this paper rating the pedicure and it had a place for a tip. Khaly didn’t write anything so I didn’t either but the lady kept pointing until we wrote something. It made us a little bit uncomfortable but since it didn’t cost that much to beginning with it was fine. We got downstairs (where we leave our shoes) and mine weren’t there! NOT OK! They kept saying, “Just one minute” and kept looking for them. Khaly said they were saying things like, “Let’s find her shoes..maybe someone else took them..etc” but after about 5 minutes they found them (who KNOWS where). I now learned my lesson to BRING my shoes. They were only flip flops..BUT I had them worn in so I would have been bummed!

Jemma came to our area for dinner, but I don’t like her so I wish she hadn’t. JUST KIDDING. She told me she reads my blog every night so this is a test to see if she will say something to me about it. I told her she probably knows more about me than I even realize! Ha!

Every restaurant has the same thing, which includes both Vietnamese and Western food so we ended up eating at an Italian place and I got pizza! Yum! Too many carbs today I know..tomorrow will be better! Khaly and I went to pick up our laundry and it is so nice to have it done and folded! Then the three of us girls went to a nice little outside seating area and listened to very old American pop and watched the world go by!

Hugs and kisses from the volunteer skipper.

Happy Thanksgiving

Another early morning! When we stepped outside the hostel at 5:30am we KNEW it was gonna be a hot one today. I attempted running with Khaly and Ken, but I am WAY out of shape. More than that, I am NOT a runner so it was soon after I started that my muscles told me, “You can keep going, but you won’t be able to walk tomorrow”. So I was good and didn’t push it too hard. I will slowly work my way up! The air was thick and heavy and I was already looking forward to a shower before aerobics even started! Even though I don’t like waking up early, I do enjoy my time in the morning to shower and eat and skype! It was so nice to see my lovely parents today!

I met Ken and Khaly (they usually get breakfast at a place nearby) and we were off! The bus ride was HOT but we made it in under an hour! The temple was happening when we arrived and we think there was a Buddhist ceremony going on. We could hear the drums and what sounded like singing, it was really beautiful!

All three of us went to the large room to help with feeding. I found my boy and he was MUCH easier to feed today! Although he is still messy he ate most of his food! While I was feeding him I saw my other boy (the kind one) who can feed himself. We played a little bit of peek-a-boo and it was so fun to watch him laugh!
We did the dishes and cleaned up while the kids played for a bit and then got ready for their nap. Right before we were about to eat my blind boy wanted to get picked up and would NOT let me put him down, it was really cute. I had no problem eating with him on my lap but the workers yelled at him and whatever they said worked because he let go!

Lunch, was lunch. I mostly ate rice. I do try other things but I just don’t like them and it’s hard to get down. I was feeling VERY hot at lunch and had a headache and was dizzy, so afterwards I pushed for us to leave! We normally do anyway, but we were going to meet Hung a bit later today so we had some extra time.
While we were waiting for the bus Ken said, “You know..we don’t HAVE to go today!” it made me happy that I wasn’t the only one struggling, but I told him not to give me any crazy ideas!

I almost feel asleep on the bus ride back but it felt good to rest. We passed a bank or something that had those signs with the time, temperature, etc. so I converted the temperature on my phone and it was 93, which doesn’t seem THAT bad but when I just checked the weather online it says it feels like 106 with the humidity, which sounds a bit more accurate.

It was wonderful to rest in the air condition but it didn’t last long enough! Ken was NOT feeling well (either something he ate, or maybe the heat and dehydration or lack of sleep..) so he stayed home to sleep and Hang took myself and Khaly to the boy’s shelter. We both really weren’t in the mood to do anything. We were hot and tired and yes, we are princesses. We also were given NO information (sound familiar?) so we showed up and off we went!

There were only 10 boys in the class (MUCH different than 40) and they ranged from 8 to 18 which made it a bit difficult. I don’t think the teacher spoke much English so Khaly translated. I THINK what I understood was the boys are orphans so they live there, but some of them are behind in school and stay and learn at the school and others leave and some study at night as well. They knew a bit of English but we taught them numbers, My name is.., months and hobbies. I did feel a little “left out” because sometimes they would say stuff and everyone would laugh but obviously Khaly can’t translate everything.

Khaly and I were REALLY embarrassed because the teacher wanted them to learn, My birthday is..but when we asked some of them they said they didn’t know. Khaly and I looked at each other and panicked and hope we didn’t offend or make them uncomfortable but they seemed alright. Overall, I didn’t really like it. Even with only 10 of them they weren’t very well behaved and the teacher just sort of laughed along (versus in Beijing where they would discipline). I loved having Khaly there so we could team teach! So we left and Hung had been making “Pho”, a popular Vietnamese dish. We stayed for dinner and had to wait about an hour so we spent some time with the kids. They actually DID grow on me and they all seem like good kids. They did their chores without complaining and they are young boys so they are always fighting and yelling, but I think next time will be better now that I have seen them out of the classroom. Khaly told me after that when we first got there they said something like, “Why are those girls talking?” which sort of made me laugh because maybe they didn’t know Khaly could understand. Dinner was good and we left and went and got Smoothies so Hang could tell us more of a schedule.

We can volunteer at the orphanage any day but Sunday and it can be morning, afternoon, a full day. We can do the soup kitchen any day of the week but Sunday and it’s a full day. The deaf school is only on Wednesday afternoons and the boy’s shelter is only on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. So that sort of gives us an idea of what to work with. The original plan was to go to the women’s shelter tomorrow but I don’t think Hang can make it so I think we will go next week!

P.S. I am ok without a thanksgiving; I am eating waaaay to much as is!

Hugs and kisses from a turkey less Ho Chi Minh City!

An EARLY Good Morning, Vietnam!

I was up at 5:17am today and I cannot remember the last time (if ever) that happened. Ken and Khaly both said they work out in the nearby park. They usually run for a half hour and then join an aerobics class. I couldn’t be the fat kid who slept in, so off I went!

Since I have bad shin splints and was not in the mood for them to flare up, I walked for a bit and then joined the aerobics class which was fun! It amazed me how many people were up and about so early and how HOT it was out!

We came back and I was able to shower, eat breakfast and catch up on some emails! As I was drying off in the bathroom, I spotted him..a salamander! I know it’s not THAT bad but I don’t like things crawling around..and this guy could RUN! I decided to try and shoe him out my front door, which worked! Hopefully I will NOT see him again! Gross!

Then we were off to the orphanage. I met up with Jemma, a girl who I had spoken with before I signed up with WLS because she had been to Vietnam before through WLS. She is now here for 4 months volunteering and living at an orphanage but came on her own (MUCH cheaper). She came with us which was GREAT! She was saying how she has pretty much been alone for 3 weeks and some days doesn’t speak English at all. It reminded me a lot of my first week in Beijing so I CANNOT imagine 3 weeks!
She joined us at the orphanage and today definitely went better. When we arrived it was feeding time so I found my little favorite boy (Steve did I tell you we are adopting him?) and fed him which was NOT easy. He is blind but still likes to feed himself and PLAY in his cup of water so I got very wet! But we had fun! That took a while and afterwards we helped do the dishes and by then they were settling down for a nap so we were able to play with them a bit. I also have another favorite boy (Steve, did I tell you we are adopting two kids?) and he is amazing! He can’t really talk but he is SO smart. I have played with him before but today he was obsessed with my camera and took LOTS of pictures (most of which were VERY good). We then had a quick lunch (which for me consisted of rice) with the ladies who work there and while we were eating I saw the older boy (not the blind one..I am trying to find out their names) helping and comforting another boy (pictures to follow). It was beyond amazing to watch how caring he was.

Like I said, I do feel like today went better but I want to do more. The children in the room that I was in function better than some of the other rooms and I think it’s THOSE kids who need the most help; the ones who can’t walk or never get out of their crib. BUT I don’t feel comfortable grabbing a kid and taking him or her without having ANY idea about who they are, what they can do, etc. It is frustrating because NOBODY speaks English and Khaly is SO SO SO good about translating but I can’t bring her EVERYWHERE with me and say here ask about this kid, etc. So hopefully that will get a bit better.

After a quick lunch we headed back to the main bus station to meet Hang who was going to take us to a school for deaf children. The bus was very crowded but I found a seat for Khaly and myself in the front. There was a bag on one of the seats so I just moved it over (it didn’t need its own seat) so we could both sit down! All of a sudden this woman came up and started talking to Khaly. Khaly asked me if there was a bag on the floor, so I grabbed one, but that wasn’t right so I grabbed the bag next to me. The woman apparently got VERY angry that we put her bananas on the floor. Khaly told her they weren’t on the floor we just moved them over because we didn’t know they were hers and not to get mad at us. The ladies next to us (this is all translated from Khaly) apparently stood up for us and said we didn’t know. Then the bus driver chimed in to say we still shouldn’t have done it. Khaly told him we didn’t know and then he got PISSED. He told us we were talking too loud and we needed to move to the back. I was SHOCKED (and started laughing) when Khaly told me what he had said! We continued to talk quieter (we were NOT being that loud..but we think he was frustrated he couldn’t understand us) until he yelled at us AGAIN! I had to laugh again because I couldn’t believe this guy was yelling at us. We continued to talk to try and figure out why he was so upset and we think it is because Khaly stood up for herself in the beginning (by telling him we didn’t know) and our guess is he isn’t used to a woman speaking back. Khaly wasn’t fresh to him, but just said we didn’t know. We also think he was mad he didn’t know what we were saying. So we continued to talk and say bad things about him! Ha!

Anyway, I guess Hang couldn’t make it so she told us to take a cab, which was fine but it is cheaper to take the bus AND for the future we won’t know how to get there by bus. She called on our way to say we needed to play games with the kids and teach them English. I think we were all a bit frustrated because it would have been nice to know that sooner than 5 minutes before we arrived. But we bought some sweets and went on our way!

We definitely misjudged the age because there were about 20 kids from 16-21 in the class and one teacher. I felt like it was a big game of telephone. Khaly would have to translate what we were saying to the teacher who would then translate it to the students in sign-language. It was pretty amazing to watch how ideas got translated. I can only imagine how tiring it was for both the teacher and Khaly to have to translate back and forth and again, if Khaly wasn’t there I have NO idea what I would have done.

We started off with Ken acting out animals and they had to guess. They would sign to the teacher who would say it in Vietnamese to Khaly who would tell us in English. Khaly and I sometimes laugh because she will say something to me, and I’ll be like WHAT? And she’ll be like oh shoot I just said it in Vietnamese again! But she did GREAT and Ken was a great actor! We also had the kids do it which was fun and then played a few more games with them.

For some reason I wasn’t completely feeling it today..I think because I found it very…hard I guess to have NO communication! It wasn’t like even if I knew the word in Vietnamese I could communicate with the kids. BUT it was amazing to STILL be able to understand them etc.

When we left it was POURING but Jemma helped us find a bus that would take us back! We ended up at the market because I wanted a pillow! The pillow here is SO hard and thick my neck hurts every morning. Bargaining is not as enjoyable here as it was in Beijing, BUT luckily I have Khaly who does it in Vietnamese. We tried a couple of places but their pillows were SO hard. We finally ended up at the place we bought our blankets at! I found a pillow I liked quoted at 80,000VND ($4.45) but I offered 50,000VND and she wouldn’t take it. It was sort of funny to begin with because I would definitely pay $4.45 for a pillow! I have made Khaly into a bargainer and am SO proud. I could tell she was getting more comfortable. I went back at 65,000VND (half way) and she came down to 75,000VND or 70,000VND I think but I wouldn’t take it! I was laughing in my head because it was a matter of $.56 at MOST, but it all comes down to pride! She finally took my 65,000VND ($3.62) and we were on our way!
Ken ate at the market so Khaly and I went out to dinner at this GREAT place. I got chicken and rice and some veggies and it really was very good! We had a great girls dinner and then came back to shower. And guess who is back? Mr. Salamander. I have NO idea how he gets there or WHERE he goes (he is always disappearing) but I would THINK he would get very wet on the floor so hopefully he can climb or swim! Oh yeah, for those of you who are wondering, I still pee in the shower sometimes!

Hugs and kisses from Mr. Salamander!

The Soup Girl

Oh another crazy day in Vietnam!

This morning before I met everyone at 8:30 I took my laundry to the shop down the street. I think it is a little bit cheaper than the laundry at the hostel (which gets sent out anyway) and it is same day pick up (if you drop it off in the morning)! We met Hang at the bus stop and we were off to the soup kitchen.

I was really excited about the soup kitchen. Yesterday was just an overload of everything, and I didn’t exactly feel comfortable at the orphanage. It wasn’t that working with the children made me uncomfortable, but there was no direction. I had no idea what I could do to help, etc. and when I asked (or when Khaly asked) they just said it was flexible and you could do whatever you wanted.

So anyway we met Hung at the bus stop and took it about 20 minutes or so to the soup kitchen. We all laughed because for whatever reason we pictured a massive kitchen with big work spaces and stainless steel etc. It was very small and we started off by sitting on the sidewalk cutting and peeling vegetables. I felt very Vietnamese since this is what they seem to do most of the time anyway. It was VERY relaxing and a well needed break from yesterday. I did get sore after a while and couldn’t seem to get comfortable. After we finished (around 10:00am) they said it was lunch time! Uuuh what? Apparently they get up at 4:00amish so by 10:00am I guess it would be lunch time.

By “they” I mean (and I am still confused) a group (of mostly women) that come from rural areas of Vietnam (maybe about 6 hours away). They come for a month at a time and live above the soup kitchen and there are 10 groups in all. That’s about all I found out.

We had lunch in the back room on the floor. I always enjoy knowing there will be rice, so at least I can eat something! They had a lot of strange food, nothing that I liked but I did try it all (and struggled with a fair amount of it)! But THEN they brought out the good stuff. First were Vietnamese cherries. I do not like cherries at all but Ken said it was pretty sweet so I tried it and it tasted just like pomegranate! Neither Ken nor Khaly had ever tried pomegranate, but that’s what I would compare it to! They also had sugar cane which is SO good..it’s like..well I don’t know but you put it in your mouth and chew it until you get all the juice out and then you spit the rest out! We had some more time to rest because the rice wasn’t done cooking for the meals we were going to prepare.

Then, the assembly line for the meals started! I was a bit confused as to where the meals were going and still am, but I believe they go to people in hospitals who can’t afford meals. I guess you have to pay for meals if you are in a hospital, so those who can’t afford it can get meals through the soup kitchen. I was in charge of tying up the rice bags and they were HOT! The room we were in was very hot and the three of us were sweating from the warmth of the food. The rice was placed in plastic baggies and then tied with a rubber band (as were two types of soup/stew). Then, the three things (rice, soup, stew) were placed in a bigger plastic bag and tied and put in big sacks to be taken to the hospital. There were these huge trash cans filled with rice and the two types of stews. Those were loaded into a van that we then jumped into! I was a bit confused, but I thought I heard that we were going to deliver the food. I was very excited because I was looking forward to the interaction, but we dropped off one bin of food at a hospital and left. Then we brought the rest of the bins to a “unit”, for lack of a better word, on the side of the road. It looked like it could have been a shop or something else but was empty. We were confused who we were bringing it to, until finally Khaly was able to understand THIS was where the soup kitchen was and we were going to serve the food! I was sooo excited!

The three of us each had a bin..Ken was rice, I was soup and Khaly was stew and at 2:00pm we opened up shop! People came with their plastic bowls and cans (and some metal ones but THOSE were very hot to hold!) and we gave them food! They had to have their card stamped, which I think was from the government saying they qualified for food. It is hard to imagine poor people in a poor country and it was especially sad when kids came up to get food for their family. It was AWESOME and I really enjoyed it and was SO GLAD Khaly was there to translate. NOBODY speaks English (not even at the soup kitchen) so I really don’t think I would have been able to go alone. Her translation skills even came in handy when people wanted more soup/less soup, etc.

Unfortunately, we ran out of rice and had to end a little early. We still had some soup left over so we carried that and all the empty bins back to the bus and took the bus back to the soup kitchen. Everyone was sweet and asked us to stay for dinner but Khaly was quick on her feet and told them we couldn’t. It would have been nice but we were all exhausted. We took the bus back and then decided to head to the market. Khaly and I both wanted flip flops for the orphanage, because you have to take off your shoes and we do NOT want to be walking around barefoot. But, you can’t bring in flip flops that have been outside. So we decided to try on some flip flops! We found plain black ones for 80,000VND a piece. I hadn’t read up on my bargaining for Ho Chi Minh, but I did know you couldn’t go as low as 10% like I did in Beijing!

Khaly was speaking to them in Vietnamese so I told her to get two for 100,000VND. I forgot how uncomfortable I was when I first started bargaining, but I could see it in her face. I told her to stick with it and if not we would find some somewhere else! The girl finally caved, so we ended up paying $2.78 each for flip flops which is what I would pay at Old Navy!

We then decided we both wanted/needed blankets! I was glad to know someone else thought the blankets here were gross and questioned whether or not they were washed properly. So we found a place that sold them that told us one for 250,000VND. We started at 200,000VND for two, but they wouldn’t budge so we left. But, as we were walking away we realized if we could get two for 250,000VND we would each be paying $6.94 per blanket which was VERY doable. So we want back without a problem! I am very happy with my new flips flops and CANNOT wait for my new blanket!

It was SO nice to have some time to rest before dinner. I am completely exhausted and miss having the “me” relaxing time to process the events of the day.

I grabbed some chicken and fries (my stomach was feeling a little ehhh from the day and knew, although greasy, my body was used to this type of food) and then went to pick up my laundry! I organized myself for tomorrow and took another WONDERFUL shower!

Also..I have updated pictures from the Pandas! I am having a LOT of trouble with the videos..so I will keep trying and let everyone know when those are done!

Hugs and kisses from a Vietnamese soup kitchen!

Stolen Wireless

I am a sneaky, sneaky girl! Like I had said, I don’t have wireless access in my room. Not the end of the world I know, but I do like the comfort of being able to check my email. Also, the only time I am able to skype (with the time difference) is right after I wake up or right before I go to bed. This just makes it difficult (and maybe impossible) if I have to venture out somewhere to do it.

Since I had tried connecting yesterday (to no avail) I decided I would be proactive. I made a list of the places that HAD wireless but needed a password. I found one of the hostels’s while walking around and went in and asked if they had wireless. The girls behind the desk seemed confused but I explained I needed to use wireless and was wondering if I could pay to use theirs. I did feel a bit bad because I was playing dumb when they asked me where I was staying etc (Dad..regardless of what you say it’s NOT easy for me to play dumb!). I just asked if I could pay to use their wireless, but she said it was no problem I could use it for free! JACKPOT!

I logged on and it was fine in their building..and then left to try it out back in the room! So far so good and I am not complaining! I have no idea how well it will work or if they will change the sign in procedure or anything, but for now it’s great!

However, facebook is blocked in VIETNAM! I thought I was done with that in China..ohhh these communist countries. I was a bit bummed just because I was looking forward to checking in, but I have realized I waste waaay too much time on facebook, so it wasn’t the end of the world. However, last night I was reading up on the block of facebook and found it JUST happened like 2 days before I arrived. While I was searching, I found “Facebook Lite” which is a mini version of facebook that is NOT blocked (I say that now..until Vietnam kicks me out!!!) So I was VERY happy to be able to access that..although it really only lets me write on walls..no adding pictures or any of the cool things I wanted to do!

I did NOT sleep well at ALL last night and probably got a total of 5 hours of sleep! This morning I got up, had my cereal and was downstairs at 8:30. Ken was there talking with a girl, who introduced herself as Khaly (Callie). I soon found out she is a new volunteer! Wahoo!

So while I am at it..I will fill you in. Ken is from Alaska (Dutch Harbor..yeaaah Deadliest Catch) is probably in his 40’s and has a business doing something with the fishing industry..I think something of a medic if people get hurt? I am sort of confused! So anyway he is half Vietnamese and was born here so speaks a little bit of the language. He is going to be here for 2 weeks and then going to Thailand. Best of all, we have the SAME BIRTHDAY!

Khlay is from Australia but is half Vietnamese as well and SPEAKS THE LANGUAGE! Oh it is WONDERFUL! She is 28 and has been in Vietnam visiting family and then will be doing some traveling before ending up in London for a 2 year work visa. She does marketing for Yahoo!

So anyway, we were chatting and then Hang (the coordinator) showed up and we were off! I asked Hang about buying a phone, but it didn’t seem like we had the time and Ken said he needed a sim card as well so we figured we would go later. We walked about 10 minutes to the Ben Thanh Market, which is the biggest market and the biggest traffic circle! It was fun crossing the street..and I am glad to report I am STILL alive! We took the number 3 bus which would take us to the orphanage.

The bus ride was long, and unlike the bus rides in China, this one was hot! We left around 9:10ish and got to the orphanage just before 10:00am. The orphanage is one for Children with Disabilities & Agent Orange Victims. The orphanage cares for abandoned children with mental or physical disabilities and agent orange victims and helps to educate them to the fullest extent of their capabilities, both physical and intellectual, and to help them, as much as possible, towards independent living. There are about 400 children at the orphanage. I am still a bit confused, but it is set behind (or almost part of) a temple. I think the monks of the temple help support the orphanage, but other than that I believe it runs off donations.

Ken had already been there so Hang took Khaly and I into the main room. However, there were already a lot of volunteers, so she found us another room. This room had about twenty 5 year olds, most of whom were functioning pretty well. We were told to help feed the children (it was meal time) and that’s when things went CRAZY! I can’t even explain it really. I was supposed to be feeding a girl, but kids were jumping on me, falling off me, climbing on my lap, hitting me, etc. it was INSANE and I was not expecting it. The kids had SO much energy and were just ALL over the place..it was MORE than overwhelming. Hang spoke to Khaly a lot in Vietnamese and she was nice enough to translate because the women workers in the room did not speak English so I had NO idea what was going on. I was SO glad Khlay was there because I was in WAY over my head. We finished feeding and Ken walked by and saved us. He said that room was CRAZY so brought us to another room.

The children range in age (babies to a 23 year old who acts/looks like he is 7) and in abilities (mobile children to children that are confined to cribs). There are different rooms and I have no idea how they are split up but there are maybe 10 kids in each room and they have cribs. Mostly, they just lay around all day. Sometimes they get brought to the big main room where they are fed and also are able to play, but Khlay and I were both surprised that there is no “program” or “structure” besides feedings.

I am not even sure what to write because I am STILL processing everything and still overwhelmed. I think Khaly and I both felt lost because we had NO idea what to do, and nobody was really asking/telling us what to do. So we almost felt useless. Ken has been there 4 days so he has kids he has bonded with, so he would take them out and walk them. I did that for a bit, but I was EXHAUSTED. The kids can’t walk well so you have to completely support them while being hunched over. I am NOT complaining at all, but I was just surprised how wiped out I was. It was also a bit strange because I guess you can just walk into rooms and take kids? I wished someone had explained their situation..what would be helpful, etc.

At 12:00 it was nap time for them and lunchtime for us, so we ate with the women who work there. I just mostly ate rice but I brought snacks so I was ok. I think the women are more volunteers than paid workers, but Khaly said (because she can speak with them) it sounds like most are from the country and don’t have job opportunities so they come to the city to work. Nobody (besides Khaly, Ken and myself) speaks English, so it was frustrating and a bit isolating. I am SO glad Khaly was there to help me, but even at lunch they would all laugh at jokes etc. and I was just like uuuuh.

After lunch we had until 2:00pm (when nap time was over) so we went for a walk, got a sugar cane drink (SO GOOD) and sat down to watch the traffic. We were back at 2:00pm and again I just didn’t really know WHERE I was needed. I was willing to do anything but it was like I didn’t know where to go. I ended up playing with some kids, taking them for walks, etc. but they take a LOT of energy and I found myself DRAINED. Physically, mentally and emotionally. I know I am not even explaining this well because I am STILL overwhelmed and tired just thinking about it! Around 3:30pm we started to help with food preparation and helped feed at 4:00pm. My girl and Khaly’s girl did NOT want to eat and we were the last two standing! It was a bit frustrating because they let the food sit in their mouth (the kids this morning did it too!) but eventually one of the workers said it was fine.

We left around 4:30 and I can’t remember EVER being so drained. I was physical tired from all the lifting, carrying, kids jumping on me, hitting me, pulling me etc. I was emotionally and mentally drained from the experience. It was over stimulation to the max. it was hard to see children in such deformed states. I wish I could write more detail but for now I think that is going to have to cover it because..well..it’s just that.

We got back on the bus which was PACKED and hit rush hour the whole way home (which took about 1 hour 15 minutes). It was a VERY long day. We got back and I had wanted to buy a cell phone so we stopped at a shop. I needed a phone that I could also use in Cambodia and Thailand. So I found the cheapest one and Khaly was the BEST and asked all the questions. The woman said it would work in all the countries but she didn’t have a sim card. So we went to another store for the sim card and I found the same phone so asked there (when I say I, I mean Khaly, ha!) and this women said she wasn’t sure about Thailand. I got the sim card anyway and went back to the first store to re-ask about Thailand. Long story short, I have no idea if I can use it in Thailand BUT I have a phone for now. My phone number is 01-228-705-269. But to call from the U.S. I think you dial 011 + 84 + 01-228-705-269.

The three of us came back and headed out to dinner. We found a restaurant that had Vietnamese food AND pizza (I was craving it)! I think after the long day and different food I just wanted something comforting and pizza did the trick! We had a great meal and came back and I took one of the BEST showers of my life!

Hugs and kisses from stolen wireless!

Good Morning, Vietnam!

Yes, yes I did have to call my Dad to double check about the title. And he was kind enough to enlighten me with the story! What would I do without him! Well, I guess I wouldn’t have the cool titles I do!

I slept alright last night. The room is nice..2 beds, 2 chairs, a nightstand, a closet type thing, a mini refrigerator, a TV, western toilet, sink and shower! The room also has AC which is KEY! The beds are VERY hard (I woke up during the night in PAIN) and they have no sheets! Luckily I brought a small blanket with me, but I will have to figure out something else because I hate not being able to snuggle up with lots of covers!

I got myself out of bed around 10am and took a shower! Oh it felt so good! I almost couldn’t sleep last night because I felt so gross but it was nice to take a shower and not be FREEZING, but also have the water burning my skin (Pandas..can’t say I miss you yet!)

My plan was to explore! I always feel much better when I know the area and what’s around! I went downstairs to pass in my key (I don’t really like doing that..but I guess it is nice because you can’t lose it!) and get my sneakers (you have to leave them down there too!) My first stop was the ATM! After that, Ho Chi Minh City baby!
IT IS CRAZY HERE! A lot more than I expected! I think I liked Beijing so much because it had a nice Western feel to it..and this place..well it is CRAZY! I probably tripped 17 times today and almost got run over 11 times, but since I am here typing I guess it was an ok day!

I spent time walking (it felt so good in capri’s and a t-shirt!) The cyclo men are ALWAYS hounding you for a ride..and I did give a few the benefit of the doubt that they just wanted to know “where I was from” but after that I either ignored them or just said no. I ended up finding my way to the Coop supermarket (the only supermarket I would shop at in Italy!) and was SO glad I did! It really has EVERYTHING I could ever want. I found myself contemplating if I needed a whisk just because I was so happy I COULD buy one! I did get myself sheets (so I thought..I guess it is just a bottom sheet..but hey you gotta start somewhere!) and some groceries. It is a bit of a walk from the hostel (especially when you have heavy bags..) so I don’t think I will frequently shop there, but it was a nice “comfortable” place to start.

Converting money is the WORST here! 1USD=anywhere from 16,000VND to 18,000VND (I see different things) so when you see something that costs 498,000 it is SO confusing! Hopefully the conversion will just become second nature!
I came back to unload and have a rest and then needed to tackle laundry! In my walking I had seen a place, but figured since I had to pass in my key to the hostel anyway I would ask. The woman said she would do it (which was great) but I think I might end up trying a different place in the future. I think she is a bit more expensive and she said it would be ready tomorrow (whereas I think the other place was same day!) I have SO much laundry to do, so will probably know every place in town!

The hostel is a bit different (well EVERY hostel here is) because the main floor is a travel place and then behind that I think is where the managers live, because I can see them laying on beds. I will try and take a picture but it is very strange. EVERY OTHER storefront in this area is a travel place with a hostel above it!
So anyway after giving her my laundry I decided I needed to eat and I wanted to bring my laptop to get wifi! It seems like every other hostel in the area advertises free wifi but when I tried to log on all I found were security-enabled networks! I was kinda of bummed because I find it so comforting to have wireless in the room. I bought a new computer that was lighter (easier to carry) but in turn has less battery power. I found (are your ready for this!) a pizza place for lunch! It was DELICIOUS and had wifi so I was able to check my emails!
However, my computer was dying so I figured it was time to leave and come back to the hostel. As I was asking for my key I could see the desk man talking to another man about me! Finally, the other guy said, “Are you Julie?” and it was Ken! I think the desk man was telling him who I was and that we would be volunteering together? Anyway it was great to meet him and he was VERY nice. He is from Alaska but was born in Vietnam during the war. I think he said he comes back every year to give back, which I think is great. I am happy that we will both be going to the orphanage tomorrow.

I started to unpack a bit, but it actually takes a VERY long time to get organized! Unlike Beijing, I actually have a lot of space to put my things and unlike the Panda base; I am not too cold to get out of bed to unpack!

I finally dragged myself out to get something to eat! There are a lot of places to choose from which I definitely like. But, (are you ready!) I ended up at an Italian place. I did switch it up and get pasta! I will be more adventurous, but I was tired from the day and just ready to eat something I knew I would like.

I came back to the hostel to finish unpacking and rest but the manager kept saying something to me when I asked for my key. I finally realized she wanted my passport, so in between unpacking and organizing I was able to give her my information. My plan for the rest of the evening is to finish unpacking!

Hugs and kisses from Saigon!

All’s Well That Ends Well

I was awoken this morning by a knock on my door, which is never a good thing. I checked the clock and it was 9:00am. My plan was to wake up around 9:30am since my driver was picking me up at 11:00am. I was going to pack yesterday, but since I ended up staying up late, I went to sleep and knew I had plenty of time in the morning to pack. My guide had told me last week the driver would pick me up at 11:00am to get me to the airport at 2:00pm which is the earliest I could check in for my flight.

I opened my door to see Jason, who told me he thought my driver was here. Carrie and Julia were standing with him looking VERY confused. Of course, he didn’t speak any English, but I tried to tell him last week we had decided he would come at 11:00am, but if he wanted to leave now he would need to wait until I packed. Needless to say I wasn’t too happy, because I was VERY disappointed with my guide for the Panda program (who really just left me) and now the driver was all messed up. I packed QUICKLY (just by throwing everything into my bags and we were off!) I HATE being rushed in the morning and then the driver seemed to have no idea where I needed to go. I kept saying Chengdu Airport, but he didn’t seem to know how to get there (we stopped to ask people) which just made me nervous. The car ride wasn’t too enjoyable seeing as I kept my eyes peeled to the road signs to make sure we were heading in the right direction. When we got near Chengdu he STILL seemed lost, but I knew we had plenty of time. We did manage to get to the airport, and all was well!

Of course, leaving today the weather was again beautiful! Cold, but sunny and clear! Looking back I feel kind of silly about being so unhappy at the beginning of the week (of course I say that now that I am gone). BUT I thought it was important to be honest with myself (and you) to really show that it’s not always amazing and wonderful, but it’s sometimes hard as well.

Honestly, I did have an AMAZING once in a lifetime experience with the Pandas. Granted I struggled a lot in the beginning of the week, but it did get better. I don’t think I will look back on the experience and say it was the best time of my life, but it was great. I know I complained a lot, but I think I was surprised that I was NOT having an amazing time. My mom even said, and I quote from an email (Mom I hope you don’t mind!) “It is interesting for you to complain....because that is not like you. But now we know you do NOT like to be cold!!” With all that being said, I feel so fortunate to have had that experience (of hanging out with Pandas in China) and to have met the amazing people I was able to share the experience with.

Once I arrived at the airport, I found someone who spoke English and asked when I could check in. She told me I couldn’t check in until 2:30pm which was annoying because I had to lug my bags everywhere (Mom this is when I miss traveling with you the MOST). They had a KFC near where I was dropped off, so I was able to stop there and grab some lunch.

Around 2:15pm I got in line for my flight. It was nice because they actually “opened” for business right at 2:30pm! I handed the woman my passport and explained I was going through to Ho Chi Minh City. It is VERY nice that you don’t have to bring any paperwork with you (although I always do) to check in, just your passport! She printed out both boarding passes (which was great!) and checked my first bag! I was a little worried because if I had had the time I would have packed my bags according to weight. But, since I was in a rush I literally threw everything in. I knew I would have to pay for my second bag (although I was a bit confused because from Beijing to Chengdu I didn’t..) I put my bag on the scale and she told me it was 3kg (I think 7ish lbs) overweight so I would have to transfer things out and put them in my backpack. I wanted to say that I needed my other bag back to equal them out (my other bag wasn’t over the limit) but it had already gone through and it wasn’t worth the effort to try and get it back. I contemplated trying to figure out what would fit in my backpack etc. but to be honest, it wasn’t worth the hassle. My backpack was already full (and heavy) so I asked her if I could just pay for the extra weight. She told me it would be 200RMB (about $30). I really SHOULDN’T be wasting money on luggage BUT I knew my Dad loves me enough to work a LITTLE bit harder to pay for my bag. So I told her that was fine and handed her my credit card. She seemed confused with the credit card and got on the phone. After she hung up she said, “It’s ok” and I was on my way! I have no idea if people feel bad for me, look at me as the dumb blond American, or WHAT, but whatever the reason is, I am loving not having to pay for extra baggage!

I went through customs and everything else China threw at me with no problems and boarded my flight to Hong Kong. I am a “window” girl, but somehow I messed up (I KNOW it’s hard to believe..) and got myself an aisle seat. Luckily, it was only 2.5 hours AND I was glad I stayed awake because we got food! Wahoo!

Oooh the Hong Kong Airport. I really thought that maybe this whole “plane” thing was a joke and I was walking/taking escalators to Vietnam. I wished I had more time to take pictures because it was like a city! If you ever have to have a long layover, this is the place! I am glad I didn’t stop to eat or do ANYTHING because it took me a while to get to my gate! When I did, I was pretty hungry so I stopped at a place to get something to eat. I realized, however, that the currency was different. I only had 3RMB on me anyway, so I knew I was going to use my credit card (luckily it wasn’t too difficult finding a place to take it..) but I had NO idea what the exchange rate was! I found a burger for $46. And yes it had the dollar sign! I would be the person who said, “But I didn’t think it was REALLY $46!!!!” I figured there was NO way it could be that much so I was willing to take my chances. A hungry (and therefore grumpy) Julie is no fun for anyone..so I thought a nice meal was worth the money. I ended up getting a burger, fruit bowl and water for about $14. A bit expensive I know, but it was AMAZING! I don’t know if I was hungry or what, but it was really a GREAT meal!

I was surprised that the plane to Ho Chi Minh was a big one (3-5-3). When I found my row, someone was already sitting in the window. I could NOT believe I messed up AGAIN! Luckily though she had messed up so I kicked her out. I did feel bad, but then I realized it WAS my seat, and I was dying for a window! The plane wasn’t quite full and we were on our way. Or so I thought..

We did seem to be waiting on the tarmac for a while when the Captain finally came on and said, (I SWEAR this is what he said..) “We are having some problems with the catheter so we are going to taxi back and have someone take a look at it”. Now I don’t know if it was HIS catheter or the plane’s, but either way I thought it was good we were getting it checked out.

We only had to wait about an hour, but at this point I had been traveling for 12 hours and was tired, but for some reason couldn’t fall asleep, so the hour seemed to go on forever. I decided I would call my mom just to check in and when I did..I heard her, but then my phone beeped and said it was out of minutes. I tried to call on my American phone, but that didn’t work either. I panicked thinking maybe she would think that we were crashing and I was calling them to say goodbye. These are the thoughts you think when you are overtired I guess.

The woman next to me (that I kicked out) was VERY sweet, but she was driving me crazy. She was older, retired, and heading back to Vietnam for 5 months (she is a snow bird!) She just wanted to talk (and talk and talk) and show me pictures of EVERYONE in her family. I was trying to be polite, but I was very tired and just tired of traveling and not in the mood to talk.

We landed in Ho Chi Minh around 11:20pm and I was sweating! Oh I had forgotten the feeling! Customs were a breeze and then I went to find my baggage. I was waiting and waiting and then saw a worker taking off baggage, so I went to check that out. My two bags were there! I have no idea why they were taken off the carousel, and it wasn’t a big deal, but wished someone had told me so I wasn’t waiting around.

Luckily I saw Han with my, “Julie Wilson” sign and we were off. Oh it was SO warm! I was VERY hot (in my 2 pairs of socks, sweatpants and LAYERS of tops) but man oh man did it feel good! She got us a cab and explained she had water damage in her house so I would be going to the hostel. Originally, the plan was to live in a volunteer house (with her and her family) and the other volunteers. I was excited because I had not been impressed with the other coordinators and figured she would HAVE to help me if I was living with her. But then I found out that I would only be there a week and then move to a hostel. I was a bit bummed, but then figured it would be ok since the hostel was in the backpacker’s district of Ho Chi Minh. But, because of this whole water thing, she told me I was going there tonight. She said she lived right by the airport and since it was late she told the taxi where to go, paid him, and told me he would bring me to the hostel. I was a little..well I guess I wished she had come with me (at this point I was exhausted and had been traveling for 15 hours..) but if there is one thing traveling alone does to you, it makes you confident. She could have dropped me off ANYWHERE and I would have figured it out. She was really sweet and said the plan was to meet Monday at 8:30am to go to the orphanage. She also told me Ken (in his 40’s from Alaska) was also at the hostel and volunteering. I asked her about buying a phone etc. and she said she would help me on Monday. So off I went!

The taxi driver didn’t speak much English, so when he pulled off and tried to show me we were at the hostel, I was a bit worried. I knew we weren’t on the right road (I had done my research) but ALSO knew we were close. I wasn’t in the mood (at this point it was about 12:45am..1:45am my time) to be dragging my bags around looking for the place. Luckily we managed to figure it out, and the area was HAPPENING! It is definitely party central!

The “manager” came out which was good (Han said she called ahead) and she helped me with my VERY heavy bags to 408. UGHHH the 4th floor. I definitely need the stairs, seeing as I have been eating WAY too much, but it is a hike! I am a girl who likes to unpack and settle in, but after traveling for about 17 hours at that point (I didn’t even go THAT far..) I called it a night and hit the sack!

Hugs and kisses from Ho Chi Minh City!

The Birthday Girl & Panda Play!

What a WONDERFUL birthday I had! I am getting old though. I was in bed before 10:00pm I think, but was awoken by a phone call from Steve! He could actually hear me which was a win in itself, but his phone card only lasted about 5 minutes so I had to call him back (on MY birthday..geeze!) That is when it got choppy again and was mostly just him saying, “Hello? Hellllllo?” but at least he knew it was me this time!

I woke up again to my parents calling! Woo hoo I love birthdays! After that my aunt called as well, and I thought that would be it for the day since I told everyone else not to call me (I didn’t have much time left on my cell phone and had no way of buying more time).

It AMAZES me how much the weather can change one’s mood (or at least MINE). I did a research paper in high school on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and study after study showed how the weather affects people. For example, in cold, dark, rainy places suicide, alcoholism, murder and divorce are all high. But ANYWAY I was so happy because there was SUN TODAY! I think that was my birthday present from God which was VERY nice! Sun meant, 1) it wasn’t raining 2) it wasn’t snowing 3) it had to be a LITTLE bit warmer! Oh it was just BEAUTIFUL! I knew we were in the mountains but hadn’t been able to see more than 10 feet in front of me, so it was so nice to be able to see the surrounding mountains!

We went to breakfast and they had the typical cardboard type “roll” but this time they brought out sugar with it! It was delicious! They must have known it was my birthday! Breakfast was PACKED (and by that I mean it was more than the 7 of us!) There were all these people, who we could tell definitely weren’t volunteering, but we had no idea why they were there! There was this one guy that looked like the Chinese version of Michael Jackson, it was great!

Carrie, Jason and I were with our Panda’s around 8:00am and my Panda Master wished me a happy birthday! I thought that was great (but found out why later) but figured she had just overheard Carrie, Jason and I talk about my birthday!

I had extra minutes on my phone since everyone had called me, so I was able to call my aunt and brother which was a very special treat! I did my last Panda cleaning and it was just beautiful. I stopped and just thought, what a great day to be alive and be able to work! With all my layers on I was comfortable, the sun was shining on my face, it was my birthday, and I was hanging out with Pandas in CHINA! Pretty good life! Other than that, the morning was filled with Panda feedings!

Apparently, someone had told Carrie and Jason that a new two year old Panda was arriving today and they were having a “Welcome Home” party for the Panda. So we decided to check it out! We arrive at the main entrance to see a lot of people and Amy was there as well. She told us we had just missed the dragons, but there was going to be more entertainment. It was a “Welcoming Party” for Fulong, a baby Panda from Vienna, Austria. China had sent two Pandas there and they produced Fulong, who was now being brought back. Most of the speeches were in Chinese (except for when the Austrians spoke..or maybe I was starting to understand Chinese!) We did make it in time to see the “dancers” and I hate being mean but they were AWFUL (video to follow soon!) They did have beautiful Chinese dresses on, with cowboy hats! We did not understand that at all. Then, all of a sudden, the Chinese Michael Jackson came out..as the magician! It was great. I have lots of pictures of him too that I will post ASAP! So we realized everyone at breakfast was the entertainment for the “Welcome Home Fulong” party!

Everything was wrapping up and I was standing next to Amy when all of a sudden we were SWARMED by Chinese people! I have NO idea who they were or where they came from, but all of a sudden they were all around us telling us how beautiful we are and they ALL wanted pictures (she is blonde too!) We started laughing, but then felt AWFUL because there were still speeches going on. We thought it was so rude they were causing such a commotion when people were trying to talk. And they definitely weren’t being discrete about it. A man in a suit even came over (we thought he would know better) to get his picture with us. Jason and Carrie were laughing from afar, but they found Carrie soon too (she is blonde as well!) It was somewhat flattering, but NOT the time or place for them to be all over us. We did have a good laugh and told Jason he should be our agent.

As we were walking back for the final feeding before our lunch, a Chinese man started talking to me (and for some reason, only me!) He asked where I was from, what the weather was like at home, etc. Finally I had to part ways and he asked for a picture with me and called me his American girlfriend (watch out Steve!) Everyone gave me a hard time later when they all saw him at lunch. Speaking of lunch, it was SO crowded because of the Welcome Party, so we had to wait at least an hour for food. Didn’t they know it was my birthday? Geeze! When I got there Julia and Willie weren’t there, but someone said they had gone into town. Luckily, even though they got back late for lunch, we hadn’t even been fed yet!

After lunch I went back to do a Panda feed, and then it was time for Panda Play! Like I had said, I have been a bit disappointed in the whole program, but specifically in the lack of contact and interaction with the Panda’s themselves. My mom made a comment on my blog about how I felt like I was “free labor” but that’s what volunteering is. It did make me think, because I did not think I was free labor at the school in Beijing. I guess I felt like this Panda program was advertised to make you think it was more than cleaning up after them. The other volunteers there (from other programs) felt the same as well. Carrie even told me she had asked if there was a lot of interaction with the Pandas and they told her yes. But, there isn’t. I got thinking about WHY I wanted to volunteer, because I could have just traveled for 4 months. I wanted to volunteer because I know how fortunate and blessed I am, and I want to be able to help others who aren’t as fortunate. I also got to thinking if, by volunteering, I expected things. And I think the answer is yes. Is that selfish of me? I don’t know, I could blame it on human nature, but I just don’t know. At the School for Poor Children, I expected to be able to bring the language of English to help others. I knew that they weren’t able to learn English from just anyone, so I felt like I was giving a gift, something that I was able to share with them, to help them for the future.

From the Panda perspective, I didn’t feel like I was giving anything. Granted, I was cleaning their cage and feeding them, but if I wasn’t there, or now that I am gone, the Master will do it and it will be no different. I guess I didn’t feel like I had an impact, I didn’t HELP them at all, maybe just saved some time for the Panda master. I think that is what I meant as free labor..I didn’t bring any of my “gifts” (being a native English speaker etc.). I don’t know if this is making ANY sense, but I think my point is..I felt like at the school I was HELPING by giving something that was from ME whereas at the Panda place I was giving something that ANYONE could have been doing.

Ok back to Panda Play! I knew that for 1,000RMB I could “play” with the one year old Panda’s for about 5 minutes. Amy had done it her first day and said it definitely wasn’t 5 minutes but she loved it. So I decided, to make my birthday special, I would treat myself to a Panda Play!

I showed up at 3:00 with Jason and Carrie (my designated picture taker!) and there were two other Americans visiting for a day who were also going to do it. It honestly was AMAZING and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I am SOOO happy I was able to do it. You have to dress like you are going into surgery (booties, a gown and gloves) and then they let you into the enclosure while they feed the Pandas. The Pandas could care less that you are there since they are eating, but I got some great photos! It doesn’t last long (until they finish eating) because they get VERY aggressive when their food is gone. If one Panda is finished it will literally attack others for their food. It’s pretty funny! I really had SO much fun and I knew it was a once in a lifetime experience, to play with baby Pandas in China, so I was so happy it worked out.

After Panda Play I was able to check my emails (thank you EVERYONE for my birthday wishes!!!!) and then I had to return my suit and volunteer pass at the Information Center. After I had to walk to the other part of the area to get a certificate saying I had been in the program etc. which will be nice to keep.

We showed up at dinner and were the ONLY ones, which was kind of creepy, but the food came out fast. We asked if we could sit in a separate room and Carrie and Jason brought their heater so it warmed up a bit (warm being relative) but my toes weren’t painfully freezing so I considered it good!

We had dinner and then were getting ready to play cards and I was actually going to stay for once! We were cleaning up from dinner when all of a sudden the door swung open and Willie came in with a cake and MASSIVE candle! Everyone sang happy birthday and it was AWESOME! The candle was the BEST candle I have ever had! It was a flower, and once lit it opened up and played happy birthday! The cake was huge and said happy birthday on it! I was SO surprised and found out that Willie and Julia went into town to get stuff for my BIRTHDAY! Words can’t explain how much it meant that everyone went to all that trouble for me. I had the cake with the awesome candle and they got me a crown (we all joked it looked like it was from Burger King) AND they even bought me a box of chocolates (they learned this week how much I LOVE chocolate). Carrie and Jason made me a card which everyone signed, INCLUDING my Pandas and the Keepers! It was SO sweet, each Panda put their paw print and their name in English and Chinese, and the Panda keepers wrote Happy Birthday in Chinese as well! They told me they thought I was going to catch on when my Panda keeper wished me a Happy Birthday (because she had signed the card the night before) but I just thought she was being nice! It really was the BEST birthday and I was NOT expecting anything. I just thought it was SO sweet that they went to all the trouble and work to make my birthday special for me. I really can’t say enough how happy I was!

Hugs and kisses from the birthday girl!

The Almost Birthday Girl!

Oh Wednesday! Half way through the week..and I can’t say I am complaining. I am just tired of being COLD. I miss being warm.

Breakfast was interesting this morning. We had a scrambled egg patty thing that wasn’t too bad except it was VERY oily. We also had a “mystery dish”. It was these white things (we think dumplings) in a milk broth. But it was GROSS! Whatever the white things were..they were like chewy and gluey and NOT a pleasant texture at all!

The day continued on..and it snowed for most of the morning. Snow is better than rain though. We cleaned out the cages and did the morning feedings without too much to report. It is funny to start and see the Panda’s personalities. For instance, when Mason get’s fed he turns his back against the bars of the cage and eats like that. Lu-Lu is very gentle when taking food from you, but chews VERY loudly (kinda like you Dad!) Lu-Lu is funny because if he is eating a Panda Cake and you go to put a carrot or apple on the ground he will take it with his free hand and have a bite of Panda Cake and then a bite of apple and so on. She-She is very aggressive when taking her food and then moves to the wall to sort of lay down to eat. Looks relaxing to me!

We came back for lunch, nothing too exciting. After lunch and before work, Carrie, Jason, Amy and I went to the “shops”..although there was only one little stand. Carrie and Jason said when the weather was better there were a lot more. But it was fun to see ALL the Panda stuff they have!

We went back in the afternoon, which is a bit boring. The feeding part is fun, but since it’s only done about once an hour there is a lot of downtime (which I really wasn’t expecting). I wish the weather was nicer because I would love to walk around and explore.

After work I was able to check my emails..which REALLY make my day. It’s fine here, but it’s definitely hard with NOTHING around, nothing to do, never being warm, etc. So it is soo nice to get emails from home!

I came back and took a shower (which is a miracle in itself) AND shaved. I don’t know HOW I did it (or why because my legs..well WHOLE body is always covered) but I did. I cannot wait to 1) take a real shower and 2) do laundry! I haven’t felt clean since I arrived so it will be so nice to have clean things!

Dinner was cold as always, but I CANNOT imagine what I would do if the 6 others weren’t here (well, I would probably cry myself to sleep like I did Sunday night). But really, it is so nice to all vent about how cold we are, how the accommodations are awful, what our Panda’s poo was like, the best way to use the squat toilet, etc.

Today, I woke up to find we don’t have any water, and it’s really not ok. No hot water, no tepid water, no cold water. Nada.

This really threw off my morning routine..and I stood in the bathroom for a good 5 minutes trying to figure out how to remedy the situation. I came up with nothing - squat (kinda like the toilet, ha). I did however, try another room since the door was open and that room didn’t have water either, so it wasn’t as if I was being punished for something.

Breakfast wasn’t as good because we didn’t have any hot tea, just some rolls. We made it to the Pandas and even the PANDAS had water (they haven’t for the past 2 days..) so who knows, maybe we take turns with the Pandas.

Clean up was per usual except for the fact that since they had water we washed down the walls and floors again. Is it awful I wanted to bathe in the arctic water just because it was, well, water?

The days have gotten a bit monotonous. On my first day I had asked Carrie if she got bored, but she said she liked it because you got to know the Pandas well, which I agree with, but I think you can get the gist in a few days.

Anyway after the last feed we were off to lunch! This is usually when my toes freeze the most to the point that it becomes painful. Everyone else brought work boots, which I don’t think I was told that would be a good idea and I really didn’t have room for them for only one week. But since it is either raining or snowing my sneakers aren’t holding up so well, so, my socks get wet, my feet get cold, and I am not happy. I usually am the first one to leave mostly because I am too cold to stay there! My favorite place here is my bed, only because it gets rid of the pain from the cold. At night (whenever I wake up and it’s after 2am) I am NOT freezing and I love it! Although that only lasts for 5 hours out of my day, but I’ll take it!

Since I don’t do anything in the afternoon really (feeding and some bamboo stuff) I asked my master if I could “take the afternoon off” to do some exploring. It is not snowing or raining today, and since I leave Saturday (wahooo!) I figured I better take advantage of the “nice” (it’s all relative) day!

It really is beautiful here because it’s in the mountains and there are nice trails.

After lunch I came back to warm up a bit and change my wet socks and sneakers to dry, new ones! I headed off to the trail nearest my room and it started off well. It was well marked by a path of cement slats, but when looking ahead I was a bit confused. The slats seem to disappear, but I thought maybe it was a bend around a corner or something. I got to the “edge” and looked to see my “path” half way down the cliff. It looked..well no it WAS a mudslide and half the path got taken out. Was it roped off? No! Warnings? Nope! Only in China! I QUICKLY turned around since I decided sliding down a mountain was not what I wanted to do.

I ventured on to the Welcome Center and saw Will. He invited me to the next feeding, so I checked my email before heading up to his Pandas. The area was roped off (to tourists and I am a Panda helper, ha!) so I continued on until I saw two panicked Chinese Panda Master’s NOT happy I was there. The man came out with his hand raised (the universal sign for STOP) and I tried to wave my volunteer badge. Finally, I just said, “Is Will here?” Luckily Will came to my rescue but the guy STILL wasn’t happy I was visiting. Will said he is like that, very protective of “HIS” Pandas, and doesn’t seem to like volunteers. It was great to see other Pandas, but I decided I should be on my way. I continued on to a trail through the woods and by the lake and it really was beautiful. It was very slippery and not well maintained, but no mudslides so I considered myself lucky!

I am ALWAYS eating here..so much for trying to lose some weight! I think I figure if I am full it’s more insulation, at least that’s what I am telling myself!!! Dinner was good. It is always hot for about five minutes so I know I eat WAY to fast, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

I have been having a big debate with myself; Would I rather be cold or hot? Before this week I would have told you cold -- hands down! You can always put on more layers and there is only so much you can remove if you are hot. However, I have realized you can wear everything you own and still be FREEZING. Now I can’t remember what it feels like to be warm, BUT I will find out on Sunday. Then, I will let you know my decision.

Hugs and kisses from the almost birthday girl!

Brrrrrrrrr!

I didn’t hear rain when I woke up this morning, which was a good sign! Somehow, my alarm did not go off, which was not a good sign. My Chinese cell phone resets itself every time I charge it (I have to take out the battery) so the time/date etc. is never right. I have been using my American cell phone (which doesn’t get service) as my clock/alarm. But, since it is always searching for service (it hasn’t gotten the memo that I am in The Middle of Nowhere, China) the battery dies very quickly. Long story short, I decided to put it on standalone mode last night, which I thought just mean it wouldn’t search for service (it told me it would not accept incoming/outgoing calls, which was fine). BUT apparently it also meant, no alarm! Luckily, I woke up (late) but not late enough to have it drastically impact my day!

I opened my door to see snow! Not a lot, but enough to cover the ground. Breakfast was rice and eggs (I did not like it) and then Carrie, Jason and I were off to our Pandas. We cleaned in the morning, just like yesterday, which is a lot of work. Mostly because the broom (which we use for everything) is VERY short (I think it’s even short for Chinese people) so I am hunched over all morning which makes my back sore. We clean the inside of all three cages as well as the outside and then the common area which is usually filled with leftover bamboo scraps, etc. It wasn’t raining today which was great (not having wet shoes makes quite a difference) but the snow was all melting off the trees so basically, it was raining.

I thought ahead today and brought my travel guide to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. It actually works out great because I had wanted to read it in Beijing but just didn’t have the time. So now, between feedings and while Carrie and Jason are writing in the log books, I am able to read. Kills two birds with one stone. I like that.

After the second feeding I asked if I could go for a walk since it wasn’t pouring. I figured I better take advantage of the opportunity. Carrie suggested I walk a bit further to where Tom is stationed. She said the Pandas are younger and more playful. I walked down and saw Tom through the window so he came out and was telling me the good places to see. He had to get back to his feeding so he pointed me in a good direction and off I went.

It was pretty cool to see the Pandas when nobody else is around. They are so funny to watch, especially when they eat! I also saw two Pandas wrestling which made me laugh as well!

It was getting closer to 11:30am (the last feeding before our lunch) so I headed back in time to feed the Pandas their Panda Cake. Then, lunch time for us humans! Carrie, Jason and I stopped at the “tourist shop” on the way. They just have everything Panda you could want. Then, we met everyone at lunch. I asked again if it would be ok if I ordered something for everyone and shared, and I think that was fine. So I ordered rice (although they charge me for it but I just eat from the big bowl on the table) and the tomatoes and egg again. Since mine takes a while I usually eat a little from everyone else’s and then when mine comes out we all share that. Luckily, everyone had some of “mine” and there was still food left over when we were finished, so I think the system we have implemented is working out just fine.

After lunch I came back to the room to warm up a bit and then went back for the afternoon shift. Although, we don’t really do much, just feed the Pandas. The feeding is very cool though because you have to make sure they are sitting properly and that you hand them the food. They usually take it with their mouth, but today She-She grabbed her carrot with her hand which made me laugh. I am so glad I have my travel book because it gives me something to do in between feedings. I think Carrie and Jason are a bit bored too but since they have their logs to do they have less time to do nothing.

I left again at 3:30, mostly because there really isn’t much for me to do, but also because I like to have some time to check my email and take a shower. While I was checking my email I met Amy (who looks JUST like Steve’s sister Christine, it’s like his family is here with me, I love it!) She is from London and through the same program as everyone else and she had just done “Panda Play”. She was telling me you get 5 minutes with the Pandas and someone can take your photos and video etc. But I think that’s really the only time you get to interact with them. I think it is a rip off personally, because I thought I would be doing more of that by being a “keeper” when really we just fed and clean. Now don’t get me wrong, I do think what I am doing is pretty cool, and I do see a different side than a normal tourist would, but I am pretty much just free labor. I’ll get back to that..but Amy said it’s $150 for the 5 minutes or $75 for just a few pictures. I do not like the idea of spending the money (it’s hard when all I do is spend money knowing I am not making any) BUT I was thinking about treating myself for my birthday! Also..you couldn’t PAY me to come back to this place, so I figured it’s now or never.

I know it sounds like I am complaining a lot, and it’s not like I am in hell. Sometimes I stop and remind myself I am working with Pandas, in CHINA! And that is pretty cool. I think the weather has a lot to do with it..it is freezing, literally. I can NEVER get warm and that drives me insane. I’m cold in the shower, when I eat, when I sleep, all the time! I think it would be more enjoyable if I was more comfortable.

Also, I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t quite this. I think I was hoping for more interaction with the Pandas. And I sort of feel like this “volunteering” is really just free labor with not as many rewards as I would have liked.

I know I am going on and on, but I also think there is a LOT of downtime, and I wished that could be filled with, something, anything. My schedule is like this..
We have breakfast at 7:30
We arrive at the Panda site around 8:00ish
Between 8:15 and 10:00 we clean the Panda’s cage and outside (this is when I get tired and sore)
Then there is usually a feeding (takes about 10 minutes) at 10:30 and 11:30 with nothing to do in between
We walk back and have lunch and I warm up and we need to be back by 2:00
Then there are feedings until 4:30
Dinner at 5:30 and that’s that!

After talking with people at dinner I think everyone is a bit disappointed there isn’t more to do with the Pandas. More interaction or more, anything. I felt better about my..well..disappointment is too strong a word, but something like that, about the whole program. Again, it IS really cool; I think I was just expecting more. I was also happy to learn that everyone else expected the accommodations to be a bit more. But, someone was saying they are rebuilding the other Panda base that was destroyed in the earthquake, so maybe a lot of the money is going there.

Will was telling us that his front door was falling off the hinge. But, instead of screwing it back in, the just cut off the part of the door that wouldn’t fit in the frame! It’s things like that that we all just say, what?

I don’t know how this came up, but tonight at dinner it somehow got brought up that I sleep in ALL my clothes (this includes: two pairs of socks, PJ pants, long sleeve shirt, 2 sweatshirts, Northface jacket and scarf). Everyone BURST out laughing and told me they sleep in ONLY PJs!!! I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!!! WHY am I freezing and everyone else can sleep in PJs? We all had a good laugh and I continued to be interviewed about my sleeping habits all night. I promised all of them I would TRY sleeping without my Northface and scarf tonight.

On that note, I feel bad because every night they usually stay and play cards in the dining room. I would LOVE to stay, but I literally can’t because I am too cold! It’s painful, and knowing I have a bed that will help with my numbness is enough to say, “Sorry guys, I am gonna head back”. We have all talked about how we wished there was a place to “hang out” here with couches or some type of common room. Oh yeah and heat would be nice.

Well I do feel like I have complained a lot these past couple of days. But, alas, I told you this blog was going to be an honest one (as hard as it is for me sometime..) so there you have it!

Hugs and kisses from Mason, Lu-Lu and She-She.

So You Thought You Were On Vacation..

You thought wrong!

So about my post from yesterday. I don’t want anyone to feel bad for me. Really, I don’t. I had SUCH an amazing time in Beijing (and I think my posts reflected that), but I thought it was important to 1) write down how I really feel and 2) let you all know that everything isn’t always amazing.

I am so cold. But, today was better. After crying myself to sleep last night (hey it couldn’t have been THAT cold because my tears didn’t freeze) I slept alright. I was SO overtired from only sleeping 2 hours the night before and it was a long day of traveling and navigating, I hadn’t really eaten all day, nor had I met anyone, etc. Luckily a phone call with mom helped me realize I WOULD be ok! Haha!

Anyway I wasn’t as cold as I thought I might be once I was asleep. I did have a lot of strange dreams though and when I woke up at 2am I decided I would try and give Steve a call! I was soo happy when he answered and I said something like, “Hey babe!” He said “Hi” but in a weird way so I asked him what was wrong and he replied, “Who is this?” I have no idea how many people say, “Hey babe!” when they call him but if it happens again, Dad, I am sending you to Ecuador to straighten him out! Ha! It was so nice to talk to him, but by talk I mean my end of the conversation was hearing him say, “Hello? Helllllo?” Obviously the reception is pretty poor when you are in Hicksville, China, but I could hear him surprisingly well.

I woke up at 7:00 and when I got out of my bed I was FREEZING! It was still raining out (apparently that’s what it will be like this week) and it was dark, which I didn’t like. I never think I should be up before the sun. I walked down to where I thought breakfast was at 7:15 but nobody was there and the lights were off. So I decided to wander around until I saw a guy and I asked him if he spoke English. He did, and it was his first day of Pandas too! Woo hoo! His name is Tom and he had met some people (all from the U.K) also from his “tour group” and said they knew what they were doing and would be ready for breakfast shortly. Tom will be staying here for two weeks.

We walked over and sat down and I also met Willie. Willie is from Scotland and (I learned this from the walk after breakfast) is probably in his late 50’s and was a firefighter. He said after 30 years you can retire, so he is retired and now travels a lot. He has a thick Scottish accent which reminds me of Steve’s grandfather..not as strong though, and looks like a mix between George Clooney and Steve’s dad (but aren’t they one in the same?), which is comforting and familiar (I’m just dishing out the compliments today). He got here on Saturday and is leaving on Saturday like me!

I also met Angela (whose real name is Julia) and she is from London and just spent time in Malaysia (3 or 4 weeks I think) working with animals there too. Before this trip she thought she wanted to work with animals but I guess now not so much, so she is thinking about horticulture. She has been here for a week and has two more to go!

Carrie and Jason were together and I thought a couple, but later found out just friends. They are both maybe in their 20’s or 30’s and are from the UK. Carrie has a full time job working with animals (I am not sure doing what) and her job let her leave to come work with the Pandas. I think Jason is a truck driver.

So after breakfast Willie had to walk by the Visitor’s Center as well so he showed me the way and I got my “Panda suit” and was driven away. I showed up where Carrie and Jason work. I guess there are different sections; Willie works in the kindergarten, and both Julia and Tom work in separate sections.

I was excited that I was working with people who know what they are doing. Carrie and I followed our “master” (no, not panda trainer) and we started to work! My job was all about Mason. In our section there are three pandas. She-she is the only girl and Mason and Lu-Lu are the two boys. They all have an inside cage (where they get fed) and an outside area (natural forest) to themselves. So first things first. I needed to take the big bamboo stalks (the ones he hadn’t eaten) out and put them together so they could be bundled up and then I have no idea where they go. Second and third (in no particular order) is sweeping up the little eaten pieces of bamboo and panda “poo”. Not Panda poop..it’s Panda poo. And yes we spent much of the day talking about it. It actually didn’t bother me that much. The cool thing was while I was cleaning, Mason would come to the cage and watch me, like a supervisor. Our “master” spoke some English which was helpful. After everything was out I then used the hose (and the same brush used to clean up the poo) to wash the walls. Mason is muddy and comes in and touches the walls so they get muddy! After that, on to the floors, and after the floors I used a squeegee type thing so the floor dried!

Mason was then brought into the cage so I could clean up his outside area. Same process of big bamboo, little bamboo and poo. It was actually a lot of work and I was tired and sore when we were done. I thought this was going to be a VERY long week. Carrie let me know though that this was really the only hard part and the rest of the day we would be feeding. We finished about 9:40 and walked back (2 minutes) to our area to have a rest. This makes no sense, first of all it is FREEZING out and they do have a small heater in the room, but they leave the door (and sometimes windows) WIDE open! It drives me insane because I can never warm up!

At 10:00am it was time to feed them! This part was actually pretty cool. Throughout the day they get Panda Cake (which is a hard mixture of milk powder, bamboo powder and corn), apples and carrots. They will get called to eat and have to sit on their butt and put both hands on their cage. You then put the Panda Cake through the bar and they take it with their mouth and then use their hands to eat it. They eat like people do which is pretty funny. After that, Carrie and Jason found out that because they have been here for two weeks they can now do the log book. Every 30 minutes they check on their three pandas and write down what they are doing (behavior wise). It definitely kept them busy and I think I would have been SO bored if I didn’t follow Carrie. It seems kind of silly for me to be there because before I came they both did it themselves, but I am actually enjoying sort of tagging along. The next feeding was at 11:30 and like I said, there is nothing to do in between. I think tomorrow I might try and bring a book or something to pass the time..especially because it is so cold. After their feeding we walked to lunch in the pouring rain. The walk is a bit of a hike, about 15 minutes up and down hill. It had been raining all day and my feet and socks were soaked..and freezing.

When we got to lunch I was the only one who had to order which was a bit awkward. I think everyone else came through the same program where they have a set meal included. I ordered the tomato and egg (recommended by Willie) and found out it was what I had yesterday for lunch! It was still good. Willie was really nice and offered their food while I waited for mine, and then I offered mine to them, so I am hoping we can kind of all share.

After lunch I came back to my room and filled up the sink with hot water to warm my feet, and my feet were so happy. I then changed into two pairs of dry socks and new sneakers! I am so happy I brought three pairs of sneakers (one pair is very old and I will throw away before I leave the Pandas) but it makes it nice when they get wet. We then went back to our Pandas for more observations and a feeding. Carrie and Jason told me they usually can leave at 3:30, so I was excited because they had told me at lunch there was internet in the main office. I hate to think I can’t go a week without email, and I am sure I could, but it is MORE than comforting to know I can connect and “talk” with people, especially when I am in The Middle of Nowhere, China.

So when 3:30 came they realized (because they were now keeping the logs) they needed to stay until 4:30. I honestly wasn’t doing anything, just following and at meal times Carrie and I would both feed so I asked if I could leave and my master said that was fine. I walked back to the main office and was able to check my email, which really made me feel happy and less alone.

I then came back to shower. Now, here is the deal with the shower. It is sort of a shower head, but you have to hold it in your hand as it drips out warm water. The AWFUL part is it is SO cold its miserable taking off your clothes to get in the shower. And it’s not as if when you are showering you are warm. Maybe your arm is warm, or your leg, but the rest of you is FREEZING. I was cold in Beijing, (especially before I figured out the heat) but I also knew I could take a shower to get rid of the chill. But what I really hate about here is, you can NEVER get warm. Ever. Not even in the place we eat! I am really looking forward to Vietnam if for no other reason to be warm.

I then went to dinner and again ordered my own meal but took a bit of food from the bowls on the table. I am going to re-ask everyone tomorrow if it’s ok if I order something different and share, because I really don’t like eating just one thing.

I think at night most of them play cards or hang out or something, but I was FREEZING so I decided to call it a night and head back to put my hands under warm water. I think this place could be AMAZING when the weather is nice. I wanted to walk around today, but it is so cold and raining/sleeting all the time. Carrie and Jason said they used to walk around between feedings before they had to keep the log. I think it would be so beautiful to do that, so I hope it stops raining before I leave.

I also think the area of the “hostel” would be fun if a lot of people were here because it’s based around a courtyard. But tonight when I walked back from dinner it was SO dark and creepy! Really, very creepy.

I was trying to organize myself a bit before I started blogging when I saw it. A big spider on my comforter. By big, I mean probably the size of a half dollar, but that’s big to me. Dad, I know you won’t believe me, BUT I got a cup and a cover, captured it and tossed him outside. I realized (since it was so dark) I wouldn’t be able to tell if he fell out of the cup. Therefore, the cup and lid are still outside until the sun comes up and I can make sure he’s gone. But Dad, when I come home and I am upstairs and yell, “Dad, can you please come here for a second?” It still means I want you to kill a spider!

Hugs and kisses from a very cold Julie!

Pandas

Pandas. I have to remind myself that’s why I came here..to see Pandas. I didn’t have the best of days..and maybe I should have waited until I ate and slept to write this..but alas..here are my true feelings.

So I had a rough night last night. Nothing seemed to be going well. I packed my bags (they have NO wiggle room) but wanted to keep checking the weight. Air China’s website said I would get one bag (44lbs) and one carry-on (11lbs). My plan was to pack one bag to weigh 44lbs and stuff everything in the other bag, since I would be charged for the second bag anyway. So I would pack, weigh (with the awesome scale my mom bought me!) unpack, try to figure out how to move stuff around, repack, weigh, and repeat. It was exhausting! So I had that going on and I was also trying to upload my videos and pictures! I had spent the entire afternoon at Starbucks but still wasn’t done (they take forever to upload)! When the pictures finished uploading..they were in NO particular order. Now if you know me, you know that would drive me INSANE. And oh it did! Especially because I would have a picture of a sign for The Lama Temple and then a picture of my hostel! Alone it wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but with everything else I was not a happy camper. Then, I decided I would plug in my iPod to charge it but nothing happened. I kept doing it until a message popped up saying it was corrupted. Just woooonderful, seeing as I would be traveling from 7am to 4pm tomorrow. I was, however, able to “restart it” and all is well.

Needless to say, I managed to get about two hours of sleep last night. I’m sure you all know how you keep waking up every 5 minutes thinking maybe you over slept your alarm (or two in my case). I was up at 6:00am, had my cereal, checked my emails for the last time and was on my way. I was walking toward the hotel to catch a cab when one pulled up. I like it when things are easy.

I was really nervous about my flight. I bought my ticket on a Chinese version of Travelocity or Expedia (since it was cheaper) but I had no way of “checking-in” online. I asked Melissa where I could print out a copy of my confirmation email and she told me I could just show up with my passport, which was fine but I was still nervous. I also knew ALL of my bags were overweight and I had no clue how much it was going to cost to check an extra one. With all that being said, my plan was to leave by 7:00am but I was in the cab at 6:50ish. Melissa told me (and I knew from when I arrived in Beijing..) it should take about 40 minutes, but I was there at 7:15. Guess Sunday morning traffic isn’t too bad in Beijing!

It took me a little bit to find where I needed to check in, but I managed to get myself there. The woman said my flight had been changed from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Not ok! Since I was there so early I asked her if I could get on an earlier flight. She made a phone call and told me to check with the ticket counter. I made my way over there and asked the ticket woman. She seemed to think that was fine and told me to check in at K. I was nervous again about checking in at K but after handing her my passport she asked if I wanted window or aisle, so I was in! I put my first bag on the scale and I have no idea what it weighed. Then, I put my second bag on and she just tagged it and I was free to go! I was a little nervous but checked the stubs and they were both going to the right place. I have no idea why I didn’t have to pay for it but I thought, great!

I then made my way through security which was VERY intense. After you send your bag through you walk through the metal detector and get patted down and wanded. Then they take a chemical sample of all your things and I don’t know if they do this for everyone, but they sent everything back through again (slow day maybe). Once I made it through security I called Mr. Lui who was supposed to pick me up from the airport in Chengdu to let him know about the changes. After he didn’t pick up I tried Mr. He who I think is Mr. Lui’s boss. He answered and I tried to explain the situation. He spoke English (I think) but I don’t think he had ANY clue what I was saying. I gave him my new flight and the flight time and figured it wasn’t a big deal if I needed to wait an hour at the airport (better than waiting 2 extra hours in Beijing!).

The flight was..ok. We were on the runway for about 30 minutes before we could even take-off and I was in and out of sleep. About an hour into the flight it got VERY bumpy..to the point my tummy didn’t feel great and I had a headache. There was nobody sitting in the seat in between which I love. We landed in Chengdu at about 12:00 which was only 30 minutes before my original flight was supposed to land. I decided I would try going to the bathroom one last time before I entered “China toilet land” but had already waited too long..no western toilets! Oh well!

As I was leaving the bathroom Mr. Lui called to say he was there waiting for me. I told him I was walking towards my baggage claim so I would see him. I didn’t know (since it was domestic) if he would be right there at the baggage claim (like in Logan) but I could see people waiting behind security. The bags took a while to arrive but when they did mine were 5 and 6 respectively. Woo hoo!

Mr. Lui had a sign with my name on it (which makes it very easy, even for a blonde!) and he spoke English pretty well. He commented on my big bags and asked if I was going to take a panda home with me. I explained how I was traveling for four months etc. We met our driver and took off, in a very nice car! I fell asleep for a bit and when I woke up Mr. Lui asked if I had eaten on the plane. Since I hadn’t, we decided to stop for lunch. I knew it was going to be “interesting” when we exited the highway. We were in somewhat of a deserted parking lot with some fruit stands. I am assuming they asked if there was anywhere to eat because all of a sudden this woman started running showing us to a parking spot. We parked, got out and Mr. Lui said they would bring us to the restaurant. We crossed a small street and then a..well..plank. It was about 8 feet long and 2 feet wide (at best) to cross over a river. Let’s just say you would never find this in America. We went down a hill to the “restaurant” which seemed more like someone’s house, but they did have tables outside and a menu. Mr. Lui asked what I usually ate and I decided a burger and fries wasn’t the best answer so I told him I would eat whatever he ordered. First to arrive was this tomato dish with some brown thing. I can’t remember if I asked for rice or they just brought it..but I have decided I can eat more things when I have rice to dilute the spice/taste, whatever it may be. The dish was actually delicious (or I was really hungry)! Next was some type of pork, which I tried (a few times..) but did NOT like it. We also had soup (which the Chinese eat last) that had something that looked like angel hair pasta in it, but again I did not like it. I have found it interesting that when I have gone out with locals they have no problem leaving half eaten meals on the table.

We made it back to the car alive! As if the plank wasn’t bad enough, it was rainy and muddy and VERY slippery. We continued on and made it to the Panda place around 3:30ish.

I am in Hicksville, China. It’s true. Now I knew this was going to be “rustic” but I really had no idea. We did travel through a “larger” city on the way and then, nothing, just trees. It is actually beautiful, but it was so rainy and foggy here. So we entered “the park” and I am still very confused as to the “campus” of this place. Wherever we ended up, Mr. Lui bought me a ticket so I could enter the gate. At every turn I kept thinking, I hope this isn’t it. Everything is very run down and, I don’t even know.

The Panda base is up a mountain so the whole ride was hairpin turns. They don’t have the mirrors you usually see on sharp turns; they just beep their horn really loud. I guess that does the trick. I kept my eyes closed for most of it. I did see a “yield” sign but instead of the word “yield” it had an exclamation mark. I think that summed it up pretty well.

The driver finally stopped the car and Mr. Lui got out and we got my bags. This is a place made for people with ONE backpack. Even a small carry-on would be too much. Ugh it was AWFUL and my hands hurt so badly now from my blisters. It was probably a five minute walk from where the car could drop us off to the “hostel”. But it was all hilly, stairs and stepping stones which made it SO difficult to drag my bags. I was wet and tired and cold and my bag was so heavy and I was lugging it up stairs and across stones. At one point this woman tried to help me and I wanted to say, “I am in Asia for four months and had to pack warm clothes for this crazy country and summer-ish clothes for everywhere else!” Needless to say I am not looking forward to having to bring both bags back by myself on Saturday. We entered a courtyard area and Mr. Lui went to find someone. We then went inside another courtyard which had doors all around it. The doors were all open, which I decided did not seem good for the “heat situation”. I guess she said I could pick a room (definitely not the peak time)..so 216 it is! The room has two beds, a TV (doesn’t work), a dresser and bathroom. It is like a ghetto Chinese version of a hotel room really. This woman brought in sheets to make up my bed and that’s when I asked about the heat (it was freezing). Mr. Lui said there is no heat but there is an electric blanket of some sorts. I knew then the no heat was going to be a problem and now as I type this I can see my breath and can’t feel my fingers. Not ok.

I also asked about laundry..although I think they both laughed at me. Maybe it was a silly question but it said on their website they had laundry so I wanted to know where. Mr. Lui said the women will help me if I need to do it..but she doesn’t speak English so I am not sure how that will work.

I then looked at the bathroom. No western toilet, but it wasn’t as bad as the bathroom at school so I considered myself lucky. There is a massive water boiler above the “toilet” and he said she put the hot water on. Well at least I HAVE hot water and hopefully I won’t use it all up. Mr. Lui then asked me if I had an umbrella so I got it and asked where we were going. He told me to the Panda Park to get my pass. I specifically asked if I needed anything and he said no, so off we went.

This is when you might start to sense my frustration. I didn’t understand where I was at all..where I should eat, buy water, etc. Mr. Lui was nice but didn’t really answer my questions. He told me we were driving to the panda base (it was quicker) but said tomorrow I should walk and showed me the direction of the short cut (but nothing more) until I think I made it clear I needed more detail and he sort of drew me a map. Hmmm.

When we got to the panda base he told me I should buy a ticket for the bus to where we needed to go since it would be faster. I told him he said I didn’t need to bring anything so all I had was 20RMB in my pocket. The ticket was 10RMB so he said that was fine, but I was already frustrated that he wasn’t really telling me things. We arrived at the “base” and I started talking with a man from England who has been here 3 days and is leaving, but loved it (good to hear, because I was not loving it). He was VERY nice and helpful and told me a little bit about how there are different parts you can be placed (I still don’t get it) and how you need to leave your room by 7:40 to get here by 8:00 and get breakfast before that at 7:15 right near our rooms. He also told me meals are about 80RMB a day (which is a lot more than I spent in Beijing..strange) and said there is nothing to do at night (I figured). I thanked him for his help and then Mr. Lui asked for 150RMB for my work clothes. I told him I had no idea I was supposed to pay for that and told him 1) I didn’t have ANY money on me and 2) I would need to go to the ATM to pay for that and the cost of my food. I do realize I probably should have brought more but not knowing the price of food and that I needed to buy my suit etc. I hadn’t. So anyway he did not seem happy, and in one way I don’t blame him but I wanted to say -- listen this is why I am paying you vs coming on my own so you can take care of these things and I’m not left here confused. I feel like the same thing happened in Beijing. I was just left to figure it out on my own, which is fine but if I wanted to do that the whole time I wouldn’t have paid the money to come through a program. So then he told me I could take the hostel bus to the nearest city and go to the ATM. He wrote down (in Chinese), “How much does it cost to go to the nearest ATM?” and started explaining to me that I should bargain for the price of the ride. Again I wanted to say, “I don’t want to bargain for a ride, can you just help me please?” But someone else called and said a guy would take me for 100RMB. Mr. Lui still didn’t seem to understand that I needed to go to my room to get my ATM card, but finally I was in someone’s van (I still don’t know who..) but he seemed around my age. We were zipping around the hairpin corners, in the rain..good times!

Along the road to the town I saw people standing on the side and someone waved. All of a sudden, we slowed down and a woman and her 3 or 4 year old daughter got in. I have no idea where they were going (they got out when we stopped) or how they would have gotten there if “my guy” didn’t pick them up! Oh China.

We made it to a “downtown” area..nothing like Beijing but better than where I was. He brought me to an ATM and I tried my card twice and both times it either said, return the card or balance inquiry. I didn’t want either. I tried to tell him this (he didn’t speak any English) so he brought me inside the bank. He must have explained this to the bank teller because she asked me how much I wanted, I told her and she pointed to the woman next to her and said wait. So while I was waiting I pulled out my phone card. I had called to see how much I had left but it wouldn’t let me do it (in Beijing it worked fine) and since I felt like I was having an awful day I wanted to make sure I would be able to call and vent to somebody! She looked at me confused and asked, “What are you doing?” I don’t know if she thought I was trying to use my phone card as my ATM card? Anyway the other lady looked at my card (she didn’t speak English) and gave it back to the lady who spoke VERY little English and she told me it didn’t work here. I handed her my other Bank of America ATM card but she said that wouldn’t work either and I think she said I needed to go to another bank. My guy was no help, so I looked at her and said, “Can you tell him all this?” I think she did, but then she said, “Come back tomorrow and we help you.” Grrrrreat just what I wanted to do on a Monday. We left, and then all of a sudden my guy pulled over in front of another bank! Woo hoo he understand! So THAT ATM worked (it was just like the one I used in Beijing) so I was VERY happy. I then pointed to my phone card and off we went again. We went into a China Unicom store (usually I just buy it from a kiosk on the side of the road) and I showed them my card. They all seemed confused and my guy said something to them. I had never felt more, alone? Helpless? I had NOBODY with me that spoke English and I was in the middle of China where nobody really spoke English anyway. It was the first time since I have been gone that I truly missed the comfort of home. I hated feeling uncomfortable, not even in the sense of people staring at me, but just out of place. I couldn’t read anything, I couldn’t understand, nothing was familiar or safe. I handed her my phone and the phone card and it took a while but eventually she seemed to charge it. I have never had it done like that in the store and I saw it was a different card but hopefully I won’t run out of minutes.

We left and I felt somewhat relieved, but I wasn’t looking forward to going back. I don’t want to sound like I am complaining..I know I have an AMAZING opportunity, but I just didn’t want to go back. We arrived and he parked his car in like the middle of a random road and got out. So I pointed at three different roads because I had no idea where I was and he pointed down one and I started walking. I did end up back where the car dropped me off today but it was like a ghost town. Really, really, creepy. I didn’t feel unsafe, but it is also the first time I felt a little scared while being away. It could have been the rain, the fog, the darkness, but I didn’t like it. I wanted to try and get my bearings, but it was so dark and rainy I didn’t want to walk too far. I think I found where to eat dinner, but I was not in the mood to attempt that, and when I went to the window I didn’t hear any English, so figured peanut butter crackers would have to do for tonight.

My room is FREEZING. Really it’s awful. I attempted a shower, and what dribbled out of the spout was hot, but I wouldn’t call it a shower. It is over the “toilet” so..well..since I am being honest..I found it easy to just pee and shower at the same time! I might have to adopt this 2 in 1 thing when I get back home (sorry Mom and Dad!)

I was hoping the steam would make the bathroom a little bit warmer, but no such luck. I have on my PJ pants, two pairs of socks, a shirt, sweater and sweatshirt. I am not looking forward to sleeping tonight because I know it’ll be so cold.

I am hoping tomorrow will be better. A fresh new day and Pandas..the whole reason I am here. Plus, even if it isn’t, I am only here for 5 more days.