Driving into Hong Kong the China team was inundated with all the people, high rise apartments and neon lights. The city was bustling even at 9PM, there were kids playing soccer, a game of basketball and ladies getting their hair shampooed at the salon. Our hotel accommodations, the local YMCA were nicer than any of us expected. After a good nights sleep in Hong Kong the team set out in search of breakfast. We landed at McDonald’s where $20 Hong Kong, the equivalent of $2.56 American will buy breakfast, a bottle of water with change leftover. After breakfast we boarded a chartered bus headed for the border of Hong Kong/China. At the border we disembarked with all of our luggage, passed through customs and re-boarded our bus on the other side. Getting into China was surprisingly easy. Our first culture shock of the trip was the toilet paperless squat potties at the board. Welcome to China where this type of facility is the norm. After several more hours on the bus we arrived at the new, very modern and extremely humid train station. The train travelled approximately 200 mph through the Chinese countryside. The team was so happy to finally arrive at our hotel accommodations in Hengyang. Lunch was a tasty, home style affair with many interesting dishes. Everyone on the team willingly sampled the unusual fare.
Reality really set in once we toured the orphanage. The children there have so many needs. The conditions are unlike anything one would encounter in the states. The older children were quite pleased with the Western visitors. We were showered with as much attention as we gave out. Some of the children here have such debilitating/crippling diseases. There were times when I had to really fight to keep my emotions in check. Loving these children is easy and yet heartbreaking.
Everyone on the team is healthy and getting sufficient rest. We all miss our families but know that we have been called here with a purpose.
P.S. Blog posts my be less frequent than desired as the data package on my phone is not working properly which means no email, no blogging and no communication with my family. This post is being posted via my husband through an email sent from an Internet cafe.