Week 2 – Climbing Mountains

Week two in Beijing has been an amazing adventure. I climbed a mountain in Cuandixia, explored the subway systems, got lost in the Summer Palace, and many more. The experiences have been incredible that words cannot describe it well enough. After dinner at Nauge, there was a young guy on the street standing next to his business. He converted his skills of hand carving cow bones into a booming business. The intricate designs on these necklace faces were mind blowing to think that they were all done by hand by one person. I bought a dragon tooth and engraved the word love in Chinese on the back. This commodore will always remind me of that one time I ate at a nice Vietnamese restaurant with a great view of the river in Beijing, China. Going back, when I was climbing up Cuandixia, I honestly thought I would not make it to the top. However, I took it one step at a time and a few breaks in between. It was the best feeling ever knowing that I had conquered what I had initially presumed to be the impossible. I am making the most of my short time here in Beijing. As a group, we danced on the subway, conga out of the subway, and learned new dance styles throughout the city. It was a beautiful experience. We were exploring the iconic buildings around the city one night and all of a sudden we broke out dancing, well learning how to dance in front of the building. It was very fun and the weird looks we got from other people made the experience even better. To end, the acrobatic show was one of my favorites. I had thought it was insane that one person was riding a motorcycle in a spherical cage and I had fear for the show man. However, then another motorcycle appeared and entered the cage! My emotions were all over the place. By the end of this act there were eight motorcycles in one cage! The show blew my mind. Beijing is a beautiful city; however, I also volunteered at the Dandelion School of the migrant population of China. This volunteering experience really opened my eyes on how life can be very difficult at times. My heart broke seeing the struggles that these children were going through and the larger struggles that they will soon face. The Hoku system in China ensures that people can only live and attend school where they are born. However, some areas are so impoverished that parents have to travel long ways to Beijing to make a decent living. The problem is that, their children are not allowed to attend the public schools here. Therefore, they must attend a school that will take the migrant population such as the Dandelion School. As middle schoolers, I could see the hard work and effort the children put in as an effort to pursue good life. I am just glad that I have the opportunity to support these children to the best of my abilities.