TheBanyanTree: Return to China - Part 4

[Pat M]

November 23

I slept well and only awoke at 7:30 am when I heard the sound of children
running laps around the courtyard. Unlike yesterday, I wasn't motivated to
join them.

After yesterday's shopping, I was able to make and enjoy a cup of instant
Nescafe with some Coffee Mate in it. I'd been too afraid to buy milk because
of the recent world news that Chinese distributors had been putting melamine
in it.  As much as I'm not a fan of Coffee Mate, I felt it was better than
taking the chance I'd be poisoned.

My thoughts soon turned to food.  Would today's breakfast be different from
yesterday's?  I hoped so. When I joined the children in the dining room,
they chorused, "Shu fan!"  literally 'eat rice'.  To my culinary delight, I
was again served white rice with cooked cabbage, a little cooked tomato,
onion and an occasional cube of potato ladled on top of it. With raw garlic,
it tasted good but it was going to be hard to eat it every day.  This diet
is seriously lacking in protein (no meat; no milk, cheese or dairy products)
and fruit.

Aside from the food, everything about the orphanage is great. The children
are happy; the workers are kind, and I remain very impressed with how well
this place is run.

After breakfast the children wanted a repeat of last night's songs and
dances.  We enjoyed many laughs together as we sang and moved to Clap, clap,
bow, Head and Shoulders, and the Hokey Pokey slowly, faster and very, very,
very fast!

Afterwards, it was time for me to wash some of my clothes.  When I asked
where to go, I was led toward the (cement-lined) irrigation ditch that runs
through the compound. There, I saw a few children washing their own clothes.
A couple of steps led down to the water and I had to remove my shoes.  Some
of the children ran over to show me how to do my laundry in the ditch.  They
brought me two scrub brushes and took over doing my washing, which worked
for me as I couldn't stay down on my haunches like they could.  The water in
the ditch comes from the Luxian River which runs behind the orphanage. The
river is pale green, cloudy and quite beautiful but the color leads me to
think the water is not very clean. The water that runs through the
irrigation ditch is clear but I couldn't help but wonder if I might pick up
an illness from it.

Once my laundry was hung on the line to dry, one of the staff indicated
through sign language that the children were going on an outing and invited
me to join them.  With sixty-two children in tow (the older ones helped
watch the younger ones) we set off along the road which followed the river
behind the orphanage.  Banana trees and bamboo lined the water's edge.  Some
of the land beside the river was cultivated and a bent old woman worked the
earth.  Although it was overcast the temperature was mild, and I was
comfortable in a t-shirt.

The children treated me like a celebrity, some fighting to hold my hand.
Along the way they picked wildflowers and something resembling pampas grass
that they proudly presented to me. The walk was very scenic.  Some Chinese
men lounged on the river bank holding bamboo fishing poles.  A woman in a
small boat glided past us soundlessly as she poled her way upstream.

We walked for a couple of kilometres to a picnic area.  There, many people
were barbecuing food.  Immediately, I was an object of curiosity. Some
university students eagerly introduced themselves and asked if they could
have their photo taken with me.  I obliged. They asked me questions (their
English was very good!) and one very polite young man, an engineering
student, presented me with two small baked yams, still warm from the fire.  He
wanted a photo with just me and him in it and told me he hoped he would meet
me again.  Then, it was time to return to the orphanage for lunch.  I held a
huge bouquet in one hand and two yams in the other.

On the way back, we stopped at a small house where a basin of live river
crabs sat outside the door.  The children crowded round it so of course, I
had to take a look too. The Chinese woman there was very friendly and
gestured to me to come inside.  She took out two platters – one with tiny
cooked shrimp less than an inch long and another with some small cooked
fish.  I hesitated before eating one tiny shrimp and politely declined the
fish.  "Bu yao xie xie (No thank you)," I said. I feel I need exercise some
caution so that I don't get sick.
When we returned to the orphanage, I saw the cook washing cabbage leaves in
the irrigation ditch.  Not only is the river water used to wash clothes,
mops and dishes, it is used to rinse the vegetables before cooking them.  The
dishes are sterilized and the vegetables are cooked so I suppose that's
okay; it just takes a little while to get used to the idea.  Later, I saw
people from the village washing their hair and clothes and taking buckets of
water away to water their crops outside the gate.
*****

-- 
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away
from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover.

Mark Twain

Pingguo China 2008 photos can be viewed at
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/Pingguo#



-- 
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away
from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover.

Mark Twain

Pingguo China 2008 photos can be viewed at
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/Pingguo#