DAYS 8-17 PART 4 - Lasting Memories

REMINDER: IF YOU ARE READING MY BLOG CHRONOLOGICALLY, YOU HAVE TO READ THE POSTS FROM THE LAST PAGES FIRST. 

Disclaimer: Read at your own discretion. I will make no excuses for writing in my own voice and point of view.

Previous Entry: DAYS 8-17 Part 3 - My Own Heart

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Please note that the parts officially relevant are titled: 

DAYS 8-17 Part 1 - Mission Begins 

DAYS 8-17 Part 2 - Getting Into The Groove

DAYS 8-17 Part 3 - My Own Heart

DAYS 8-17 Part 4 - Lasting Memories

Any blog entries before or after those 4 entries will not be relevant to your interests, as I will be blogging about other places and events.

DAYS 8-17 PART 4 - Lasting Memories

James 1:27

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Again, if you want to support IC...I mean the ORG through sponsoring one of the kids in their care, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with the right people.

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One rainy night, our team was invited by a very nice man to his 'house in the mound' for dinner. It felt like going to someone's basement, except there was no main floor!

(Below: The house)

(Above: The trek to his house was quite slippery in the rain. My shoes would get MUCH worse by the end of the night.
Below: Some ladies had to put their hands on the ground to prevent slipping!)

(Above: Just for laughs, I took a picture of this lady who had worn sandals. But when I was washing my shoes that night, I was thinking that she was the smart one.
Below: Another person's shoes the next morning...lol)

(Above and Below: But the meal was worth the effort! Not to mention that romantic ambience. (I think the power was out)).

***

Back to the kids...

More stories from my recollections:

-        Grubs, who doesn’t really associate with the other kids, came to me one day during class and sat on my lap. I rocked him up and down, and then moved his hands for dancing. He had a great time and then he leaned back and tried to get more love face to face. But I had to be careful not to let him get too close because he had too many self inflicted bumps, bruises on his head that looked scabby and red. See, Grubs tends to sit by the wall and then sometimes just decides to bang his own head against the wall. As a result, he hurts himself, cries, and then does it again as if he can’t believe it would hurt. He was one of the boys that really troubled me…mostly because I couldn’t understand his behavior, and also because I felt the pain when his head impacted the wall. Short of tying him down and not letting him move, I couldn’t think of a way to stop him from hurting himself (no, telling him to stop doesn’t work).

-        Another of the downs boys, Spits, got his nickname from his horrendous habit of spitting on people that displease him. He’s a very interesting fellow, and although he doesn’t talk, far more intelligent than the first impression he gives. I first noticed him when he first spit at Shadow for being by my side so much. I think he was jealous. Surprisingly, Shadow just wiped it off and ignored it like nothing happened. Then later in class, Spits glared at Shadow again in an angry manner for still being by me. It was tough and I wasn’t sure what to do at the time.

-        Another time, Spits finally got me alone in the playground and sat on my lap and leaned on my chest as I stroked his head. But he was quite a jealous type, as he kicked out at another boy who was coming to show me a plant he had picked, and threatened to spit at those who came too close. Interestingly enough, Shadow and Buddy avoided us when he was on me.

-        Spits also gave me some ‘mind blown’ moments. Once when he accidentally ran into the back of my leg, he quickly got up and tried to rub the area where he hit my leg as if to soothe it. Another time, he brought another of the downs boys to me. When I took Spits’ hand, he shook it off and instead offered me the hand of the other boy. He was trying to introduce me to the other kid! Finally, on another occasion, when we were taking just Prince and another boy on wheelchair out to town, he tried to join us by pretending to be the designated pusher. After one of us tried to take the wheelchair from him, he waved us off, trying to show that he was the one to push. Of course, we told him to go back to the room, but the fact that he tried to sneak out in such a manner…quite impressive. LOL

-        One day, I took Buddy for a walk, with the teachers strongly warning me to hold on to him because he can run away. So I walked around the Orphanage with Buddy, and told him not to cause me any trouble, which he nodded agreeably. He showed me where they showered, where the food was prepared, where they ate dinner, and where they washed their clothes. Then we walked up to the Toddler room where I introduced him to the youngest team member there, an English girl, and Buddy looked down shyly and smiled happily as she tried to say his name. Seriously cute moment for the both of them.

-        Shadow, one of the boys who kept asking me if I will come back the next day, asked me where I was going next. Without much thought, I said I was going to Korea. And then he said he wanted to come too. My heart sank cos I didn’t know what to say. Then he asked if I was going by plane. I said yeah…and he said he wanted to fly too. So, I tried to make him feel better by telling him how annoying flying was (yes, it’s annoying to me cos of the cramped quarters and length of time on your butt)…but he didn’t seem convinced. I’m a poor dissuader.

-        Monkey, who had put his head on my lap in a previous entry, had been coming up to me regularly, wanting love. Being that I was dragged around quite a bit by others, I did try to make some time for him. Sometimes I’ll warm his hands by rubbing them, and then hold him from behind looking down on his face from overhead…and he’ll smile and squeak happily. For some reason, that makes me very happy too.

-        One day I got Buddy, Shadow and an older boy extremely high by playing a tickling game with them. Since I knew pressure points from my Taekwondo days, I was able to target those points on them, resulting in a more intense tickle. And then I would break their guard by telling them, “Hey look! Jay Chou (a famous Chinese entertainer) is over there!” Then when they looked, I attacked. It’s funny how many times they fell for that. Once they stopped believing, I pointed to a cartoon character on tv and said, “Hey look…what’s that thing on his head?” They can’t help but look, and I attacked…Later, they tried it back on me, giggling deliriously. What have I taught them!!??

-        On another day, one of the office people was giving a tour of the facilities to local city folks, and when they reached the Older Boys room, the guide told these Chinese guests that this was where all the older boys hung out. So these two middle aged Chinese ladies were looking through the open window at these curious kids running up to them, and saw that some of the boys were older (we have a couple of guys in their 20’s). Now the teachers usually wore track suits, while we wore normal clothes like t-shirt and shorts, so when I came walking up with the rest of the kids, the ladies’ eyes nearly popped out. The tour guide had to quickly explain that I had come to volunteer and play with the kids, while I shook their hands and gave them the most charming smile I could muster. But just imagining what they must have thought when they first saw me approaching cracks me up even today! (If you don't know, I'm about 6'2.5" and kinda monstrous compared to the kids)

***

I have more stories of course, but I think I’ve given enough of a sample of my life for those two weeks. Plus these entries are without pictures of the main subjects so I have to be considerate of those who find reading just words tedious. LOL

On the final day when we had to go, I had a heavy heart and was really sad the whole afternoon. In fact, I actually could not stop the tears when it was time to go. I had to leave them quickly because I didn’t want the kids to see.

The two that were most upset about our leaving were probably Shadow and Buddy.

I had considered how coming into their lives and leaving again could exacerbate emotional issues with the kids.

But one of the team leaders said something I thought was wise.

She said, “It’s better for the kids to experience love and care, than none at all.”

And apparently, by having us around, the kids open up more easily to the next team and also to their teachers. So although the goodbyes were heartbreaking for many of us, it's great that they start learning to have hope for their futures. 

***

To continue this semi-food blog, here are a few more pictures of the food and the team.

(Above: After a happy meal, I did my usual thing. My roommate however, tried to be so cool. BLEH! LOL
Below: The happy meal I was speaking about. Hot Pot!)

(Above: On our final night, I had this at Pizza Hut in Beijing.
Below: Our last supper together for this trip! Thanks for the memories and friendship guys. Without everyone, I don't know how I could've made it through this as smoothly as I did.) 

This entry marks the end of the Mission Trip Report. I hope you enjoyed reading the last 4 entries, and I want to thank you for joining me on this emotional journey through memory lane.

Next up: Seoul!