Saturday/Sunday

WOW! WOW WOW WOW.
This weekend was AMAZING!!

Saturday, we left early (7:45a) to head to the Great Wall of China. There are times here that it still seems unreal that we're in China. Like maybe we're just in Chinatown or something, but standing at the base of the GREAT WALL was such an awesome moment. Like, here it is. This is IT. I've seen pictures...I've heard about it. But it's sooo awesome in person! There were steep steps up, up, up, up, up to each battlement. They were uneven so it was hard to step when they were about 8 inches deep steps and each one was somewhere between 6"-1' tall. It was just so awesome to stop and look back at how far I'd climbed and think about the soldiers that were stationed here so many years ago. It's a totally modern view all around the Wall now... parking lots, roads, a train, etc. But thinking about what it must have been like, late at night walking up and down those steps...all I can say is wow. When I climbed down I met up with some other people in our group and we played cards at a table between some other Chinese families playing cards. Our game was a lot more noisy (and annoying, I'm sure) so we caused a scene and gathered a crowd as we played. It was just fun to relax and let out muscles calm down while we hung out by the Great Wall.

Our bus ride back to campus was very quiet while everyone slept, exhausted from getting up early and climbing so much. We were all glad to get back and rest before deciding what to do with the rest of our day.

Around 5:30, a group knocked on the door and announced that they were going to the Paralympics if we'd like to go. So ten of us headed off with a map of the Chinese subway system to play our luck again. This is when my subway experience really paid off and the group kind of followed me as I tried to explain how it all worked. Around 6:30 we got off the subway with another mile-ish walk ahead of us to the Bird's Nest, and we were all just so excited. It was all lit up and we could see the Water Cube changing colors from far away. I think all of us were just so excited to be there that we here silly hyper. We tried to find tickets with some scalpers outside, but with a group of ten, we had kind of come to terms that we weren't going in to the games, but we'd get close enough to take cool pictures and say we'd been there. After about an hour or so of walking around and taking pictures we decided to head back. 4 people in our group decided they were tired and would rather pay for a taxi than change subway trains 3 times again. We hailed them a cab and headed toward the subway. Immediately after they got in the taxi a man walked up and asked if we wanted tickets to the games. He had 6 tickets for that night. We bargained with him for a while and ended up agreeing to pay $1100yuan for his 6 tickets. NOW we were excited!!

We ran to the entrance and skipped and jumped all through the security checkpoint and took off for the Bird's Nest. It was about 8:30 at this point and the games end at 9:30, but we didn't care... we were going to be IN the Bird's Nest DURING the Paralympics. THAT is a definite once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Our tickets were general admission, so we went in and sat in row 12 and cheered for the Men's and Women's 800M wheelchair races. For Men we cheered for Mexico because USA wasn't in the race. Then for Women we cheered for USA, but they were qualifying races, so we were glad to see a couple of our girls make it in. We watched several medal ceremonies and just imagined the feeling that would be... Your own national anthem playing for you. What pride that would be. After the games we got stuck taking pictures with Chinese people for about 30 minutes, but it was fun. We took lots of pictures with the torch and the field and all that. SO COOL! Then we headed outside and took a bunch of pictures by the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. Staring at the Water Cube, I so wish Kathleen could have been there. We couldn't go inside, but the outside was just so beautiful. I took pictures and video, so I'll show you when I get home.

Wow... I knew we did a lot, but yes, that was only Saturday. We woke up to go to the Great Wall and ended our day going to the Paralympics. :) I'm having the time of my life!!


Okay, Sunday...today... we left earlier (6:30a) to go to the Three-Self Church, which are the registered churches in China and are a cross of Catholic and protestant teachings. It was very interesting and fun to sing along. We were given headphones to listen to the English translation of everything going on. Women led most of the service, and there was a choir to sing a couple songs, but most was done by the entire congregation. Oh! One thing that I thought was cool was that the hour before service starts they have time to practice the songs that they will be singing that day in service. It was interesting to watch and see how many people came that early just to sing. After the Three-Self Church we went to a house church held in a restaurant. That was much smaller and held by the missionaries that we worked with on Friday night. It was really cool to see some of the people that we only just made contact with on Friday at English corner come to church today! For my birthday, Jean gave me a few Bibles, one of which is bilingual - Chinese/English, so I took it with me today with the intention to give it to someone. The lady that I was sitting next to at the house church today was one that we first met Friday, and I offered it to her to use during church. She loved it, and after church I gave it to her. She refused to take it about 3 times, but I explained that I had brought it to give away to someone that I knew could use it, and she didn't know what to say. She offered to pay me for it, but I told her it was a gift to me, and it was a gift to her. That was probably one of my favorite moments of the trip so far. She loved it, and I told her that I hoped it helped her to learn English. I wrote my email address inside it for her also in case she ever wanted to keep in contact later or had any questions ever.

I talked to the missionaries today and realized that they are...Gary and Danita Jackson! I asked them if they knew my aunt and uncle, and Gary said "Yeah...he does my taxes!" :) We had fun chatting about home, and Gary said for me to tell EB, "Hi, and thanks for the great ministry he does." They are really awesome people and let some of us crash at their apartment and took others of us shopping for souvenirs (and to a Western Store that has wonderful things like Dr. Pepper) for the day until tonight when we went to see Chinese Acrobatics.

I'd write more, but really...my roommates are waiting to use the computer and there's not much more to say about the acrobatics without being there. They were awesome like I expected, and I'll show you all pictures later.

I love you all, and miss you like crazy!!

XOXO -- Amy