Day Three - Shenyang

The hotel we're staying at informed us that there would be no cold drinks, but I was still really surprised when I sipped my boiling hot orange juice at breakfast. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good enough for me to drink since it reminded me of cold medicine. Other than that, breakfast was delicious! Once we were done, we gathered in the hallway to get our groups for the orphanage. I'm in group two with five really nice girls. I knew them before, but I got to connect more with them during our team bonding activities. We did activities like the human knot, two truths and a lie, and we even had a mini bracelet making party! It was so nice of them to help me make bracelets. We want to make enough for the seventy kids at the orphanage along with the twenty-seven girls on the trip. Even though bracelets are cool, the real fun begins with all of the goodies we bought the kids today. We went on a shopping spree at Walmart today and bought the kids so many fun toys along with some cleaning supplies.

 It was amusing to all of the locals by how many toys were were carrying around and purchasing! Once we got back to the hotel, we sorted it all out so it would be all organized when we brought it to the orphanage tomorrow! 

After that we got our arts and crafts prepped out for the kids. Then we were on our own for dinner; instead of walking a couple miles to the fast food joints, we decided to eat local Chinese food. There were tons of street vendors, but we decided to eat at a small restaurant. One of our friends, Alexis, knew how to speak a little Chinese, so we used what we had to make a guess on what we wanted to eat. Then we saw a the meal someone else ordered and decided to ask for some of that too. What we ended up getting ended up being a really tasty local meal. I'm a little worried about getting sick, but it's all part of the experience! Our meal ended up being 45 yuan which is equivalent to about 7 dollars per person between three people, which is really cheap for the amount of food we for. Even though you're not suppose to tip, we ended up giving her 50 yuan and it was completely amazing to see her light up when we insisted she keep the change which isn't even a full dollar in US currency. After seeing the happiness we brought to that lady just by being friendly, I cannot wait to see the amounts of joy we bring to the kids and how much joy they bring to us! 

Day Two - Great Wall of China, Beijing to Shenyang

Today I woke up to the sweet sound of my alarm clock at 6:00. Even though I would have liked to sleep in more, I was happy to see I slept through the whole night and was no longer jet lagged. I still fall asleep on the bus whenever we go places, but I'm also not alone. We checked out of the hotel after breakfast and loaded the bus to go to the Great Wall. I don't remember if it was the same place I hiked last time I was here, but it looked really similar. I saw the chain of locks there again which is said to be a symbol of someone's unbreakable love for another person. And then I hiked to the first two towers. It wasn't terrible hot today, but it was hot enough when I was climbing the steps. It's really hard to climb up because the steps aren't consistent with the height. There are some steps that are really short, normal, and then some that are so tall that my knees were reaching my chest to get up to the next one and the railing is the perfect height for only children. I stopped at the gift shop between the two towers to buy a water and cool off. After making it to the second tower, I decided to hike back down since we were meeting the group at a certain time. Instead of taking the stairs down, we took the newer, "easier" area. It cut off some of the time which we used to look throughout the gift shop, but it also cut off some stress on my knees going down all the uneven stairs. After that we ate lunch and then went to the train station to get on a bullet train to Shen Yang, which is the Provence that the orphanage is in. There were so many people waiting to get in and pushing to get in front of you, so it was fun having the experience of keeping your spot. It was different because you had to carry your luggage throughout the station and very rushed since it was a bullet train. After five hours, we made it to the Provence and had to rush off the train in four minutes before it started moving again. When we drove to the hotel, we found out that we didn't have reservations. We later on found out that the hotel were staying at was a little ways down the road. Once we checked in, everyone went to sleep but a couple friends and I went down to KFC. The lady at the desk told us it was only down the street, but we actually ended up walking a couple miles to it. It wasn't an argument when someone suggested to take a taxi back. It was crazy to see so many college students in there at midnight studying; it was like our Starbucks but there's one at every block too. All together, it was a great day being a tourist and exploring the Chinese train station. Tomorrow we get to sleep in and go shopping for the orphanage!

Day One - Touring Beijing

I woke up at three o'clock this morning and attempted to go running only to find out that the gym doesn't open until six. Since I missed my workout, I decided a good alternative was the local market and  I ended up leaving with a pair of knock off Nikes. Then I walked back for breakfast.

After breakfast we spent some time visiting the Temple of Heaven; I visited it the last time I was in China but it was still a fun seeing it all. It always blows my mind how healthy everyone is and seeing all of the elders out there dancing with each other.

Once we were finished touring, we rode bikes around the town and ate a locally cooked lunch in someone's house. I enjoyed getting a taste of culture through a household perspective.

After that we got to visit the CCAI building for adoption and talk to the director. It was very cool hearing him talk about the adoption process and how it is developing over the years. Because there are places you can drop off your kids for adoption, the number of abandoned children is decreasing. After that we went to a duck restaurant for dinner then returned to the hotel for free time. The exhaustion from being jet lagged is finally catching up to me! Hoping for a good nights rest tonight before our nonstop day tomorrow!

We made it

After a one hour flight to Detroit, a three hour lay over, and a twelve and a half hour flight, we finally made it to Beijing! The flights weren't bad at all, the plane had personal tvs with a lot of new movies. I'm surprised I haven't fallen asleep yet, other than a fifteen minute nap on the way to Detroit, but the excitement of meeting many new friends and traveling keeps me going. I met up with about ten other girls who live around Atlanta and Detroit, so I wasn't traveling alone. I did not get to sit with any of the girls on the way to Beijing though, but I had the experience to meet two college students who are going to China to teach kids English! My dinner that night consisted of airplane chicken, potatoes, salad, and a roll. Although the tray that it came on was cute, it was not my favorite chicken I've ever eaten but it wasn't bad. We ate two other meals on the plane; a sandwich and some pasta and then we landed in Beijing around 3:00 am the next morning, 3:00 pm China time, where we met up with our guide for just Beijing, Vivian. She drove us to the hotel where we met up with the rest of our group and I met my roommate. We formally met everyone on the trip and received a bag full of snacks and our tshirt which we were informed to wear three times on the trip. After that we were allowed to wonder around the streets near our hotel and so we ate dinner locally and then walked around then "Walmart." I'm already starting to connect well with some of the girls, but I still have a lot more to meet. Exhausted and excited!

My Story

Hello! My name is Jennifer Brandenburg and I am a rising senior at Carrollton High School. Although I have grown up in Carrollton, Georgia, my story begins in Hunan, China. When I was a baby I was found on the steps of a water wheel machine factory and brought to the local orphanage where my parents adopted me. I was adopted when I was fourteen months old and have lived in Georgia ever since. Three years ago, my mom and I had the experience of visiting China on a heritage tour. I got to visit my orphanage and meet my nanny and the director. I did not get to visit with my birth parents since I have no contact with them or any idea of who they might be. Some parents leave some food and a note with their babies with personal information attached like their name and birthday, but my mom did not leave anything but an unsolved puzzle. I got to visit some of the kids at my orphanage, but I did not have enough time to play with them. Seeing the kids for those few seconds was enough to make me want to go back and give them the personal attention that every kid deserves. I have been accepted to go back to China and work in a different orphanage for two weeks this summer which I actually leave for this morning! I am super excited to meet the kids and build relationships with them and to see how God opens my eyes and changes my heart through this experience. It is truly a trip of a lifetime!