ENJOY!
So Far In China
9.15.2015
Wow! What a trip this has been so far! My flight was delayed in San Francisco so i ended up getting to the hotel at about 1:30 on Monday morning. We had to be ready to leave by 7:30 to go to the Shanghai orphanage. We had such a good day there! The children just never cease to amazing me. They are so innocent, so resilient! I think one of my favorite moments of the day was when Jack walked in and said, "Hello, my name is Jack!" He spoke excellent, articulate English thanks to having been in a foreign run foster home until recently, and was so much fun to visit with.
That evening we flew to Changsha. We got to the hotel there by about 11, but then my VPN wouldn't work and I had some other things to do and by the time everything was done it was 2 AM. Again, we had to leave the hotel by 8:10. Again, the day was full of seeing children who blew me away over and over. We saw so many matched children and it was such a pleasure to take gifts to them from their families and to get updates for their families! And we saw so many children whom we knew or recognized on some level.
We took the high speed train from Changsha to Yichun in the Jiangxi province last night. it was a little earlier night since I had everything that needed to be done all wrapped up by midnight. This morning we leave at 8 for the Yichun orphanage. I find myself getting excited all over again as I think of the children we will see there. The familiar little faces we will see, the new kids we will meet, it is always something that makes me excited.
Our time here will continue to be very busy, busier even than we normally are on these trips. I am borrowing Keely's computer to be able to do this post since mine will not connect to either VPN I have installed. Little things like that are very frustrating when your time is limited.
Over all I am doing so well! I feel (relatively) well. I thank God for this since I really did not know how it would be. I felt pretty bad going in to this trip and God has really given me the strength I need to not only make it through each day, but to be able to enjoy each day. It is such a gift!
That evening we flew to Changsha. We got to the hotel there by about 11, but then my VPN wouldn't work and I had some other things to do and by the time everything was done it was 2 AM. Again, we had to leave the hotel by 8:10. Again, the day was full of seeing children who blew me away over and over. We saw so many matched children and it was such a pleasure to take gifts to them from their families and to get updates for their families! And we saw so many children whom we knew or recognized on some level.
We took the high speed train from Changsha to Yichun in the Jiangxi province last night. it was a little earlier night since I had everything that needed to be done all wrapped up by midnight. This morning we leave at 8 for the Yichun orphanage. I find myself getting excited all over again as I think of the children we will see there. The familiar little faces we will see, the new kids we will meet, it is always something that makes me excited.
Our time here will continue to be very busy, busier even than we normally are on these trips. I am borrowing Keely's computer to be able to do this post since mine will not connect to either VPN I have installed. Little things like that are very frustrating when your time is limited.
Over all I am doing so well! I feel (relatively) well. I thank God for this since I really did not know how it would be. I felt pretty bad going in to this trip and God has really given me the strength I need to not only make it through each day, but to be able to enjoy each day. It is such a gift!
Signing Off
9.11.2015
I need to leave the house at about 4:00 tomorrow morning. When I am finished with this the computer is going in the bag and I will be completely packed.
I plan to post here as I can, but we will also be posting daily on the Superkids blog, and multiple time a day on the Gladney's Superkids Facebook page. You can also follow us on Periscope. Just download the free app to your apple or android device, search for Superkids, and follow us. We are planning to live stream videos to Periscope, which I think is pretty amazing! The videos will be available for 24 hours after we post them, so you can still watch them if you miss the live streaming.
I ask again for your prayers. Many, many miles will be traveled! Many, many children will be seen! Please just cover the whole trip in prayer for us! Thank you all!
Next stop: Shanghai!
I plan to post here as I can, but we will also be posting daily on the Superkids blog, and multiple time a day on the Gladney's Superkids Facebook page. You can also follow us on Periscope. Just download the free app to your apple or android device, search for Superkids, and follow us. We are planning to live stream videos to Periscope, which I think is pretty amazing! The videos will be available for 24 hours after we post them, so you can still watch them if you miss the live streaming.
I ask again for your prayers. Many, many miles will be traveled! Many, many children will be seen! Please just cover the whole trip in prayer for us! Thank you all!
Next stop: Shanghai!
Travel Tips
9.10.2015
In two days I'm headed to China. As I've traveled back and forth I've learned a few things about what makes traveling easier. Here are a few of my favorite tips:
1. Travel as lightly as possible. This is a bit of a joke for me since I am normally doing things like hauling a bunch of donations with me. But I still try to pack as lightly as I can. I take a few basic outfits that can mix and match to provide a bit of variety. I try to take fast drying clothes so that I can wash them out in the hotel rooms and they will dry over night.
2. Look at travel time as your vacation time. I love the 13+ hour flight. I just sit there and read or watch a movie while someone brings me drinks and food. They bring me coffee and tea and blankets if I'm chilly. I mean, that is pretty much my dream day! As soon as I get to my seat I settle in. I get out my pillow, take off my shoes, make sure my snacks are easy to access, and pull out my book. It is blissful as long as you are looking at it as a vacation in and of itself!
3. Be flexible. It just isn't all going to happen according to plan. You, and your traveling companions, will be so much happier if you understand this and don't get too upset over changes and delays.
4. Don't let jetlag get the best of you. Get on the local time as quickly as possible. I take melatonin to help me go to sleep when it is bed time. We are always busy all day, so naps aren't really an option. That is really helpful.
5. Take a few comfort items from home. I take chocolate and coffee. I could live without them for 2 weeks, but it helps to have them when I'm feeling stressed and exhausted.
6. Have a plan for communicating with people at home. It might not always work like you want it to, but have a plan. We use FaceTime or WeChat. Most of the time we are able to speak at least once a day. It makes the trip so much easier to be able to stay in touch.
7. Enjoy the experience. Embrace the differences. Cultural differences can be intimidating, but don't spend your time pining for the familiar. Try the food, learn a few words of greeting, step out of your comfort zone. You won't regret it.
1. Travel as lightly as possible. This is a bit of a joke for me since I am normally doing things like hauling a bunch of donations with me. But I still try to pack as lightly as I can. I take a few basic outfits that can mix and match to provide a bit of variety. I try to take fast drying clothes so that I can wash them out in the hotel rooms and they will dry over night.
2. Look at travel time as your vacation time. I love the 13+ hour flight. I just sit there and read or watch a movie while someone brings me drinks and food. They bring me coffee and tea and blankets if I'm chilly. I mean, that is pretty much my dream day! As soon as I get to my seat I settle in. I get out my pillow, take off my shoes, make sure my snacks are easy to access, and pull out my book. It is blissful as long as you are looking at it as a vacation in and of itself!
3. Be flexible. It just isn't all going to happen according to plan. You, and your traveling companions, will be so much happier if you understand this and don't get too upset over changes and delays.
4. Don't let jetlag get the best of you. Get on the local time as quickly as possible. I take melatonin to help me go to sleep when it is bed time. We are always busy all day, so naps aren't really an option. That is really helpful.
5. Take a few comfort items from home. I take chocolate and coffee. I could live without them for 2 weeks, but it helps to have them when I'm feeling stressed and exhausted.
6. Have a plan for communicating with people at home. It might not always work like you want it to, but have a plan. We use FaceTime or WeChat. Most of the time we are able to speak at least once a day. It makes the trip so much easier to be able to stay in touch.
7. Enjoy the experience. Embrace the differences. Cultural differences can be intimidating, but don't spend your time pining for the familiar. Try the food, learn a few words of greeting, step out of your comfort zone. You won't regret it.
Oh The Cuteness!!
9.07.2015
On Tuesday we went to the beach with my friend and her daughter. It was fun, and lovely, and totally exhausting.
Yesterday I had two photo shoots. First with my little twin nephews, Lawson and Logan, who are now three months old.
Then I met a friend and we went to shoot photos of children playing on swing sets for advertising purposes. Oh my! We had some of the cutest little models! As I was sorting through photos today I pretty much hit cuteness overload!
Um, yeah. What did I tell you? Cuteness overload right there.
Yesterday I had two photo shoots. First with my little twin nephews, Lawson and Logan, who are now three months old.
Then I met a friend and we went to shoot photos of children playing on swing sets for advertising purposes. Oh my! We had some of the cutest little models! As I was sorting through photos today I pretty much hit cuteness overload!
Um, yeah. What did I tell you? Cuteness overload right there.
Today Was the Day!
9.04.2015
Today was our first Classical Conversations community day! It was a fun day for everyone. I sat in Freeland's Foundations class this morning. I watched as the learned about the fertile crescent, prepositions, the parts of a bean seed, and other things. I can't wait to see how much they learn this year!
I will be in different classes each week since I have students in each level. So I will get to see how it is done in each of their classes.
The boys are also in the Essentials class in the afternoon. I'm excited about this class as it takes them deeper into sentence structure and creative writing (among other things)!
All the way home Annika kept talking about her friend. I asked her what her friend's name was, but she did not know! I guess we have plenty of time to learn names, right?
It was a good day and I'm looking forward to tackling the assignments this coming week. Let the "Timeline" roll on!
I will be in different classes each week since I have students in each level. So I will get to see how it is done in each of their classes.
The boys are also in the Essentials class in the afternoon. I'm excited about this class as it takes them deeper into sentence structure and creative writing (among other things)!
All the way home Annika kept talking about her friend. I asked her what her friend's name was, but she did not know! I guess we have plenty of time to learn names, right?
It was a good day and I'm looking forward to tackling the assignments this coming week. Let the "Timeline" roll on!
This Week...
8.27.2015
Over the weekend my parents were here. I love spending time with them, but I think I enjoy watching my children love spending time with them even more!
We went to the creek, roasted marshmallows, had a picnic at the park, and walked through the Ephrata Cloister. It was fun and relaxed. We were, as always, sad to see them leave. Their time with us is always too short!
This week has been busy with getting ready for school to start in earnest. Eliana and Annika have started their basic subjects, but next week everyone starts with their full curriculum load.
We also got to babysit these cuties and their two big brothers one evening.
Donations have started arriving for my upcoming trip to China. It always amazes me how many people give so willingly! I pulled out my big suitcase this morning and started packing donations! With just over two weeks to departure it is time to start packing!
I finally sent my visa application off yesterday. I'm cutting it a little close this time! I'm applying for a 10 year visa, so hopefully I won't need to worry about this process again until 2025! :)
We went to the creek, roasted marshmallows, had a picnic at the park, and walked through the Ephrata Cloister. It was fun and relaxed. We were, as always, sad to see them leave. Their time with us is always too short!
This week has been busy with getting ready for school to start in earnest. Eliana and Annika have started their basic subjects, but next week everyone starts with their full curriculum load.
We also got to babysit these cuties and their two big brothers one evening.
Donations have started arriving for my upcoming trip to China. It always amazes me how many people give so willingly! I pulled out my big suitcase this morning and started packing donations! With just over two weeks to departure it is time to start packing!
I finally sent my visa application off yesterday. I'm cutting it a little close this time! I'm applying for a 10 year visa, so hopefully I won't need to worry about this process again until 2025! :)
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