Chapter 7: The First Week

Wen Shan is pretty awesome. Hands down!
This week has been pretty busy meeting a ton of people from the team and moving into the apartment. Today was the first full day I spent at the center I'll be working at this year. I talked with my team leaders about what this year will look like, and I'm really encouraged by the team that's supporting me. They care more than anything about the well-being of each team member, and make an effort to do as much team building as possible. So I feel very secure in knowing that I can be myself as I spend my time here.
We also talked a little bit about what I'll be doing with some of the kids at the center. They said I will work with Niu Niu, a 6 year old girl, and Hang Hang, a 4 year old boy. They both have autism, and Hang Hang has cerebral palsy on top of it. They need physical therapy as well as mental stimulation exercises. I may also be working a little bit with two other kids that have cerebral palsy, and they work mostly on physical therapy. I don't know yet what exactly my duties will be, but I shadowed around the center rustics a bit today and have a general idea of what I'll be doing.
I'm particularly excited to work with Hang Hang. He is just so precious... I don't really know what it is or why I'm so drawn to him. But I just see something there in him that is waiting to burst out. Every time I look at him I have a hard time looking away. I can feel my face brighten and my spirit uplifted when I see him... it's a little strange! Part of it is probably his cuteness, because he really is so adorable. But I think Gd has a strong claim over his life, and has amazing plans to use him. I'm really excited to see how he will grow while I'm here, and it certainly won't be because of anything I do or teach him. He's probably going to teach me things I could never learn from anyone else.
Another exciting thing that happened today... A guy attempted to pick pocket from my backpack while I was shopping for vegetables with my roommate. Thankfully I heard him open my zipper and turned around fast enough to make him go away. I decided to wear my backpack backwards so that it was in front of me. After he moved pretty far away, I watched him and this other guy pick pocket this woman. The guy cut open her bag and dug his hand in there, while the other guy walked by and snagged some cash or something out of it... They dug in her bag on and off for more than 5 minutes and she had no idea! So crazy... It's so subtle how one minute they look like they're just walking by and the next they're right behind you or next to you. I'm going to be much more careful about my stuff from now on...
Anyway, that's pretty much the news since last week. :) Next week is the beginning of vacation, so it'll be cool to spend more time with the team here. I'll also be returning to Kunming for a little while to do some vacationing, and also to attend a physical therapy training session.
I'll try to add pictures soon. I haven't had the chance to take any yet, but I'll make sure I do soon!
Later, gaters :)