China 4- Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace

We all laughed at the "Star-Rated Toilet". Perhaps it gets four stars for having Western-style amenities (as opposed to traditional, which we called "squatters")?
These panda hats were being hawked on the streets to susceptible tourists. We thought they were pretty funny. It certainly made staying with our group easier. We thought TJ would LOVE them; he cried when we put them on. Maybe next year.


Tiananmen Square, with Chairman Mao watching over all.
The famous marble boat at the Summer Palace
I love these lions. They guard the doors of Chinese homes, and keep evil from entering. The female is on the right left-facing side, the male on the right-facing side. Traditional Chinese homes also have a raised threshold. This is because they believe ghosts cannot step up; hence a raised threshold keeps any ghosts out.

It was really a great trip. But we sure were ready to see TJ! I missed him like gangbusters.

China 3-New Day Foster Home, and Shepherd's Field Foster Home

We spent some time visiting a couple of the foster homes where some of the children who were operated on live. The foster homes are orphanages, but a vast improvement over the state-run orphanages. They are homes for special-needs orphans, run by American organizations, and work closely with the various mission groups to provide the medical care the children need. We came armed with bubbles and other toys, and spent several hours playing with the kids. It was heartbreaking, and at the same time inspiring to meet the people who have dedicated their lives to helping the kids. They are truly angels.








Learn more at www.newdaycharities.org and www.ChinaOrphans.org
These are both excellent organizations. If you have someone on your Christmas list who already has everything, and whom you just don't know what to get, consider a donation in their name. Your money will mean so much more than another set of decorative bookends or a sweater they'll never wear.

China 2-Old Residential Beijing, Hutong

Since the Olympics came to Beijing, a smattering of English appears on street signs, store fronts, etc. But by and large we were wholly dependent on our guide to lead us. It's not at all like the other countries we've visited where we could look up an address in a book, read a map, read the bus schedule, and get where we wanted. Here we couldn't even read the address, the map, or anything else!
One of my favorite things we did was visit the old residential section of Beijing, the Hutong Villages. Located inside the First Ring Row of Beijing, it's a highly desirable area to live because of it's proximity to the city center. Walking the small narrow alley-ways (mostly navigated by the residents on bicycles) was a small glimpse of real life in China. We saw lots and lots of fish hanging out to dry. Yummy, huh?

Pretty, too.

Homes are built in clusters. They share a common gateway, or doorway from the "main" alley, which you pass through to enter a courtyard of sorts. As plumbing was invented well after the construction of the houses, they do not have bathrooms. Each cluster of houses now share a community bathroom, located in the central courtyard, so roughly 5 families per bathroom. This is probably one of the few times to be grateful for the One Child Act.

We ate a traditional Chinese meal (have I mentioned how FABULOUS the food is in China? Especially a home-cooked one?) with a family in the Hutong. This is our hostess, whose name I will not attempt to put into English letters, as I will surely get it terribly wrong. Notice that she is wearing her winter coat and scarf inside her home. There was no discernible difference between the indoor and outdoor temperature in all of the Hutong. This is because the government has mandated that the heat will not be turned on until November 15th, and it was November 12th. The ability to heat your own home: just one of the small freedoms of Democracy that isn't even recognized as such. Whether you love or hate our government and leaders, how much we take for granted.

The inner courtyard:

The Bell Tower. In ancient times, before clocks were common, the people relied of the keeper of the Bell Tower to tell time. The tower contained elaborate apparatus that told time precisely. The Tower keeper would bang of drum or bell depending upon the time of day. His was an incredibly important job, as it dictated the beginning and end of commerce, and the opening and closing of the city gates.



China is a country that leaves a deep impression. The reality of Communism and all of it's restraints is so foreign to my Western mind. The government controls everything, big and small. The control over information is astounding. The media is not free. The internet is highly restricted. Try to access common websites while in China, and it's like they don't even exist (Blogger and Facebook among them). The history of China as read in Western texts--particularly recent history--is very different from what Chinese children learn in school. If they are lucky enough to attend school. Public education is not free. I guess ours isn't either (taxes), but they actually pay tuition on top of their exorbitant taxes. So, like I said: Love our government or hate it, you have the right to complain about it, criticize it, heat your home, vote, buy a car, lead a rally, decide how many children you'd like, etc etc. There's just something about freedom.

China 1- The Great Wall, Olymipic Village

It snowed the day I arrived in China. Rob had already been there for a week operating; the team--Dr. Buckmiller and my Dr. Glade--repaired 20 cleft lips/palates 1 facial tumor. They all stayed to tour China and I met up with them. What great and amazing people they all are.

The Great Wall was beautiful, cold, and awesome in its scope.
Located in northern China, the Great Wall was built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century. The majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (15th Century).


From Wikipedia: "The Great Wall stretches along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has recently concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi). This is made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) of sections of actual wall, 359.7 km (223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers." Wow.



We were able to hike a long section of the Wall. It's easy to see why it's a Wonder of the World.
Olympic Village in Beijing:
The tower where the torch burned:
The Watercube, where Michael Phelps won his eight Olympic golds:
The Bird's Nest (my personal favorite):
And the track where Deena Kastor ran (inside the Bird's Nest):

Morrocan Chicken&Wild Rice Soup

So this post is not about China. But this is a good recipe.

Cinnamon and curry add a distinct and delicious zing to this savory winter soup.
Prep/Hands-on time: 15-20 mins. Cooking time: 60- 70 mins.

3 onions, cut into large pieces
3 Tbsp butter
3Tbsp flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp curry powder (Madras curry is best, but use whatever you have)
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
5 tsp chicken bullion, or to taste (or sub chicken broth for the water)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups mixed wild brown rices
1 parsnip, cut into fine pieces
7 cups water (I had to add quite alot extra to keep from burning-- keep an eye on it)
1 large sweet potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped celery, including the leaves at the top of the stalk

In a large soup pot, saute the onions and butter over medium heat about 5 minutes. Add the flour and spices, saute for about 2 minutes until the flour is just beginning to brown and the spices are aromatic. Add the canned tomatoes, water, bullion, rices and parsnip. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionaly. Add the sweet potato, chicken and celery. Continue simmering until rice is soft and chicken is cooked through. Serve with a crusty bread.

Home from China

Sorry for the lack of excitement on the blog lately. We are home from China, and I'll post as soon as the travel-haze clears from my brain a bit.

And we had a great time.

Skeletor and a Serving Wench