After my talk at the high school, my work in Bengbu was done. The students were dismissed, and the high school headmaster apologized for her passionate boy. “He’s ALWAYS like that,” she said with a smile. I too smiled, and said, “It’s really not a problem, I really enjoy people with a passion, especially young people.”
And with that, I heaved a big sigh. I had my entire trip planned out in great detail, and my next appointment was to travel to Nanjing early the next morning to catch a flight to Changchun , which was the next destination on my itinerary. I had the rest of the evening free, which was the greatest amount of free time I had had available, since landing in China over a week ago.
And while I would have loved to just sit back and relax in my really luxurious hotel, I knew I had to savor the time I had with the volunteers who had worked so hard for me, and for Packages of Hope. And not only savor the time with them, but thank them. They had done SO much work for Packages of Hope, amidst their busy lives. PLUS, they shadowed me during my entire stay, staying by my side constantly, attending to my every need, and translating everything for me. From paying for multiple meals, to making donations out of their own pockets, to asking favors from family (to provide cars, borrow cameras, or borrow money until I could wire them our donations), these people were true gems of friends.
So, I quickly dropped off some things at the hotel, and went off with Kerrie Suffolk (who had worked so hard to completely arrange all the school meetings), Sun Lele (who stayed by my side during my entire stay in Bengbu, from early morning to late at night, who had helped with all our donations to the orphanage, and communicating with the orphanage), and Steven Tao (who also stayed with me the entire time, served as video and cameraman, paid for meals, donated some of his own money to pay for gifts for Children’s Day on behalf of Packages of Hope, and sacrificed his time away from his beautiful and patient wife Amanda).
On the way to dinner, we saw a vendor selling puppies!
We went to the restaurant owned by Lei Cheng’s mother. It was delicious! Later that evening we strolled the bustling alleys of Bengbu , where I saw all sorts of delicious foods being prepared, including a typical “Chinese pancake”, which is semi-sweet, and is very thin. It’s almost like a hard crepe. (click here to see the video. )
By the way, if anyone is staying in Bengbu , I HIGHLY recommend the hotel I stayed in - The New Century Hotel - No. 1028 Huai River Road (Bengbu China - 233000). I believe it is classified as 4-star. It is very modern, the rooms are beautiful (although I stayed in a suite at a very discounted price), and hotel buffet on the top floor is delicious!
(A statue in a park in Bengbu)
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