Burgers,Chicken Nuggets & Mud Feet! [Day 3]

-August 15, 2009-

It was an early rise today for the volunteers and organizers, for another big day was planned! Everyone was able to arrive right on time wide eyed and ready to make new friends. About a half hour after everyone's arrival, the Chengdu youths finally made their grand entrance with a full and happy stomach. After everyone was paired up, we went on the bus and ventured off to Whyte Avenue and the Farmer's Market. (I forgot it was Saturday too so I was wondering how this place could be open...)

The group headed through the Farmer's Market, sampling various foods and taking pictures of all the pretty stands, then journeyed outside towards the Fringe. Although we just skimmed past the Fringe, we still took many pictures and looked at all the various venues available on the posters. Then we headed along Whyte Ave and made a pit stop at Tim Horton's to show the Chengdu youths some Canadian 'cuisine' ; we bought donuts to share to feed the hungry travellers. It was so funny though, because while we were waiting outside, there were two older Chinese men grinning and pointing at the huge group of kids from inside of Tim Horton's. Once the youths saw them, they immediately ran to the window and began taking pictures of the men; it was although they were animals in a zoo behind a cage! It was truly a hilarious sight to see and behold!

After the good walk through Whyte, we all headed to McDonald's-which was a divine treat for the Chengdu youths and the ecstatic volunteers(ha-ha...). Lunch was definately a jolly good time full of mouthfuls of happiness(literally). The two Chengdu youth friends I sat with were such goofs. Everytime I took pictures, they would pose with their food or just gave me a very ludicrous smile! One time they began stuffing fries in each other's mouths and dipping them in ketchup and waiting for me to get pictures of what they had done! I couldn't believe what they were doing! Then, when everyone was eating and about to finish up, our table ended up with 39 chicken nuggets(4 boxes with one already eaten). It seemed like everyone was dropping off the extra boxes(of food) at our table becuase they insisted in either giving me 'gifts' , or feeding my hungry buddy! By the end of it, my buddy who was given all the food, couldn't finish it so he got a nice McDonald's bag to put it all in. He was so happy once we left the restaraunt! (At the end of the day he still had the nuggets; he told me it was going to be his midnight snack.)

Rolling out of the city, we migrated over to the Devonian Gardens to go look at plants and catch some frogs! First was the educational part of the trip; learning about the different animals in Edmonton and Alberta, seeing the plants native to Edmonton, plants not native to Edmonton, and observing the butterflies. Then was the fun part-FROG CATCHING! It was a truly amazing and unforgettable time. I think this was the highlight of the trip today! Everyone was circling around the pond and we were told not to go to close to the edge of the pond, for there was a chance of falling in. Even though this warning was heeded, one of the twin boys didn't fall into the pond, but instead began to sink in to the mud! At first no one really took note, but then from across the river someone started laughing and yelling and we all took note and noticed where she was pointing. It came to our attention that the little boy (from Chengdu) was stuck! All at once, laughter errupted from everyone and then the adults (with some of the youths) were helping the little boy out! He did pop out of the mud (evenutally-thanks to the supervisors), but his shoes still remained in the mud and his legs were covered! There was hoots of howling and rejoicing everyone! Also during this frog catching experience, one frog was caught and shown; however I was told another Chengdu youth caught a whole bunch and let them go!

After that exciting moment, we burned up the last of our energy in the maze at the gardens. Everyone was hyped up and we bascically ran into the maze as though it was a race! The race began when my dad blew the whistle; however he blew it so we could line up not run in! So he was mighty startled when a stampede of kids came his way! It was hilarious!

Returning to the bus after finding everyone in the maze, we bussed our way to city hall for a small refresher and photo-opps. Everyone looked bushed and hungry so we hurried along and went for supper. It seemed like even though we spent the whole day together, we all still had plenty to talk about! There was way more talk than chow down at our table!( I don't think the boy from McDonald's was the only one having a midnight snack!) At our table, we began clinking glasses together yelling "GAN BEI!" (or "CHEERS!" for you who don't speak mandarin). At that moment, the whole restaruant silenced because we were so loud, but we didn't mind and we continued with our conversations.(These guys know how to party!)

To finish the night off, we headed to the Royal Alberta Museum to watch the Alberta Chinese Orchestra play a lovely concert. We did arrive a little late from dinner, however they had seats reserved for all of us which was so sweet of them. The music and songs ranged from very lively and bold to very soft and gentle tunes that were like lullabys. Before we left thought, there was an awesome tribute to Michael Jackson which pumped up our energy! I know that some of the Chengdu youths were huge fans of Michael ever since they were in grade 4! I was astonished! I thought these kids were so hardcore because they told me their rooms were covered with his stuff (ie, pillow cases, posters, rugs, etc), and when they heard about his passing away, they were truly depressed about it. It's amazing how music can bring people that much closer together.

Everyone was exhausted once we returned to the hotel so we turned in early after mingling, and exchanged 'thank you!'s for the wonderful day. I can without a doubt say that the Chengdu Youths are enjoying themselves and are building very sturdy friendships with their Canadian buddies. The atmosphere in the room went from tense and nervous(from the first day) to relaxed and comfortable in just a few days. I think this experience is honestly making a difference in the Chengdu youths' lives and that of the volunteers as well; It's evident that there's an impact on more than one person's life through this event.