Thursday, November 16, 2006

This is Joe writing because my mom thought we (the kids) should write today.

We didn’t do a whole lot today because we had nothing scheduled. Kegan and I slept in so late we almost missed breakfast, and Toby didn’t wake up until breakfast was over. Kegan and I then went out to play Frisbee and got a few stares from the local children. Then we walked around and bought some souvenirs from China. A little later we went down to the Swan Room and played with Katie for a while. Then we got some food from the Delistore (yes, I spelled it right) and took it back to the hotel room to eat.

I think my mom wants us to talk about how we feel about China and what we like or dislike about it. I think China is a place that I might want to take a vacation to, but I would never ever even think about moving here. It’s really dirty (sometimes you can’t even see the sky) and the food is not that great (scorpion, turtle, millipedes, frogs, etc.). There are tons of people here, and they’re all rude and only think about themselves. Also, they’re bad drivers. But there are some good parts, too. Stuff is cheap and I like to bargain down the price. There is a lot of fun stuff to do and lots of different types of food to eat as well. My favorite part of our trip was going to the Beijing duck restaurant and meeting our friends. I guess China’s kind of cool, but I’m really looking forward to going home (not the plane ride, though). Here’s Kegan:

Well today was okay. This is Kegan writing now by the way. We didn’t have any appointments so we pretty much lounged around today. I really like China so it’s too bad that we have to go home soon. The streets are really clean with almost no litter at all and the people are very friendly. Almost no one is fat or obese because everyone exercises every day, or plays games like hacky sack or badminton (the hacky sacks that they use are pretty much pieces of really light sheet metal scraps attached to feathers, so they look like large shuttlecocks, much like the kind that you use in badminton). My dad and I have become pretty good at badminton and play a lot, but unfortunately people don’t really play badminton at home.

Another cool thing about China is that things are cheap. There are good knives and swords, and they only cost maybe 15 American dollars apiece. Everything is very cheap here (cheap in the monetary sense) and is really cool. The places we go are beautiful and it’s great to learn about Chinese culture. However, one thing that bothers me here is the pollution. Sometimes you can’t see out of a window because the smog is so bad, and don’t even get me started about the plumbing. Here in the hotel, its okay, but outdoors? Gross. To wrap it all up, I’m not very excited about leaving. The break off school was nice, and I’m not thrilled about getting on another 13+ hour plane ride. So basically, I’ve really liked my trip in China. I hope I can come back here someday. Now here’s Toby.

This is Toby, and I want to say there is not enough film in the world to capture all the amazing things I’ve seen these past few weeks. Everywhere I look I see something incredible, from the scenery, to the buildings, to my adorable new baby sister, Katie. I could definitely stay here another week or two. The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and all the other places I’ve been to have kind of made me jealous. Not that the United States isn’t good enough, It’s just that I’ve never seen a better view in the U.S.

I really have had a great time in China, and I would be more than happy to come back when I’m older. This is Toby signing off.

Katie here: Go Blue, beat OSU! (she said that VERY clearly at the breakfast table!)

It’s Kelly now, and I won’t say much, because the kids have said it all. I don’t agree with everything they said, but I didn’t censor or correct any of their writings (for example, Joe thinks the local people are “all rude”, but I have met some very delightful people who didn’t seem to be). I hope you enjoyed reading my boys’ take on our trip.

For those of you who have expressed concern, baby Emme is not much better, and is being held in ICU at a local hospital. She’s very sick with pneumonia, and her parents are having, understandably, a difficult time. Emme’s hospitalization may delay her family’s departure from China. Please continue to pray for Emme, parents Mike & Bianca, and big sister Amelia.