Reality checks...

Driving away from last years CDA Cares event, Tiffany and I were complaining about how bad our feet hurt and how tired we were. After a lot of whining we looked across the street to see a woman in a wheelchair, her legs were amputated below the knees. Ok God, I get it....just be happy you have feet that CAN hurt. It's those reality checks in life that keep me grounded and grateful for my life...even when things are difficult.
We did another CDA Cares just a few days after I got home from my trip to China and Japan. I had quite a few reality checks in China about being grateful. Then the weekend after I came home, more reality checks about the life I live.

Can you imagine being in your 40's...fighting and beating cancer 2 times...then told you have cancer again. You need to start treatment right away but need to have the infected teeth extracted first. You have a job but no dental insurance and make just enough money to survive but not enough for a $3,000 dental appointment. You come to terms that you may just not fight the cancer battle this time...all because you don't have the money to pay for it.
A single mom to 3 kids...she is in her 60's now and remarried. Worked her entire life...20 years at Chevron until her job was eliminated, then at United Airlines until they merged with another airline and her job was eliminated again. This time she retires, has medical insurance but no dental and not enough money to pay for your dental treatments. She gets free air flights for her and a family member for life. She gives this to her grandson who is going away to college so he can come home and visit as much as he wants. What a giving heart she has!

A man in his early 20's who was working full time and lost his job. He is trying to get in a union job at the docks but in the meantime he has a toothache and needs help but does not have enough money to pay for an extraction.
The woman that cries after her extractions are done...I think she's in pain but after her tears dry she says that they are tears of joy and she has the confidence to go on a job interview now. She will be getting a stayplate and she's going to get her smile back. These are just a few of hundreds of stories that come through the doors of the event.

Don't get me wrong though...not all the people that we help have great stories and you feel like butterflies and roses when you are done. I had my fair share of frustrating moments, but I choose to only remember the great success stories. Makes the 12 hour days, sore feet and hungry bellies so worth it.

I leave CDA Cares with a grateful heart and thankful for what I have and where I am in life. I feel selfish...I go into this event volunteering time...and leave with more than I came with.

Culture shock...amazing food...heated toliet seats and people I love...

Arrived at the terminal at the Narita, Tokyo airport...as I enter customs I see a camera and a sign that says, "health inspection area, we are taking your temperature with the camera." Say what?!?!?! How do they take your temperature with a camera???? Why is it when you see a sign like that you start to feel like you may have a temperature? A little panic set in...what if I am overheated from being on the plane...what if I do have a fever...will they tell me I can't go any further? That 30 seconds it took to walk through the health inspection caused 8,000 completely unrealistic scenarios to run through my head. Maybe it was just lack of normal food and sleep? Anyways, I made it through without incident. Then onto customs where they take your photo and fingerprints...again the 8,000 scenarios run through my head. I have never even had a speeding ticket but somehow being fingerprinted makes me think they will find something on me lol.

After using the bathrooms in China, I was afraid it would be the same here in Japan. As I walked into the restroom at the airport, I prepared myself for the dreaded squat toilets. Then it happened...I walked in the stall and saw the most beautiful site EVER! Not only was there a toilet seat, but a bidet, HEATED seats (yes you heard me right...and yes I spent a little extra time just sitting enjoying the moment) and sound machines for privacy. Can you say culture shock???? I had been depriving myself of food and water everyday to avoid bathrooms and now I am in Buckingham Palace. I was beyond excited!

I was so happy to see Randy, Christie and the kids. I have been wanting to give them ginormous hugs for so long! We head to the house, driving through Toyko and over the rainbow bridge. We saw Tokyo tower which looked like a replica oh the Eiffel Tower...it's all lite up for the night and the back drop of the city lights makes it a great view. 

Next morning we got up and headed out to lunch. We went to a noodle restaurant. When you walk in, you pick your meal and pay at a machine. The machine produces a ticket that you give to the waitress. I tried the egg fried rice. It came out in a round cast iron type skillet sizzling and the egg was still raw along the edges of the pan. The waitress pours the garlic source over and she instructs me to stir in the egg...which causes it took scramble and cook the eggs. It was the most delicious thing I have tasted. All the sudden I realize that Asian food in the States will never taste the same because it can't even come close to this moment. 

Traditions are so different here than China. I really went from one extreme to another. In China, the people are in a hurry, have no regard to personal space, are very loud and everything is so dirty. They drive on the same side of the road in America but they drive so agressivly. No one says hi when you pass by...they stare at me like I am a monster. People here in Japan are quiet...polite and reserved. Traffic drives on the opposite side of the road and the driving skills are very passive. I seriously feel like I am in a culture tornado. I went from a loud aggressive smelly environment to a clean beautiful calm one.
We spent the first day exploring the small towns around Randy and Christie's home. I love the small towns. There are cherry blossom trees everywhere. The houses are just as you imagine. The windows all long and narrow. There are a lot of shrines...and they all have fruit and flowers at the doorway.

Before they visit the shrine, they stop at the fountain to cleanse themselves. They wash their hands and mouth out.

 

Off to dinner...Randy's favorite food is Indian Curry....since I have never tried it...I was excited and nervous. The food was amazing. You get something called a Non it's like a pita but much larger. They butter the Non and you dip it in the curry. OMG. Seriously ridunkulicouslely goooooood! I am addicted to curry now. We totally over ate and walked it off at the mall. The malls are not just full of clothing stores but markets and pastry stores as well. It's all open...there are no doors separating the stores...they all run into each other. It's funny to see a pastry store and clothing store so close together. The sweets here are amazing. They decorate everything beautifully as well. No detail is left out. I may gain 20 pounds in a few days just in the sweets alone.

 
 Food coma...

This is the first time I have spent time with Aubrey and Austin. They are incredible kids. They both have HUGE hearts and are sweet, funny and great to be around. The kids are entertaining us by singing the songs from the movie Frozen...so sweet! I am so happy to be creating memories with great friends....and the adventures continue tomorrow.

Old china and rickshaw rides...

Last day in China...I am ready to leave. I am mostly tired of the smell and people staring at me relentlessly at this point. I have had so many positive experiences and lasting memories....but I have seen almost all that I wanted to see of China at this point. One more thing on the agenda. I wanted to ride a rickshaw in the old historic china. We arranged the tour with the hotel. We waited and waited...our driver never showed up. Then the sweetest thing happened. The bell hop pulled his car up front and said he would drive us to the spot to meet the tour. Ummmmm...ok great customer service. We hopped in his tiny two door car. I sat in the front where I realized I was sitting on what they must use as a car seat. It was a harness that we in America would use to carry our child on our chest to go on a hike....and that was the car seat. We spent the drive talking to him about China and his life here. I think I learned more in that drive with the bell hop than any tour. He was married with a two year old son. He worked at the hotel and his wife stayed at home with their son. He makes $300 per month at the hotel....$300 for 22 days a month of working. Mind blowing!!!!! He said he does not like living in the city because of the traffic and people. It's hard to live any better with the jobs that are available for him. The government jobs are the best...but you have to inherit those. If your parents worked for the government, you can get a job as well. However, if you are a common worker, then that's what your child will do when they grow up. Strange to think that opportunities are just not available like they are in America. We make the choice to go to school and become what we want. Their lives are pre programmed for them from birth. Made me feel humble and fortunate for the opportunities that I am exposed to.

After our bell hop dropped us off to the tour group we were off to the Bell Tower tour. Our tour guide, Victor, was full of personality and kinda nerdy. He walked so fast, at times I was afraid we lost him and then he would pop out from around the corner and smile his goofy smile. He made the experience so fun!                          The guy in the red coat...that's Victor!

 The steps up to the bell tower could not have been steeper. It felt like you were taking steps up to your knees. Once we reached the top you could see the entire city. There is a blanket of smog on the city...but almost makes it look mysterious and old. The bell tower is only used once a year on Chinese New Year. They ring it several times and can be heard throughout the entire city. The tower was built after they hoisted the bell to the top level, then they built the tower around the bell. It was enormous. It seems like everything in China is super sized. The bell was originally used to tell people when it was lunch time and time to leave work and go home. Sometimes I forget that watches and clocks were not always here! Can you imagine not knowing how long you have until you get to home for the day???? Then all the sudden the bell rings and a sigh of relief must rush over you.

 

 
 

 

Next up, another traditional Chinese tea ceremony. I am beginning to like the tradition of the ceremony...the calm of the tea lady....quiet environment and the slurping is a total bonus.
After the tea, we walk to the lake front...there are boats floating around and the cutest little boy gets my attention. He gets excited when he sees me...waving and giving me the peace sign. I took his picture and it seemed like he was craving more and more attention from me until he was completely out of sight.

Remember when I said it was dirty here, I got photographic PROOF. I watched a man get his mop, go to the dirty lake, dip the mop in and go mop his restaurant. Ummmmm...NASTY!

 

Time for the rickshaw ride around the lake and old China. Our guide rides his bike along side the rickshaw, as we ride through the alley ways. It seems to be a race to him...he wants to get ahead of all the other rickshaws...which makes the ride even more fun! It's a small seat, just enough for two people. You sit under a large red awning and he pedals so hard and fast that you wonder how large his leg muscles must be. He sped by the man made river with boats that look like you would imagine traditional Chinese boats to look. The weaping willow trees are reflecting against the lake...separated only by a perfectly painted white fence. The cabbie turned into the old China. This area is protected by the government now and can not be torn down. Parts of it are up to 400 years old. The buildings are showing the wear and tear but are mesmerizing. The brick work and stone streets...the narrow alley ways and old shop owners talking to each other along the front steps. Almost felt like we were there 400 years ago....everything still has that same feel.

 

 
 

They stopped at a home that we could tour. They explained how people lived back then...and how the family structure was. You walk through a main gate in the house and it leads to a courtyard. The courtyard is open at the top and completely surrounded by small buildings. The main house is always towards the back and that is where the elders in the family would sleep. To the right, all the boys would sleep and the left the girls. The front building was always used as a dining and study room. There would be an average of 30 people living in these small quarters at a time...usually four generations. This was before China implemented the one child rule, so families would grow and grow. We met the woman who now lives in this home...she gave us the history of the home and showed us all the beautiful artwork her father does for his work. It was incredibly beautiful and hearing her tell us about the home, knowing it's been in her family for generations was really interesting.

 
 

Last leg of the peddie cab ride had us passing by more beautiful architecture and real life China. On every corner, you see people cooking over coals in the front of their homes, laundry strung out to dry out their windows, old men smoking on their front steps and people on bikes in a hurry to get somewhere.

We caught our ride back to the hotel where we enjoyed one more cocktail before heading to the airport. Piña colada and breadsticks....I still think it's funny the combo of food and drinks that they provide is so odd.

Arrived at Beijing airport and was more than overwhelmed. It's a beautiful airport with thin pieces of metal covering the entire ceiling, making it look very open and elongated. I seriously think it may be the largest airport in the world...gotta google that one. It's so large that after going through the health inspection, customs and immigration I had to take a tram that took 15 minutes and the walk from E-1 to E-53 gated took another half an hour. Then they put you on a bus across the tarmack to load he plane the old school way...up the tall staircase on the runway. Saying my goodbyes to Amy who is headed home as I go on to visit my friends in Japan, was bittersweet. So happy to have this experience with her, yet so ready to see my friends in Japan and experience a whole different culture. Now sitting on the Air China plane, where I am the only white person and everything is in another language, listening to their version of Adele and Norah Jones songs....I am so ready Japan!