Winter Study Tour in Beijing——Part 1

Tiananmen Square, the Bird's Nest, the National Museum... Many children dream of one day visiting these places that have left a profound mark on history. It’s winter vacation, so we decided to organize a study tour for a couple school-age children in the Savannah Project to come to Beijing.

This was our first time arranging to bring the children to Beijing, For the first trip, five children, who are currently in elementary school, came to Beijing. They are Joy, Samuel, Mia, Benjamin and Jacob. Teacher Feifei from the Savannah Project led the team to "escort" them safely to Beijing.

At noon on the 24th, the five children took the high-speed train to Beijing. Wearing new shoes and carrying new water bottles, they lined up neatly and boarded the train where the journey began. Before departure, several children shouted excitedly, "Beijing, we are coming!" The excitement was beyond words.

 

We had received letters from old friends, sponsors and new volunteers, who were willing to accompany the children during their study tour and serve as volunteers - they usually do not have time to visit the children in the project, or communicate with them, but now they can finally see the children face to face and express their love to them!

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In the afternoon, the children arrived at the train station. Before seeing them, we could hear them. Their laughter could be heard through two doors. Several boys rushed through the door first. They rushed to share their feelings about going away for the first time, their faces expressed such joy.

Children have a lot of energy. Even if they are tired from traveling, they will immediately regain their energy after a short rest. As soon as Jacob arrived, he discovered the toy box we had sorted out in advance. After that, he held a long sword and shield and began to explore around pretending to "be a hero".

 

After Joy and Mia looked around the house and played for a while, they went to the kitchen to help us make dumplings. In foster homes, the children learned many life skills and developed the habit of helping with housework. We believe that the foster mothers have contributed a lot.

 

After the dumplings were wrapped, Mia excitedly showed us what she had learned - reading fairy tale books. Then the children went outside to the courtyard to play hide and seek.

There are many delicacies on the table. Dumplings, vegetable and meat dishes, and orange juice... the children couldn't wait to sit down and enjoy the delicious dinner.

 

After dinner it was time to rest for the night and start the official journey tomorrow!

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Early in the morning on the 25th, the children started their first day of travel. We are taking the children to visit the National Museum of Natural History and Tiananmen Square. Several volunteers have arrived early to prepare to take the children to experience the customs and history of old Beijing!

 

Starting from the mysterious world of dinosaurs in ancient times, the children couldn’t help but marvel at the realistic dinosaur models, dinosaur fossils, and science videos. Touching here and there, looking here and there, every scene attracted them to stop and look.

Various mammal specimens from different continents were placed in display cabinets, and the volunteers explained them one by one to the children.

 

The magical African culture also attracted the children to stop. They were very curious about the customs and costumes displayed on the walls.

 

The last exhibit to visit was the plant exhibition hall, where plant specimens and videos from various centuries are displayed for everyone to study and discuss.

 

Next, we went to visit Tiananmen Square. The children were very excited when they walked through the numerous security checks, crossed the streets, and actually stood in Tiananmen Square. In the solemn environment, the children admired the soldiers who defended their homes and country. The children also visited the Monument to the People's Heroes and learned briefly about the heroes who made great contributions to China.

 

After walking around the square, the children’s stomachs were already growling with hunger. We took them to Dashilan to taste the traditional delicacy of old Beijing. The delicious food with many colors and flavors made us all salivate. The children tried Beijing's special delicacies and had a great time. 

 

The day's trip is over. On the way back, the children were so tired that they dozed off on the bus. Through observing the children on the first day, we also gained some experience - the museum exhibition hall was large with few resting places, so the children cannot rest, and it is quite physically demanding. When Jacob was young, he had surgery on his leg, so volunteers and the staff took turns carrying him. We also found that several children have active personalities, so we adjusted the rest of the itinerary. 

The first day was a success and the children all had a great time. Each child formed a good relationship with the volunteer who was responsible for taking care of them. This made us excited about the next day's itinerary. Looking forward to it with more confidence.

If you would like more information about helping the children please contact us.