The kids and I had the opportunity to join a women's union outing last Monday. I received a call the week before from our contact here at the school asking if I wanted to accompany the local women's union to a migrant worker children's school. I didn't really understand what we would be doing but the kids could come and it was a day out, so I agreed.

We were provided with an English speaking translator to bring with us. A tour bus picked us up and we drove about 30 minutes north of downtown Suzhou. The drive was very beautiful in a more rural area of the city. We pulled into a small town and the bus stopped in a courtyard, which we barely made it into. We scraped a few trees coming in…

Getting off the bus we saw all the school children sitting patiently at their desks which had been moved outside for the special occasion. I learned soon after that this was a school for disabled migrant workers children. It was a government funded school with a few very invested teachers and about 30-40 children. The kids don't get many visitors, family or otherwise and thus were very happy to see us. We were greeted with Santa hats, warm smiles, and a dance they all did for us to some music with pom-poms. When they were done dancing, they sat, and we all passed out presents to each of them. Then we proceeded to play some arranged games with them. Mostly racing games, as they seemed to really enjoy these, followed by crafts and more dancing. They had such warm personalities and it melted my heart to see them, look into their eyes, and share this experience, which for them was quite a treat.

We stayed with them for a few hours before loading back onto the bus and heading to a hotel for lunch. They had a really nice and giant meal prepared for us. It was much like the wedding we attended back in October. Big round tables and food that just kept coming! These types of meals have become my favorite here in China. The simple pleasure of sitting down and sharing a meal with strangers, it's wonderful. It bridges the cultural gap when we all partake in sustenance, and friendly conversation. As usual the table was still full of food when we left. We had three kinds of soup, which were all delicious, whole duck, roast beef, yummy vegetable sides, dumplings, whole fish, seaweed salad, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember as there were so many dishes! I enjoyed every single thing they brought out. The kids are still getting used to these kinds of meals, and stick with things they recognize but they are getting better, one meal at a time.

They brought us back well fed, with gifts, and full hearts. It was a wonderful day and I hope to soon join the volunteering women of Suzhou again!