The other kind of travel and leisure blog
Finally a day when we could sleep in =) We woke up comfortably to the sun's rays and the increasingly loud sounds of the village. We gathered outside on the veranda for breakfast to discuss our plans for the day. Our breakfast consisted of a mixture of different hot dishes: rice porridge, scrambled eggs, spinach, steamed noodles with...
Today's workshop was about sex education. For us Germans, this was nothing new, since sex education already takes place in elementary school here. But for our Chinese exchange partners, this was all still uncharted territory. Not only because Asians hardly ever talk about sex, but also because Asians have a "face"/look and if someone with a disability has sex, then it is simply unimaginable....
A young lady with only one arm and one leg stood in front of us. She is a former GETCH student, her name was Miko and she would be leading today's workshop on "Independent Living". Many people don't even realize what a luxury that is in the first place. Because a person with disabilities may not be able to go to the bathroom by themselves (physically disabled) or someone may...
There's a woman sitting in front of you and she starts telling you that something is wrong with her daughter. That's how today's workshop started. Somehow the whole thing irritated us...is the woman serious or is it just an act? I think that was the question we were all asking ourselves.
Now it's finally time for the project to really take off! Our first week in China is all about facts, facts and more facts. It's about discovering new views, exchanging information with our exchange partners and comparing the different cultures. This morning we had our first workshop on the topic "communication".
The first morning in China. Do you know that feeling of waking up in another country, that different view when you open your eyes, the unusual smell? Such an exciting feeling, right? I love that, it gives me some “Oh-my-god-I-am-abroad-and-I-am-having-an-adventure”-Feeling.
It was already noon when we finally landed in China. I can't believe it, I flew more than 10 hours despite my wheelchair and now I have landed here in China. I would not have dreamed of this in my wildest dreams. With enough planning, flying with a handicap is possible!
O.M.G. is this really happening?! Today is the day where I will be flying as a ‘normal’ passenger for the first time after my stroke. Normal passenger? When I happened to have the stroke, I was transported while lying down on the plane (I was in Australia, so I had to get back to Germany somehow). Anyways, being dependent on a wheelchair and assistance, I never dared to dream of travelling – or even think about it. But here I am now, wanting to share my experiences with you and hoping that those will help and encourage you to travel too!
