Fantastic First Days in China

Bridge China Update, right from March and Amy

We got to China safely! The group is doing really well. Everyone is highly motivated, and we’re all staying healthy by eating lots great food, getting plenty of exercise, and most importantly, getting good sleep every night. We have so much confidence in this group that we have already given many people the opportunity to lead activities. Sasha and Kayla have already performed exceptionally well as group navigators, leading the group from place to place. Everyone is having fun and learning new and exciting things. We’ve already been to the Great Wall and tried the famous Peking Duck! We (March and Amy) are so glad the kids on this trip are so wonderful! We can’t wait to see what the Chinese class will be like for them!

Kayla was the first person to take the position of group leader! She is a wonderful girl who loves to participate in all group activities. She gives 100% and the leaders can ask nothing more of her. She volunteered to play basketball with the boys against some tough competition. Although we lost our game, we won in spirit. She also worked hard to climb the 2900 plus stairs at the Great Wall. We were so happy that she never gave up and made it all the way to the top.

Sasha has a lot of natural leadership abilities. We can tell she loves to participate, and she is not afraid to get her hands dirty. This was evident when she coined the group mantra “go hard or go home”. She led the group through the creation of our full value contract, which can be described as a group-generated collection of ‘rules’ or ‘ideals’ for the trip—a group constitution, of sorts. She is always talking to someone. She is a sunny and positive girl who loves to have fun! Oh, did I forget to mention that she speaks a lot of Chinese?

Hannah is a very strong and opinionated person. We love it! She knows who she is and is not afraid to tell you what she thinks. We really appreciate her honesty. She also knows a bit of Chinese. Hannah puts in a lot of effort towards group activities and is a fun person to be around. She got everyone together to play cards last night, creating a wonderful group bonding session in the girl’s room. She is willing to talk to everyone, and is a wonderful person to be around.

Alexandra is such a sweet girl! Just about everything she says is funny. We love her quiet nature and we truly appreciate the sense of respect and intelligence she brings to the group. She is never rude or confrontational. She is simply cool and lovable. She is also a wonderful tournament ping pong player. March discovered this the hard way as he was handed the beat down of a life time by none other than Alexandra Lesieur.

Bryan is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He absolutely loves Coca-Cola, and eats everything we put in front of him. He is helpful and kind. He knows how to be himself, and he also knows how to make you feel comfortable around him. He has a wonderful smile and uses it often to express his happiness. Bryan loves soccer, and is really upset that both Brazil and Argentina were knocked out of that little tournament down in South Africa. Aside from that, he is having tons of fun and can’t wait for the next day to start.

Zack is very mature for his age. He’s a great person—he knows the leaders need everyone to pitch in, and he is not afraid to lend a helping hand. Mature, helpful, lovable...what more can we say? Zack likes to play basketball and is a great player. This was evident when he went one on four against the other team and scored! We need his magic both on and off the court. He is a great listener and he does not hold back one bit during group activities. We love his effort and we are genuinely glad he is on the trip. He went above and beyond the call of duty when the group did their first shopping trip, lugging more bags than anyone. Go Zack!