Happy New Year to all. Chinese
New Year also known as Lunar New Year celebrations on the first full moon in
the northern hemisphere spring. Celebrated
worldwide now, they continue for 15 days with full moon rising again. Many traditions take place over the festivities. Wearing a red scarf will keep away evil
spirits and bad fortune. Giving of red
envelopes to family and friends gives them good luck and prosperity. Cairns had its own festive celebrations in
the city. With many people coming down
to celebrate all things Chinese. With a
little multiculturalism thrown in the mix.
May the year ahead bring you good health and fortune in the Year of the
Snake.
There is no other
way to put it but Friday at 1pm at camp always sux's. As the buses pull away, you wave goodbye amidst tears and smiles;
totally physically and emotionally drained.
Then you think back at the awesome week you've had and a smile starts
very slowly to come back. These kids are
never far from your thoughts, and their precious smiles. So when you explore the city of Kunming in
the afternoon and evening, it's time to discover new hidden treasures, and time
old traditions of this amazing culture.
In the back streets sits one of many tea houses. Welcomed with open arms we settled in to try
all the teas. Pretty much like a wine
tasting; although by all we tasted we would have been pretty much pickled, so
glad wasn't wine. Although would have
given it a good go, be un-Australian if I didn't! :)
By the time
Thursday comes around at camp, exhaustion slowly starts to creep in. Even though you try not to think about it
tomorrow is the day you say goodbye to these remarkable kids. When you see them smiling and laughing at all
the 'silly' things we do, you hope they carry that smile back with them and it
lasts for a while. The thing is you
really don't know. So Thursday at camp
is a big day to kick that exhaustion or whatever else ails you; keep smiling
and laughing and make the most of the couple of days you have left creating
happy memories. Let the rainbows shine.
It wouldn't be China
if you didn't see red lanterns. The
beauty they hold when at night the soft light glows down on the rainy streets,
says yep I'm in China. Back in Ancient
China they were developed to keep the open flames from blowing out, and burning
longer. Today they take on more a form
of symbolism of art. At festivals and
still homes today riddles appear on the lanterns for people to ignite the old
grey matter and figure out. Me, I think
I'd be there for a while!
First meet Rachel in
2010, that year at camp I had her younger sister Kate. One of the special and lucky things about
coming back to the same camp is to see how these kids grow. What happiness just a week at camp they hold
dear to their hearts, the smiles, love it brings. Yes,
I guess like many I thought what good does one week do? Believe me it makes a huge
transformation. Now having visited camp
three times, seeing first hand a difference this week makes to these kids is
amazing. Rachel's dream is to be a
doctor, and with her kind heart and many other plus' she will make an
incredible one. School and success are
so important to these kids, it certainly is a pressure pack to carry around.
Week two of Bring Me Hope
Summer Camp, and this week have two girls; Joy 17, and Rachel 14 and the amazing
translator Cam. This is beautiful Joy. She has had so many things happen in her life,
that you hope no one experiences ever. Sometimes,
unfortunately, it is the cards we get dealt and how we deal with them shine through
in the end. It's her second time at camp,
and she loves the happiness it brings to her, and memories created to look back
on. She dreams of being a Make-up Artist
and I believe that with the strength and determination of this beautiful girl she
will succeed against the odds.
