LRS Care: Camp Day 3 A Fieldtrip to Yellow River

More than simply providing medical treatment, TFISH believes compassionate patient care is essential to a healthy recovery! Hospitals can be tough for young patients, and TFISH staff provide activities for our patients after their heart surgery. Read more stories of Summer Camp Day 1; Day 2; Day 4; Day 5

On the third day of the Little Red Scarf Summer Camp, the originally shy campers became a lot more comfortable and began playing with each other. Everyday after breakfast,  our staff have our kids call their parents to tell them they are okay. We ask them to call in the mornings on purpose in order to prevent the children crying and being homesick. Today we planned a couple field trips for the kids. This is the first time we are going off-site since the beginning of the summer camp. Some of these kids have never been on a field trip before. All of the campers were extremely excited.

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Unfortunately, we also had some issues with our electricity and water that day. We were stressed out about how we would be able to shower and cook, but we were able to figure it out eventually. The lack of water and electricity did not dampen our spirits for our planned outing. We could not wait for this exciting event. 

Our first stop: Gansu Museum. We chose this place because we know that these children are all from rural areas and although they have had the opportunity to come to Lanzhou, they have not had a chance to visit an actual museum. They were so curious about everything.

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After we arrived, we  decided to eat lunch. Because today is our first outing and our American volunteers have just arrived, we went to get a special treat- beef noodle bowls. Unfortunately for Ms. Yun, when she left to take pictures of everyone else, the waitress took her bowl with unfinished beef noodles still in it. She did not even have a chance to try the soup when her bowl disappeared. It was a funny incident that made us all laugh. Luckily, Ms. Yun was able to get another bowl for lunch. 

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The beef bowl was so delicious that even before finishing the tour, the campers and teachers all became thirsty and began looking for water. Luckily, on the third floor of the museum there is free boiled water. We spent an entire hour resting and drinking water. The place was definitely free and had comfortable benches. The resting was also in preparation for the activity to come. 

The children were great.  Because we could not get a free guide for the tour of the museum, Ms. Yun became our substitute guide. Luckily, most of the artifacts in the museum have descriptions. Other exhibits include famous landmarks in Gansu. After touring the museum, the children and we walked to the Yellow River. The reason for this activity is twofold: first, we wanted the children to see the legendary Yellow River; second, we wanted the children to walk so Dr. Gan can see the change in the children with congenital heart disease after the surgery. In this group of children, everyone underwent surgery more than 2 years ago except for Hongyan, who was just discharged half a year ago. All the children walked nonstop in a fast pace for an hour. They passed even the adults. We were all hot and tired while the campers were still very active. We were so excited that they were all so healthy and in shape! The staff on the other hand, have all agreed they need to work out a little more!

Then we played some fun activities at the park. Our first game was the Eagle Catching Chicken game, in which there was a hen, played by the gentle, kind, and beautiful Ms. Guan, while the powerful Ms. Yun, of course, played the eagle. Dr. Gan and Yan from the US were tired so they watched the entire time. Long airplane rides can be very tiring. Hopefully the happy laughter of the children can make them feel more relaxed and less tired.
 
On the trip back in the afternoon, the children slept soundly on the bus. The teachers saw, commented, and laughed at the children’s sleeping poses. The children have such beautiful sleeping postures. Unfortunately, there were too many people on the bus so we could not take a picture. This scene can only remain in our memory.  We arrived at the office at 6 pm. The water and electricity was back, so we lined up to wash up and go to the restroom.  We ended the long day with a nice wonderful dinner. 

Translated and edited by EV Intern Allison Zhang