This week has been the week of heaven and hell to say the least (don’t worry; I’m not on my pulpit). Of course, it started with a great win by our beloved Tigers! Can I get an M-I-Z…… I did however neglect to update that blog post. While ESPN is still my savior, it really needs to work on its timing. With 3 minutes left in the game, the screen stops. No more feed. You don’t even want to know the words that came out of my mouth (let’s put it this way, it’s the alternate ending to the above chant). So, I relied on my backup savior, KFNS radio online. Always good to have two saviors, don’t you think? Hehehe. Beware of false idols, or something like that.
Anyways, off that kick. Afterward, I met up with Shawna, one of the Renmin volunteers who has been helping us through our stay. Though she’s an economics student, I think we’ll turn her into a journalist yet. She’s constantly asked to write things for her school about us, and decided the other day she’d like to write an article about how the US presidential election will affect China’s economy. I’m so proud. On a side note, I think the Obama campaign should try to get every Chinese person registered to vote. He’d win by a landslide, and the people here seem more informed about the issues that those in the States to whom it directly matters. Go figure! 
We decided to head to the Fragrant Hills, a place on the northwest side of town famous for its scenic views. I knew we had chosen wisely when just the sights from the taxi were breathtaking. Hidden among the outskirts of the mountains, the small "Park of Tranquility and Pleasure" holds treasures of both the natural and manmade varieties. Magnificently decorated Buddhist and Lama temples and more modern attractions (eateries, a hotel, massage parlors, tourist shops) nestle into the mountainside and give a panoramic rivaled only by those of the Great Wall. The name can be slightly misleading, since the hills are probably less fragrant than the adjacent city. On the top of a hillside rests two stones that look like huge incense burners – hence the name "fragrant." Personally, I was just happy it didn’t have the million city smells.
We only traveled half a mile up, for we got there late and were afraid of the park closing. If we had wanted to travel another mile both ways, we probably could have seen all of Beijing from the tallest peak (or we could have paid for a sky-lift, but I wasn’t touching those). The views look out over the mountains to one side and the large city to the other. Simply awe-inspiring at sunset, though unfortunately because of the harsh shadows, I couldn’t get a clear 360 panoramic to share. It’s the kind of place to just breathe in deep and enjoy, thanking the heavens for such a wonderful gift. I definitely did. 
The next day I decided to keep up my spiritual adventure and visit the Temple of Heaven. It was one of the places talked about in every book, so I figured I might as well go once. The surrounding park was full of locals exercising in unique ways, dancing, playing instruments, or just taking in the atmosphere. The temple itself is like a large rotunda, filled with furniture and icons for the emperor who built it. Dozens of stone calf sculptures line the walls, apparently a symbol of sacrifice and good fortune. While not quite as impressive as the literature made it out to be (that might be because I didn’t have a guide to tell me what things meant), I did stumble upon an amusing bit of déjà vu. My family will remember walking into the Parthenon right before a choir from Texas filled the air with glorious song. Well, after the temple, I ventured to the Echo Wall just before a community group (and anyone else who wanted to join in) crooned chants from previous dynasties. Talk about timing.
A man writing with water, good exercise and he practices his caligraphy :) -->
<-- I don't remember her in the Olympics 
I was also able to go one more time to the Great Wall, this time to a lesser visited portion called Mutianyu. To get up to the base however, you can probably walk, but it’s more fun (I’m told) to take a chairlift. My fear of heights didn’t help while several hundred feet above the ground, but I survived and even got photos to prove it. hehehe. The skies weren’t quite as clear as the first day, but the haze seemed to add to the effect as we conquered the long, long pathways up and down. And, to end the trip and add a little more fun, we too sleds down the mountain. :)
<-- They neglected to tell us Number 1 before we bought the tickets. Photos of the wall itself can be seen on the Panos page.
Work started again on the fourth. I have to admit. At first, I think most of us were a little disappointed we didn’t get to leave with the others (or rather, we were a little mad at ourselves for volunteering the extra time). It already had seemed like a long time, and we weren’t sure the benefits of our labor. Yet, after that first day back, all were completely satisfied with their choices.
It’s not that the athletes during the Olympics were rude. Just the contrary; they were always very nice. But you try having dozens of reporters hounding you after losing by two-tenths of a point. We’re like wolves sometimes, it’s true. And it always felt like they ‘had to’ give us statements instead of they ‘wanted to’. The Paralympic athletes, on the other hand, give some of the greatest quotes a reporter could ask for. Maybe it’s the difference between gymnastics (where you fail and you’re out) and wheelchair basketball (where you play several times during prelims before elimination). Maybe it’s the fact that they don’t have the entourage of journalists behind them, and relish being called by name (something we FQR try to memorize before the end of every match). Or maybe it’s just because each has such an individual drive and story behind them.
Take Sabrina Pettinicchi and David Durepos, a husband and wife pair on the Canadian basketball teams each striving for a third gold medal. Or Loraine Gonzales on the US team, who played regular ol’ basketball and dreamed of the Olympics before an accident changed her path. During rehab, she watched a past Paralympics and said, “This is what I have to do. This is what will make me an athlete again.” I talked to her after her first practice in the NIS, and she said when the curtains opened, she knew this is where the magic would happen.
Some were born to the wheelchair. Others’ lives changed toward it. But all have overcome so many hurdles and boundaries. And all have a story that I wish I could sing to the world (though you wouldn’t want me to with my bad voice, hehehe). It’s a shame the Paralympics aren’t covered more. I hear the US didn’t even get the Opening Ceremonies (I could be wrong, it could have been on some obscure channel). The acts completely rivaled August 8th and even surpassed it with emotion and feeling. Beijing doesn’t even get as much coverage as the previous events, but we still get enough to fill most of the day.
I mentioned this week was heaven and hell. The latter was due to the persistent rains and the onset of flu after our counterparts left. It was being passed around; everyone had gotten it. I just wish I could have taken a rain check. Totally not fun. Luckily Shawna came to my rescue with some amazing soup (still not sure what was in it, maybe don’t want to know all the ingredients) and in the morning I was feeling better. It’s still hanging around though, with fevers and stomach problems. Nothing I can’t work through. Hey, if this is where the magic will happen, then I’ll trust my divine trips did me some good.
