Huiling--My Home in the Hutongs

So, other than teaching here at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, I also volunteer at an NGO. It's probably my favorite part of the week. Every Monday morning I wake up early, get on the SUPER crowded 810 bus, ride standing up crushed against people for about one hour (of course with my travel coffee cup cuddled close against me). After finally reaching my stop at GuGong I fall off the bus, take a deep breath (the cold air right now is really refreshing after that ride) and start on my 5 minute walk through the Hutongs (the old alley-way communities of Beijing) and finally arrive at Huiling.
In this very small courtyard there are four surrounding rooms (kitchen, art room, office area, and gathering room). It is in this area that about 15 people with mental disorders, ranging from ages 16 to 65, come to spend their days. They cook their food, they partake in arts and crafts which they sell, and tourists of the Hutongs come to have lunch (dumplings) and watch the performance of the trainees (the mentally disabled, but we call them trainees because they are contributing to the functioning of Huiling, almost as though they have a job).













In the office room, just sitting and chatting with one another. The great thing about working here is I HAVE to speak Chinese. The trainees, though I teach them a little English, only speak Mandarin, and they do have a lot to say.



The trainees range from many ages. The old woman here (I am really bad with the Chinese names, so they are all just family to me) loves to draw. She gets really involved in her drawings with pastels, and she is quite good. She just sits for hours drawing and telling me all about her art. The old man is SUPER fun! He loves badminton and once you get started with him he can go for hours. Playing with him is so relaxing because it isn't so intense, just hitting the birdie back and forth.

LUNCH TIME! This is my favorite time because 1) I get a home cooked meal, which is greatly appreciated since I do miss having such food (and it is super good!), 2) the trainees made the meal and they are so proud to serve people and makes sure that we all get A LOT to eat (seriously, a lot of food!!!), and 3) it is the time where we all sit around the courtyard and talk about things, and in many cases (since I am still very beginner with the language) I have NO idea what they are talking about, but I enjoy the time still.




Getting ready for the performance where the trainees sing, dance, and put on funny skits and shows. They really enjoy this time of the day because it is their time to show off their skills to foreigners, and they love foreigners.




























This girl is really shy and doesn't say very much, but if she likes you she hangs out around you, smiles a lot, and if she does talk she really has something to say. She is a lot of fun, my partner in crime one could say.








Games in the courtyard. The man on the right is HILARIOUS! He says the most random things, hard to understand in Chinese, let alone for me to translate to English in my head, and he loves to make up his own dances.






Anyways, I thought it would be something a little different. I have shared a lot of the big things to go see in Beijing, but here is just a community that not many people get to experience. In many cases people abandon their children if there are signs of mental disabilities, or the families have to take care of these individuals and with the "one child" rule who will take care of these people when they are older and their parents pass away? Having Huiling and other organizations around really make a huge difference in their lives and it is a great treat to be able to partake in their activities and help in any way, whether it is teaching English, revising papers, helping with websites, or playing badminton.

Ok, I will update again and hopefully soon. Until then...