livingstonesvillage's Xanga

Nankang’s New Road

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:16:41 GMT

LSV’s new home is located on Chao Yang Big Road, which is the main road into our town, Nankang. Over the years rains washed the road out and thus needs repair. Recently the government has sped up construction to both repair and widen the road. A couple weeks ago, the road crew came into Nankang and began resurfacing with asphalt. Now it looks better than we ever imagined, smooth and spacious.

According to the city’s master plan, Chao Yang Big Road will be one of the main roads in town, bringing increased traffic right past LSV and through Nankang. LSV is located at a prime location with many new developments. Down the road an apartment complex down is also under construction.

We hope that our commercial building will bring revenue to help LSV be self-sufficient and provide support for many orphans. With the bus station next to LSV pending to be opened, and the gas station nearby, we have plenty of potential customers around the block!

We are grateful for the perfect timing to make LSV a better place!

Going to School at LSV

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:06:42 GMT

Our LSV children (and young adults) go back to school tomorrow.Just like any other students, they were excited about buying clothing and stationeries for the new school year.We accompany them to register and pay school fees and meal tickets on the first day of school.This year is very special for some of our children.Three children left primary school, two in fifth and one sixth.One enters high school eleventh grade and two going into tenth.

Good local schools are one big reason for our moving to the town of Nankang.While outwardly it is a countryside town, Nankang schools have a long history of excellence.Nankang was a center for government and education in the early 1900’s; thus the school quality remains high.Our LSV location is as ideal as possible.The schools are only 10-minute bike ride away, so we can keep close track of our kids.Last night we prepared the older kids for their dormitory life, by giving each of the new dorm students a new suitcase.They proudly carried the suitcase to their room to begin packing.

Our kids enjoy school and have adjusted well.Their positive attitude in returning to school stems largely from an enjoyable and educational summer vacation.They had improved so much in math because of the summer tutoring and one-on-one lesson in English.In August, we had daily craft time and cooking lesson, plus our special movie nights from our LSV DVD library.

As our new village moves closer to completion, more orphans will come to live and study at LSV.In two to three years, our first Nankang High School graduates will take the college entrance exam.We believe many LSV children, though fatherless, will be well-equipped to go on to colleges in Guangxi and beyond.

Getting Around our Village

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:59:52 GMT

A walk around our village will reveal our care for the physically challenged.

All the entrances have wide steps, and wheelchair ramps.Large openings on every floor are ready for new elevators to arrive.Rooms have wide doorways, and there are special handicap washroom facilities.The roads linking our village together are nearly completed.So, whether on foot or wheels, everyone can easily get around our new village.

A Getaway Close to LSV

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:27:41 GMT

A short drive away from our new Village is Qingshantou, translated “Green Mountain Point” in English. Located across the bay from the fishing town of Yingpan, this is a stretch of beach shadowed by green pine trees. On one end of the beach is a small fishing village, and the other is the small village of Qingshan.

Along the beach are some small thatched seafood restaurants, and places you can swim at high tide. After a 20 minute drive from LSV, we stopped at one of these small places. Walking a ways away from the people, we sat on the shady beach, and enjoyed the view. The owner of the place approached us offering a hammock to take a nap. At first we thought he wanted money, but then understood he offered to wave the 10yuan charge and let us use it for free. He even tied it between two of the pine trees for us.

Under the shade, with a breeze coming through the trees, it was a pleasant place to take a nap.

Whether looking up at the green trees, or out at the gentle waves, it was a beautiful place. The owner has just opened and the pine needle covered sand is raked clean. That day the owner was hosting a group from a Beihai tour company. As they sampled the seafood and hammocks, the owner hopes they will bring more people and business.

Next time we come, we will sample the seafood. Better yet, we can bring our LSV kids and have a barbeque! And afterwards we’ll take a nap too!

Our LSV Fisherman’s Wharf

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:08:16 GMT

A visit to San Francisco, California, must include a tour of Fisherman’s Wharf. Against the beautiful background of San Francisco Bay, colorful fishing boats are seen docked near fish markets. Seafood restaurants and tourist traps are plenty, and it is hard park. Beihai City also has fishing boats and seafood restaurants, along with the annoying tourist stores.

But there is another fisherman’s wharf, much closer to our town of Nankang that has NO tourists. It is in the town of Yingpan, only a 20 minute drive away. Early in the morning,

Yingpan’s wharf is surrounded with colorful wooden fishing boats. The wharf is crowded with people, motorcycles, and small trucks; all waiting to buy the morning’s catch. As soon as a boat comes alongside, shrimp, fish, and shellfish are sold and loaded up.

The motorcycles have large barrels mounted on the rear, filled with water and seafood. They speed off to our town of Nankang and other places to sell. All the boats and people, set against the morning ocean sunrise, is a beautiful sight. The ride to Yingpan, on a newly paved road, is also a photographer’s treat. The morning sun shines over lush fields of sugar cane, mushu, and other crops.

We hope you can come and see our LSV Fisherman’s Wharf for yourself. And enjoy a delicious fresh seafood meal too!

Yinpan Wharf

Waiting to buy seafood

Loading seafood into small trucks

Western Food- Waffles and Sandwiches

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:27:48 GMT

This summer vacation has been a good time for learning new things. One of the enjoyable lessons (and delicious too) has been cooking. We have learned how to make waffles, Tangyuan, and sandwiches.

After finally finding a waffle maker in Beijing, we put it to use. Flour and eggs are easy to find here. Butter is more scarce, so we used peanut oil instead. And the baking soda used for Chinese Mantou (steamed bread) worked fine for waffle making. While the waffles themselves looked and tasted original, our toppings were quite unique.

Kids could choose peanut butter, honey, sweet condensed milk, canned tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, etc), or raisins. It was almost like adding waffles to the toppings, rather than toppings to the waffles. Everyone had a good time.

Another dish the kids loved to make and eat were sandwiches. After buying the bread and salad dressing in the big Beihai supermarket, we found the rest of the ingredients here in Nankang. Oh, there was one more ingredient from outside- a gift of salmon from Canada!

Our LSV sandwiches featured sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, egg salad, and salmon spread too. Cut up into neat triangles, the kids happily shared their creations with the adult staff. It was both a fun and delicious afternoon.

Our LSV Construction Workers are First Class

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:57:12 GMT

Our LSV Construction Workers are First Class

The buildings of our new village are spacious, beautiful, and sturdy. Everyone who visits is very impressed. However, even more impressive than buildings are the engineers, foremen, and workmen completing the work.

Our two managing engineers are well experienced, honest, and eager to ensure our project proceeds on schedule and within our budget. Our working relationship with them is excellent and their relationship with foremen under them is the same.

Whenever I tour the site, the foremen are smiling and cordial. They are clearly well experienced, and ensure the work is done to our high standards. The workers will soon be finished tiling all our buildings, and stop to wave when I take a pictures. Working on the roof in our hot sun isn’t easy, but they continue diligently.

The electrician is a good natured man, always on the job, and willing to do more. One day the wiring in our temporary home burned out. He came over from the site, and repaired the problem quickly and professionally. We haven’t had a problem since.

The workers laying floor tile are amazing. How can they lay them so level, with the exact spacing between each other? They install the wall tiles as well, floor to almost ceiling in our Kitchen and washroom facilities.

Another team makes all the windows on site. Cutting and assembling aluminum frames and large sheets of glass, they assemble everything to size. The finished product slides open and close with ease. All our windows are specially treated with an insulating outer layer.

The men (and women) who cement our brick walls are also first class. Our LSV construction materials and methods exceed the local specifications. Our foundation and pillars support all the weight. So we can use lighter, large cement blocks, for our walls. The walls rise so quickly, and so straight and square. How do these masons do it? I would like to learn from them.

Our workers have been blessed for their efforts. Some have had children born since our project began. And there have been no injuries in all these months of construction. Our first class workers are showing their gratitude by working hard to make a LSV a first class new village.

http://www.livingstonesvillage.org/eng/donation/index.php

Follow us on Twitter

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:32:25 GMT

http://twitter.com/lsvbeihai

Chinese Food- Making Tangyuan

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:28:06 GMT

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Our kids had a great time making Tangyuan. Many buy these glutonous rice flour balls already made, but we did it from scratch. The rice flour balls are filled with a sweet filling, such as bean paste, and boiled in water. When cooked, they are served with a sweet soup.

Traditionally, these are eaten during the Lantern Festival, at the end of Chinese New Year whereas families get together for a meal, followed by Tangyuan. Tangyuan literally means round balls in soup. It also sounds like the Chinese words for Unity, Completeness, and Happiness.

These days, people eat Tangyuan at any time of the year. Yet the most meaningful is eating it together as a loving family. The smiles and laughs of our LSV family testify to the unity, and happiness we share.

Abigail eating tangyuan

Delicious cup of tangyuan

China, LSV, and Swine Flu

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:18:56 GMT

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China, LSV, and Swine Flu

Coming back from the US last week was a quick course in disease control. At Seoul and Hong Kong airports, and China customs, everyone filled out special health declaration forms. Also, each person had their individual temperature taken. Although the process consumed extra time, it is assuring to know how serious officials are about protecting citizens. There are no cases in our area.

We also take extra precautions here at LSV, separating the sick children from healthy, and keeping everything clean. Just as many travelers are wearing sanitary masks, any sniffling and coughing LSV children do the same. Handrails and doorknobs are regularly cleaned and sanitized. Hands are washed, and food preparation is always careful and clean. Even before the current crisis, our bowls and utensils were always sterilized after use, separating those used by our Hepatitus B positive children.

But colds and flu are not stopping us from having fun together. This past weekend, we all made Cong You Bing, a kind of fried bread with onion and spices inside. No one complained about keeping hands clean and wearing masks. In fact, they kept mixing and kneading until all the flour disappeared. We had all we could eat, with more to fry later on.