Travels in China 2008
Home Again
We are all safely home from our remarkable journey and adjusting to a very different reality in our homes and communities, particularly the day before the much anticipated election. This will be the final episode of my travelogue, and I'd like to share with you the reactions of my fellow travelers to this adventure, in their own words.
Jean Chorazyczewski shares: "The trip to China was beyond spectacular and very rich on so many levels. To start, meeting the children and the families of Golden Courage was incredibly moving, eye-opening, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at the same time. They were bright, eager, and full of potential. It was clear that the help they are receiving from Golden Courage is making a direct and positive impact in their lives, and with their own sense of integrity, discipline, and duty to be a good citizen, they are destined to be successful. It was an honor for me to explore Beijing with the exceptional people who made up the first Golden Courage delegation to China. We all quickly became connected at a deeper level because of the experiences we shared there. It is difficult to encapsulate such an extraordinary experience in just a few sentences, but to be sure, it was a trip of a lifetime."
Jeremy Seligman responds: "When speaking of this trip, first and foremost must be the children of Golden Courage, and the amazing network of parents, teachers, government officials, and Golden Courage staff and volunteers who are creating a web of help and hope that we will all talk about for months, but which you have to see in person to truly understand. They are why we traveled to China, and they were the energetic center of everything we saw and experienced. But in the end, what happened in these two weeks as we travelled together, visited children together, ate and drank tea together, somehow constituted a web of transformation. I can only speak for myself, but I'm guessing each of us can say the same, each in our own way. It is impossible to look at the world in quite the same way, and while we will all inevitably slip back into our daily routines, it will be with a shift in outlook, in commitment, and appreciation of the life we are living."
Laura Seligman continues: "Most impressive was the devotion, love, and commitment of the Golden Courage Beijing staff working with children, parents, teachers, and the schools. We could see the transformations everywhere as confidence in both children and parents developed from year to year. Meeting Little Artist, the girl we sponsor, was one of the most moving experiences of our lives and reaffirmed how helping one child creates a ripple effect of change with a more profound impact than I previously appreciated."
Mira Maislen writes: "Perhaps, what I am most left with, after climbing up part of the Great Wall, visiting a Buddhist Monastery alive with ancient traditions, eating the most delicious Chinese food I've ever tasted, walking the extraordinary grounds of the bigger-than-life Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, shopping for silk, learning about and drinking the most exquisite tea my palette has ever had the pleasure of tasting, are the children ... always the children. I am left with the memory of their radiant faces, their gratitude in receiving even a simple piece of candy, their pride at showing us how they did calligraphy or played an instrument or sang a song or got an award for doing well in school. I am left with knowing first hand the wonderful and important work we are doing for these vulnerable children and their families. I feel blessed to be part of an organization that is actually helping, not just talking about it, one child at a time, that is cultivating and manifesting a vision of a China where all children are educated and given the opportunity to reach their potential as human beings. I feel blessed to be part of this noble cause."
Donna Kellstrom writes: "Most impactful was the ability to connect with the children and parents supported by Golden Courage International. This connection was made possible as we were able to stand in the children's homes and in their school yards and to participate with song and stories. It is on bended knee that I pronounce the gratitude for what I have, and it is with a joyful heart that I sing the praise of Golden Courage whose good works were ignited by love and are maintained by dedicated effort and generosity. This trip was blessed with good friends and a lifetime of memories!"
Kathy Goldberg comments. "We are all afraid of the unknown, which is why we all need to know, to go out of our comfort zone, to see the unfamiliar, just to realize that we are all the same. We all have the same hopes and dreams: good health, a safe roof over our heads, enough food to eat, education, dignity, respect, hope for the future. We are all the same and need to work together to help build bridges, hold hands, learn to respect each other for our differences and similarities. I was touched by the children, and how the children of the world have the same questions, curiosity, fire, light hearts, open-mindedness, and fears. I know for sure that the trip was an amazing learning and growth opportunity for me. And that in some small way I may have helped to build a bridge of friendship and understanding between neighbors of this small small world after all."
Another one of our delegates, Dr. Rebecca Liu, has sponsored three Golden Courage girls who are the "sisters" to her three young girls. A separate interview with her and her family will appear soon on our web site to give you a more in-depth understanding of her experience.
We invite you to learn more about Golden Courage and this visit to China from the pictures, slide shows, and words of the delegates, myself and Dr. Lu at the Golden Courage International Annual Meeting on Sunday, December 7 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. More details about the meeting will follow.
In addition, at the meeting we will also show the video documentary that Matt Hallenborg, our volunteer media professional, created about this journey:
For those of you who wish to share these travelogues with your friends and families, you can invite them to see them here on our web site. You can also send names and email addresses of people who would like to be included in our email list to me for future communications.
I am so grateful to have shared this deeply moving experience with all of these generous and thoughtful people and to have the opportunity to watch the growth and evolution of Golden Courage International. Golden Courage is dedicated to improving children's lives, promoting peace and cross-cultural understanding between the U.S. and China, and developing environmental awareness to create health and well-being. Many thanks to you for taking this journey with us through these travelogues.
Many blessings to you,
Lucinda Kurtz and the Golden Courage Family