Travels in China 2009
Arrival in Beijing
Dr. Lu, my husband, Oran Hesterman, and I arrived in Beijing to a very warm welcome by the Golden Courage staff despite the chilly temperatures outside much like those at home in Ann Arbor. On this fourth visit to China, the Home Inn has truly become my home away from home and I settle in comfortably with my new MacBook Pro connecting me, like an umbilical cord, to friends and family half a world way.
A primary purpose of this trip is to develop the partnership between Golden Courage International and the University Musical Society at the U of Michigan (UMS) that was initiated in the Fall of 2007 through a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The grant enables Golden Courage and UMS to develop a program that creates cross cultural understanding between the U.S. and China through person to person connection, particularly focused on the children of Golden Courage and those in the Ann Arbor schools and through appreciation of the different musical expressions of our cultures, particularly traditional Chinese Opera.
This first week in China, Claire Rice, EducationDirector of UMS, accompanies us on our visits to the two primary sites of the highly respected programs of Golden Courage in the Beijing area. Our programs have proved so effective that the National Government has modeled its future educational programs in all of Beijing upon our "One on One" program, giving every child who wants an education an opportunity, despite economic situation, providing dramatically more children with hope for a better future.
After a 2 hour bus ride which takes us up into the mountains and past the site of the Great Wall towering above us, we arrive in Yan Qing County. We are warmly and enthusiastically greeted by children of all ages, teachers, parents, administrators, the principal and the Mayor who has been given permission to miss an important meeting in Beijing in order to greet Dr. Lu properly on this visit to her county. The children treat us to a well orchestrated program of poetry, music, kung fu demonstrations, and words of gratitude for the opportunities they have been given to manifest their potential after early lives of great deprivation, hardship, abuse, and illness.
What truly moves me to tears is to see all the graduates of the first program 5 years ago walk onto the stage to give their appreciation to Dr. Lu, Dr. Pang, (Dr. Lu's mother) and Dr. Lu Sr. and all of us involved with this program. Given one day off of their tough university schedules, each young man and woman has found a way to journey back to Yan Qing Middle School No. 2, to acknowledge the life changing opportunity for education and health they have been given through the vision and determination of Dr. Lu and his staff, teachers, volunteers, government officials, and all of you who have so generously sponsored a child or made a donation on behalf of the health and well being of these determined young people. (Pictured here are Zhang Chan, a GCI graduate now in nursing school, and her mother giving a gift to Dr. Lu Sr., Dr. Pang and Dr. Yun Lu at the ceremony.)
We thank you for your support of these amazingly resilient youth who with the skillful medical care of Dr. Pang and her medical team, the encouragement and nurturance from Dr. Lu Sr., and with the support of a myriad of teachers, counselors, and community members are confidently educating themselves to become productive members of society with an obligation to give back time and energy to help other Golden Courage children achieve their dreams. In the process of helping the children, we are also helping to change the paradigm of connections between people as evidenced by the telling comment from Mayor An from Fang Shan County, "Now I understand it is the role of government to help those who can not help themselves. When I leave government, I want to be a volunteer for Golden Courage International."
It is children like "Rain" who we visited in Mayor An's community who have inspired all of us to see the profound results of early intervention. You can see Dr. Lu and Claire Rice in the home of "Rain," a young girl sponsored by Ann Arborites Dr. Tim Sell and Dr. Rebecca Liu whose life has been saved and transformed. Her mother is still healing from an acid attack on her face and upper body by the man who abused her while she was pregnant with Rain. With the help of Golden Courage, Rain has overcome many significant obstacles in her young life to emerge as a strong and confident young woman who now has a life of great potential in front of her.
So friends, I end this first travelogue of our experience with the children of Golden Courage. Next week, Ken Fischer, President of the University Musical Society, Michael Kondziolka, Performance Director, Claire Rice and all of us will meet at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera for a full day of immersion in this world renowned form of music. Stay tuned for my next travelogue.
Many blessings,
Lucinda Kurtz and the Golden Courage Family