This morning, I got up early to get ready to go to Chaoyang Church. After getting up, Hamer suddenly changed her mind and decided she wanted to come along with me, so we set out a little later than planned. It was an overcast morning, and as I rode the electric scooter, the chilly wind hit me, seeping through my clothes—it was a bit cold. We even took a slight detour on the way. When we arrived at Chaoyang Church, the staff informed us that young children weren’t allowed inside, which was a bit disappointing. We wandered around the courtyard, took a look at a small exhibition inside, and then left.
Why aren’t children allowed inside? I suspect it might be to allow them to make their own decisions about religious beliefs when they grow up, or perhaps it’s because church services are solemn and quiet occasions, and lively children might disrupt the proceedings. Next time, I could just ask to find out the specific reason, rather than guessing.
Afterward, we headed to Sun Park to play. We parked the scooter at the north gate and walked south toward the amusement park area, where Hamer most wanted to go. I let her navigate us to the destination using the map on my phone. She seemed quite interested in the task and looked like she was getting the hang of directions. Along the way, we saw many interesting things, and she would often stop to fully enjoy them—feeding small animals, running around on the grass taking photos, and climbing on the equipment for exercise. Today, we went on the children’s roller coaster, parachute tower, flying chairs, magical journey, and the dream world ride. When we got to the last attraction, “Rapid Transformation,” Hamer decided to give it a try and loved it right away. One ride wasn’t enough; she immediately went for a second round. After a day of fun, we made our way back, heading to Solana to meet Xiaoyan for lunch.
There was a minor incident before dinner. I told Hamer to wash her hands, but she was too tired and didn’t want to. I got upset, wondering why she would come all the way to the entrance but refuse to go in and wash her hands. She retorted, saying she didn’t like the restaurant and didn’t want to eat there at all. In the end, she didn’t wash her hands, and I was quite frustrated. When we arrived at the restaurant, Xiaoyan comforted her and took her to a nearby restroom to wash up. Meanwhile, I stayed quiet and focused on eating, feeling in a bad mood. I worried that staying longer would dampen everyone’s spirits, so after finishing my meal, I decided to head home alone. I took a slow walk along the Liangma River, and halfway back, I got caught in a heavy rainstorm and took shelter under a bridge for a while. The walk wasn’t tiring, but I felt exhausted and low on energy. After getting home, it wasn’t long before they arrived too. I ended up taking a long nap until the evening, then tidied up some clothes, took Hamer out for a walk, and bought some yogurt and fruit. We had a light meal together.
Hopefully, I can get to bed early tonight and wake up early tomorrow.
