***This is the continuation of my blog post on getting to
meet Ted, my VIPKID student from Beijing.
I have permission from his mother, Danielle, to share this story and
pictures from our trip.***
 |
| Taking on Hollywood! |
Danielle and I are very similar. We both are organizers and planners, and we
both want to make every experience as great as we can for our children. Danielle had asked me which parks (or
gardens, according to her) they should visit while in Disney World for two
days. She had been to the Disney Parks
in Hong Kong and Shanghai, but Disney World is much bigger, and is divided into
four separate themed parks. The MagicKingdom park is the classic spot, but every Disney park has a Magic Kingdom. I love EPCOT, but I didn’t think it would be
the most exciting place for an 8-year old Chinese boy. Ted loves Star Wars, and Hollywood Studios would give him the opportunity to meet characters from the films! When I suggested Hollywood Studios to
Danielle and gave her my reasoning, her response was so sweet, “You know my son
so well”. Animal Kingdom is my family’s
favorite park. Ted loves dinosaurs, and
there is an entire Dino Land within Animal Kingdom. Danielle and I laid out a simple itinerary,
and we were ready for this adventure!
Two weeks before traveling, Danielle reached out to me to
let me know they would be bringing gifts for my family and me. She suggested bringing an empty suitcase for
transporting the gifts back to NC. I
knew she was bringing me a picture Ted had painted for me, but that was
all. Brian and I had flown the most
economical way possible; and, we had planned on packing everything we needed
into one suitcase. Brian and I figured
we would be flexible when it came to the gift, because we really had no idea
what gift giving would look like. Ted
and Danielle arrived in Orlando the day before us and were able to have a fun
adventure with a friend of Danielle’s who helped her coordinate her trip. We arrived in Orland on Wednesday evening. Our plan was to meet for dinner and exchange
presents so we wouldn’t have to store them or carry them around a park. I asked Danielle and Ted to meet us at our
hotel for dinner at the food court…they had pizza, and I knew from many lessons
with Ted that one of his favorite foods is meat pizza!
I was beyond excited knowing that in a very little while, I
would get to see one of my favorite people on Earth in person and not through a
computer screen. I was bouncing all over
the lobby waiting for their arrival.
When I saw Danielle get out of a car, I burst through the doors. Anyone who knows me knows I am energetic and
physically affectionate…which was not the norm for Danielle and
Ted. I knew Ted would be overwhelmed, so
I kept a safe distance and practiced so much self-restrain. I wanted to pick him up, hug him tight and
swing him around…but, I didn’t. Danielle
was carrying two huge boxes with her. I looked at Brian, who I am pretty sure
was just as shocked as I was. We walked
into the food court, and Brian suggested that Danielle and I go look at the
menu while he waited with Ted. Now, that
was a sight to behold. Here my 6’4”
giant of a husband was sitting at a table with a little boy who has not yet
mastered conversational English.
Danielle and I looked at the menu, decided what we wanted and walked
back to the table. There, Brian was
using his hands and arms in a dramatic fashion to talk to Ted. It was hard not to laugh at him. Brian told me, “I was just trying to use the
VIPKID TPR that you use.” Perfect!
-->
 |
| Flamingos everywhere! |
We enjoyed a laid-back meal and talked about their
trip from China to the U.S.. Ted did not say much, but he was
watching, listening, and smiling. He
could not wait for me to open my boxes, so in the food court, I opened a box
that was a full set of bone China dishes for serving soup. Danielle said, “We usually give blue and
white China as a gift, but Ted picked yours out.” Now, in our lessons, we often talk about our
favorite things, so Ted knows my favorite animal is a flamingo. The dishes reflected my love of the
flamboyant pink birds! Danielle was not thrilled with the choice,
but Ted and I were! The other box
contained a framed picture of a flamingo that Ted had drawn and painted for
me! In addition to these gorgeous gifts,
Danielle had made my three daughters earrings and purchased me some beautiful lipstick…in a shade to match hers.
To say I was overwhelmed would be a major understatement.
 |
| BB-Mickey |
On our first day in Disney World, Brian and I got up early and headed to Hollywood Studios. We are the kind of people that open up the park, then shut it down. Danielle told us that Ted was not a fan of many rides, so we decided we would do things separately then meet up for lunch at Pizza Rizzo. When Brian and I arrived at the restaurant, Danielle was already in line ready to order for us. (Crazy side note--when I sat at our table, I saw a dear friend from my teenage years at the table behind us with her family. It really is a small world, right?). We had a fun lunch of pizza, then we went to find the Star Wars Launch Bay where all the characters live! Now, Ted is a fan of the new Star Wars films and isn't too familiar with the original cast. He was very excited to meet Kylo-Ren and BB-8, but he didn't know who Chewbacca was. In we went to see Kylo (who legitimately scares me). He honed in on Ted, and that little boy was in the zone. He was so serious! Next, we went to see BB-8, which simply thrilled Ted, especially since he was sporting his Mickey BB-8 ears...we called them BB-Mouse or Mickey-8 ears! We were leaving the bay through the gift shop when Ted grabbed my arm and said, "Big Monkey? We go see the Big Monkey?" I was confused and told him we were going to see animals the next day at Animal Kingdom. Ted said, "No! Big Monkey in there." Aaaahhh..Chewbacca! So I did a little sweet-talking to the cast member at the exit and we were given an escort straight to Chewie, after which Ted kept referring to Brian as "Big Monkey" like Chewbacca. The rest of our day was spent enjoying shows and ice cream. It was a perfect time! Danielle and Ted were tired and went back to their hotel, while Brian and I inhaled some sugar and made another round on the roller coasters.
 |
| My favorite... |
 |
| Not my favorite... |
 |
| Ted's happy place. |
We ended our time at the park on the Dinosaur ride. Here's the deal, most of my family LOVES this ride. After snakes, dinosaurs are what I fear most. I knew Ted didn't like rides, but he does love all things dinos. I made sure Danielle was aware that is was dark, loud, and scary (to me). She said it would be fine and that was the only ride Ted was insistent on. Ted told her "nothing is scary when Amber is with me." So, in we went with our Fast Passes and were on the time-traveling vehicles almost immediately. I knew as soon as the strobe lights started flashing, this kid was gone. I had my arm around him, Danielle had her arm around him, and we just held on tight while he freaked out. When I ride that ride with my family, my eyes stay closed and my head stays in my lap. But, I knew I had to at least appear brave for my little friend. When we got off of the ride, Ted breathed a huge sigh of relief...the gift shop also helped him feel better.
Read Meeting Ted, Part One Here
Read Meeting Ted, Part Three Here
No comments:
Post a Comment