Adoption Trips

Today was the trip to the orphanage. This was a trip to forget. A trip that was in every way possible the opposite of B's trip to his orphanage 2 years 4 months ago.

We drove to BeiHai 200 km away from Nanning where we are staying. We arrived shortly before noon and were taken to McDonald's for lunch because we all wanted more time at the orphanage and did not want a big sit down lunch at a Chinese restaurants. One of the group had suggested we have something quick. A couple of us suggested we have nothing at all. In the end the 'quick' lunch took over 90 minutes.

After lunch we drove to the orphanage. On the way there we spotted a mall which V identified as the mall where C was found. See the picture below.

We arrived at the orphanage and V and I had the honour of delivering a photo album from a mother in Pennsylvania to the director. The album contained pictures of her child she had adopted from the orphanage in 2000 I believe. The director seemed genuinely happy to see the pictures. This was the high for our visit.

We visited the play room on the 1st floor for the older children as well as for the toddlers and infants. The kids get 1 - 2 hours of play time with the nannies each day.

Now for the low. C was reunited with her favourite nanny on the second floor of the orphanage. The nanny was waiting for her and started waving to her as I carried her up the stairs to the second floor and her little face lit up like a 1000 watt bulb. V took C to see the nanny who practically took her from V's arms and started playing with her. V started to tear up when she saw how much C liked being with the nanny. A senior person instructed the nanny to give her back to V and told all of the nannies to leave the area. C wailed when the nanny left. The nanny did not listen very well and snuck around to the other end of the 2nd floor and was watching C. Of course C caught sight of her and the wailing got louder. Neither V or I could console her so we left the orphanage with the intention of going back to the bus.

Another nanny caught us in the courtyard and talked to us. V leaped the language barrier when she asked one of them in Cantonese what language they were speaking to each other. They said they were speaking GuangXiese which V says is so close to Cantonese that she has no problem understanding them. So she had a great deal of conversation with the nanny who cared for C when she 1st arrived in March 2005 as well as with the director and some other staff.

We were able to determine that C's best play mate is in our group. Bad news is she will be going to Alberta when we get back home so there is no chance that they will continue to be friends.

It also is apparent that C was spoiled by these folks. They doted over her the whole time she was at the orphanage today. They all came to see her including the director and play with her calling out yan yan (her nickname). She has shown us already that she does not like to be told she can not do something and gets quite upset, throwing things, and crying. Daddy and her will make a great pair and their is sure to be fireworks when we both get our backs up.

So after the visit we went to all of the 'finding' places for the children. Everyone except us got pictures with their babies at the site of the 'finding'. We were first and told by our guide it was not a good idea to take C back to the finding site for a picture. It might upset the locals. So our picture is of the mall Guo Tone Cow Mut Jung Sum at the corner of a street called 'east of beibay rd' and 'liberation road'. There is another of me standing in front of it but I will need to retrieve that one from one of our other travelers who took it on his camera. V and C listened to the guide and stayed on the bus.

We left BeiHai at 4:30 and arrived back at the hotel at 6:50. The kids were all over tired and all wanted off the bus. We fed and changed C and then the battle to get her to sleep started. Finally I prevailed and at 8:40 she went to sleep.

B called at 9 as we watched him on the webcam. God it is good to see him. I can't tell you how our hearts ache for him. We are half way through this trip in twelve hours when B puts another coin in his Lenten box and has only 7 more to go before Mommy and Daddy come home.

At the prompting of Nana, B said, when asked what he was going to do today, that he was coming to China to get Mommy, Daddy and Cassy. He is here is our hearts.

Tomorrow we have nothing to do but get our bags packed and outside the room at 1pm for the porters to load up and send to the airport and for us to get our butts to the bus at 2:30pm. We fly to Beijing leaving at 5 and arriving at 8:20. This will be the warm up for C and her 13 hour flight to Canada next Friday.

C's finding place and the grounds of the orphanage

V and C talking to the nanny who cared for C when she was taken into the orphanage and a great shot of C

The crowd in the courtyard towards the end of out visit