Trip to Zhu Hai

For those families who are waiting for pictures of their children, we loaded a bunch to the Yahoo Group Picture album. The boys look healthy. We went to their room and they were each carried to us and we were told who they were. They were never put down on the floor. We went to the room with about five adults and maybe 15 kids in our parade through the halls. There were either 2 or 3 caregivers in the room. Most of the kids were in cribs, one or two were running free and a couple were being fed in seats. We totally interrupted the routine. There was only one child to a small crib and the cribs were head to toe w/ aisles between maybe three rows. Most of the awake babies stood in their cribs when we came into the room. Several older girls were with us and they felt quite at home going to a crib and picking up a baby. We were told not to take pictures of the other children but that was after I had taken a few. There were three rooms to the nursery with glass windows separating each one so you could see from one to the next. The first room was the feeding (and probably changing room). The next two were filled with beds. There were so many people milling around I couldn’t take it all in. I couldn’t take pictures & hold one of the boys so I opted to take pictures.

Reagan is taller than I thought and her shoes were bigger than I expected. They were bigger than mine but they wear shoes too big & the style of tennis shoe would make anyone’s feet look big. She is so very pretty. She was at school when we first got there and we went back to the office/meeting room from our baby visit she was coming in the front door. Our guide was wonderful and translated everything. A room full of us went into the meeting room, I gave Reagan her gift. Another caregiver helped her open it & they went through the bag very quickly. When I could get back to Reagan, I asked for her bag and we went through every item. I showed her each picture & told her who each person was. The guide was beside me and told her in Chinese. We got out the shirt & explained what Indiana is (but what do you tell a Chinese what a Hoosier is?... we said it was a nickname for our state). We looked at the bracelet. When she pulled out the disposable cameras, she said she had two of them already. She has a sweet smile & our guide said she was very happy. She has a deep voice for a child… kind of like Emma’s. I told her that you would probably come in June to get her & the guide translated that too. There were some rowdy, pushy kids there but Reagan was sweet & yet not shy.

Now that I have told the new parents about their kids, I will back up & tell you about our trip. We had a new guide for today, Jennifer. Sarah has other WACAP families coming in from other provinces today (yesterday) & has to go to the notary for us all. They rented a van for us. We put the girls in the middle seats & I gave Alison a nausea pill right away. They both slept the almost two hours to Zhu Hai. The fog/smog is very bad as we go. We cannot see more than a mile. You cross many rivers / bridges & we could tell there were some large boats in the water but that was it. The air cleared by the end of the day & on the drive back we could see farther / better.

We arrived at Zhu Hai at about 11:30. They don’t have a large courtyard entrance. There is the road, trees, the gate, the entrance and a parking lot to the left of the entrance. It was difficult to get a real good picture of the front. The lobby had a programmable sign that read “welcome parents of Zhu Mei Xin and Zhu Ai Zhen to Zhu Hai”. We were told to go into a meeting room to the left of the lobby. There was a leather couch and several chairs around the room. They brought us water. They brought the girls soy milk (which Alison loves & Emma hates) and packaged cookies. Several directors came in to meet us. Several women and men that we have seen in pictures with the girls. They told us that Reagan (sorry, it is 6:00 AM & the girls are asleep & I can’t see my purse to look up Reagan’s Chinese name) was in school & would be here shortly. Adults & kids kept coming in to see Mei Xin & Ai Zhen. Emma started to cry & cried off/on for about an hour. Alison never tear-ed up but had a stern look on her face & would barely talk. She didn’t come to me for comfort but clung to the director (I have to look up her name… I will edit this later).

Everything was still a little wet from the morning cleaning and the dampness of the humidity. The walls, floors, ceilings are all white. We took an elevator to the third floor and then walked the hallways to the room. I was surprised to be taken to the nursery instead of them bringing the boys to us. It was a mad house as our troop descended on that room. They brought the boys to us right away and told us who was who. The babies in the next room began to cry and stand up in their cribs and since I was at the door, I walked in & talked to a few of them. I got some big smiles and some giggles. These babies are pretty happy in their surroundings. The one little boy on the loose, held up his arms for me to hold him and I did. Several adults and teens picked up babies. That is heart warming to see babies being held & talked to.

We walked a ways around the corridors to Emma’s room. More tears. Her room was rather large with only two twin beds in it. There was a closet unit as you come in. The night bedding was neatly rolled / folded at the top of each bed. No decorations, no curtains to the large windows. There were a few small stickers on the wall beside her bed. One was of a group of girls that are in a combo power rangers and Barbie adventure group. I recognize the blond because Emma bought that DVD the day before and we watched the movie. The rooms are arranged kind of like dorm rooms with adjoining baths to other rooms so she didn’t have far to walk to the restroom. I asked who Emma shared a room with & they answered but didn’t say… here she is and it wasn’t a name I remembered. Emma was too upset to want a picture with anyone in particular. She didn’t gravitate toward anyone friend in particular.

When we were in the hallway starting toward Emma’s room, Mrs. Zhong showed up. She came in on her day off to see us. Her hair is different and at first I wasn’t sure it was her. She said we hadn’t changed at all. She hugged Alison and talked to her as we walked the halls to Emma’s room. She was with us maybe 15 minutes. Most of the time was talking to Alison. Again, Alison was just so withdrawn and overwhelmed. She reverts to becoming very introverted with stressed. Mrs. Zhong looks good. She said good bye to the girls as we greeting Reagan.

We were ushered back to the meeting room. A mad frenzy of Chinese adults & kids talking and wanting to see what Reagan’s parents had sent her. A Chinese adult lady the kids call something Ping helped her open the bag and look at the contents. We had brought a bag of candy (M&M’s and small Snickers) and I gave that to a director and she began passing it out. That helped clear the chaos so I could talk to Reagan and show her what her Mamma has packed for her. Our translator told her every picture in Chinese and I said what it was in English. Everyone who was looking at the pictures knew the word “cow”. Her eyes are so beautiful and she just soaked it all in as I told her she lived on a farm not far away from Mei Xin. With each picture, she saw her family with four siblings and they said she was #5.

Our time with the kids was shorten as the director wanted to take us to lunch. So four male directors and Mrs Yuan (I don’t know how to spell her name but I will) went to lunch with us. The men drove in their van and we went in ours w/ Mrs. Yuan. Lunch was a feast. We were in a gold decorated private dining room with the large round table. There must have been 15 or so dishes of food (mostly meat). The rice always comes last in a Chinese feast! We had duck, beef, chicken, toufou, small oysters, fried fish and we could have had snake! Lunch was awesome. I don’t like duck, toufou or oysters but I tried many of the dishes. They asked us if we needed a fork when the meal began. We told them no and then I was put to the test right away and I passed. Good to practice chop sticks.

The men had to leave us and go to a meeting but it was almost 2PM! Mrs Yuan went with us and we went to the old orphanage. The gate was locked but the guard let us go in and look around. Nothing of the old place exists but the buildings. We took a picture by a tree w/ the ceramic tile around the base. We went to the store on the corner and Mrs Yuan bought Alison some snacks that she likes. Mrs. Yuan is concerned that Alison did not eat enough at lunch… it is just emotions.

Then we go to Alison’s school. The gatekeeper there also let us in so we walked up to the buildings. The kids were out playing. Three girls were watching us closely and Alison said she knew them that they were in her class but that they were mean to her and kicked her so she didn’t want to go talk to them. Emma saw one of her teachers as we came in and we got a picture of them together. The school is very nice and they say has about a thousand students.

Next we went to the school which is across the street from the new orphanage. Again the gatekeeper let us in when Mrs Yuan explained why we wanted in. Emma’s said her classroom was on the fourth floor and in.

Finally it was time to say goodbye to Mrs. Yuan. Alison said it was so sad to say goodbye to friends.

We had a terrible drive back to Guangzhou with the interstate closed for some reason. It took us three hours to get back & only two to get there. Guangzhou is a city of 10 million and Zhu Hai is a city of 1 million.

Dinner was snacks for the girls. Alison can really pick out an assortment. Lynn and I had McDonalds. The hamburger w/ cheese was good but tastes NOTHING like home. The fries tasted good this time. The grease must have been old the other day.

The girls had a pillow fight last night. They are starting to act like sisters and not just people who knew each other. Well, I better go. I have to get laundry ready, breakfast and be ready to go back to the doctor by 9:30. Emma keeps rubbing her TB test and it is a little red. GREAT!