Looking out our window.
Vice Director and Director of Changting SWI.
The police officer that picked Lili up and brought her to Changting SWI.
The building is still relatively new and it is spotless and in excellent repair.
The garden is overgrown. Kids are all too young to play there, except one and they keep him close by, he is slow.
The first little guy to greet us, yelling down "hello, hello, hello".
This little guy wasn't upstairs with the others, I don't know why. The women seemed excited to see Lili and they were the only ones to take pictures, but some of their pictures were just of me. Ug. They were callingher Fu Qi and telling everyone nearby that she was Ting Fu Qi.
We have a picture of Lili as a baby on this stump. When she sat down on the big one the boy quickly got on the little one and then smiled up at her. So sweet. Someone please go adopt these kids!
As we were leaving we heard this guy calling to us.
From way up high. There is nothing in the upstairs landing, so heaven only knows how he got up to the caged balcony.
Good bye little guy. If I could find a way to take you home, I certainly would.
Lili's finding spot, sort of.
The new temple. The monks aren't hurting for money.
The farm restaurant. Kitchen is outdoors and the eating rooms are all seperate. Most popular restaurant in Changting.
Our lunch. Can you say culture shock. Lili actually just laughs at some of what we've seen now. To think, the first night I met Jack, he ordered piranah and Eric had to have them remove it from my plate, we've seen, been served and eaten much worse in the last couple weeks! Tonights dinner had a deep fried chicken head on a plater. The Director of Changting served me soup and there were chicken feet going in my bowl and I smiled and said thank you. Ay yi yi. 11 officials at the table, just didn't seem appropriate to be rude about food. I tried hiding food on my tiny plate and in my bowl. The waitresses seeing my plight brought me a new plate. Also, they watched me trying to pick fat off of food and they brought me a pickle fork to help with that. 13 people at the table and I got a pickle fork and that brought lots of laughter. Sigh.
There are gravity hoses up the creek, with water running into the troughs and taking the water and waste back to the creek. Have heard of them, this was our first time using one. Wild times.
Old Changting. I'm feeling wiped from all my blubbering and the heat was just crazy. Burning hot. Standing in the direct sun waw simply not an option.
Cute bum shot.
Fei, we bought you a ladies shirt here, with polar bears on it that you can wear as a nightie, this lady made it, she's made all of the clothing in her store. 28 y, $4.76.
Awww. So cute.
These ladies were inviting us to sit and make dumplings with them.
Distinct cement carving, all over Changting.
On the left current Director of Civil Affairs, on the right, previous Director of Civil Affairs and the man that approved Lili's adoption.
Pomp and parade. Lili was most honored quest. Each dish was placed before her first.
The men folk are going to be hurting tomorrow. Lots and lots of toasting.
I thought there were older children there with serious needs. Nope. Room full of babies. We saw 11 babies/toddlers and one older boy around 7 or 8. First little face to greet us was a little boy with clefts. I cried immediatly upon entering the babies room, where Lili was. Had to remove myself to compose myself and had to bite my lip and squeeze my fingernails into my palms until it hurt to stop the tears and even then it was right there. Took everything I had to get through the next few minutes.
I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the babies room.
Lili made friends with the older boy right away. Jack says he will stay there, mental issues. Most of the babies were healthy and are not adoptable because they are smuggled and they are still searching for their families. Then there were three kids that Jack deems adoptable, but the staff does not. So, he checked them over and then spent hours trying to cajole them into making them available for adoption. The Director isn't educated, doesn't know how, Jack has promised him help with the paperwork. Still not sure if that will happen or not. Jack also said those children have no future here and he worries about them.
There wasn't anyone there that remembered Lili, but she saw everything we have pictures of and everyone was happy to see her. Not interested in any details, just happy she looks healthy and pleased that she is a happy girl and every single person who saw her commented on how beautiful she is. They were thrilled with how thick her hair is. Funny. They also kept commenting that she looks just like me...ha ha ha. Maybe they thought that would please me. I just don't see the resemblance.
It was very odd being there to start with and then to be there as a part of Jack's business was weird. The director of Qiandow (Ching Doe) came to have lunch with us. I think Lili is the first homeland visit. It was a big deal and thank god she can eat with chop sticks because they were upset that she couldn't speak with them. Mandarin wasn't going to help with their Hakka either way.
The Director knew the police officer who picked her up so called him and he came to meet her. He was thrilled to see her and very proud that he was involved but didn't remember any details, he gave her his card. Jack asked about her file and they don't have hers it went to CCAA. They already gave us all of the pictures they had of her.
The Director took us to her finding spot, the old temple has been destroyed ( I think by destroyed they simply mean taken down). So, he stood with her at the place the gate used to be. He said almost all of the children at Changting are left at the gate or the temple. The temple is NO where near the SWI. We always thought the SWI was in the country, it's actually right on the outskirts of town.
Then we went through the new temple which is shiney and new and very beautiful. Jack says China likes everything new now. The govt. is working hard to protect certain areas.
Chanting is very much like Nanchang, but much smaller. There is one main road with two and three story buildings. A small section of new buildings around the hotel we're in, which is brand new and everyone likes to come here to eat because it's considered the best in Changting.
Lunch was with all of the SWI officials. Outdoor farmers kitchen with famous Fukian chicken dinner. We used trough toilet for the first time and watched them pluck our lunch. We're soooo in China right now. Again, didn't recognize much.
Jack sent us home to the hotel for a nap because it was so hot. One of the Changting staff took us back. No english. He walked us to our door. So sweet. We're hot items right now, he didn't dare lose us!
I got into the room and took some time to just bawl. Then called Eric and bawled some more. I don't ever want to go into another orphanage. Everyone sitting on the fence about adoption...get off your butt and do it. There are still kids in need. I feel like the little boy from Changting has been burned into my heart. I want to feed him so badly it hurts.
There was also another little girl with fused hand on one side, you can make out a thumb and two fingers and she has full use of the hand now. She is tiny, tiny like Lili was, skeletal. Jack snapped fingers, made noises and fussed around her, talking sharply to the staff telling them she was smart and deserves a chance. He thinks she'd easily get matched, minor need, so young. The other girl was over a year, both feel club. She is chubby and beautiful, Jack made them stand her up and she can table walk, they didn't believe her feet could be fixed. He was most worried about the boy, double cleft lip and cleft palate. I thought he was younger than Jia, but Jack says he's actually close to four. Poor, poor little guy. Jack also says he desperately wants his own family.
After our rest we walked with Jack down town old Changting then came back to the hotel for a banquet dinner. The Director of the Civil Affairs office came and during dinner the previous Director of Civil Arrairs came for a visit. He is the one that made Lili's adoption possible and approved our match.
A majorly exhausting day to say the least. Lili really has taken it all in stride. I'm just so weepy. My eyes are stinging. 11 officials at dinner, 5 directors, most of them smoking, which didn't help my eyes. Lili hates smoke and was hiding her face in my armpit because that smelled better :)
We asked if we could shop for the children but then saw that we might not like the way they live but they don't need anything in particular. They asked for an air conditioner for the play room downstairs. 6000y. Against everything I've read, I agreed, so we went to the bank of China, where they don't know how to get money off my visa. So we had to use the atm and it failed twice. I fear that the bank of China got 1700 yuan from me and there won't be much I can do about it. We were only able to get some out of the atm and ended up giving the SWI 4000y $680 cdn. Felt ok to do it with Jack there, plus I got a receipt she says with total sarcasm.
Lili is worried I'll be up sobbing all night. Perhaps. I do wonder why we've been so guided to be here with Jack, so many coincidents. I told Jack I'd take the cleft boy in a heartbeat, he wasn't surprised at all. This was Eric's fear in me coming here. I held firm and didn't ask his name, birthdate or how long he's been there. Just asked if there were any other health issues. There aren't. How do people work at jobs with these kids. Seriously. The staff call me tender hearted, that's putting it mildly.
I am so THANKFUL for my girls and I'm so happy for them that they got out.
We are up early tomorrow for more sightseeing in Long Yan, cultural center.
From Lili - Very upsetting at the orphanage today. I really want the cleft boy as my brother. He was very sweet. It was weird being with all of the officials today. The food was wild. Jack bought me bananas and buns for my snack tonight and he sent us to our room with pops. Now I'm watching a cool show on tv now about dinasours, it's in Chinese but still cool. I'm glad that my Mom and Dad adopted me from there. Looking forward to going home now. Goodnight.
