Marjorie-More photos from my camera phone

I was finally able to connect my phone to the internet and send the photos to my iPad. Here they are with some explanations...

Lottery Hotel entrance in Nanning where we "got" Malissa.  We found out from the orphanage director that this was where they brought the children to meet us.  

The lobby of the Lottery Hotel.

The door we walked through to get into the meeting room on the 2nd floor at the Lottery Hotel.  We were not able to go into the room since it is now an office and it was locked.  

The staff that we gave the gift of the digital camera to in the craft room.  The woman on the left is holding the camera.  

Malissa's Finding Ad. Hers is the one with the check mark.

A photo of the copied page they gave to us.  

Marjorie-Orphanage visit!

Today was the orphanage visit and what this journey has been all about-to meet the people who knew Malissa her first year of life and to get some questions answered.  

We drove up to the orphanage-a huge white and yellow building about 6 stories high.  It was in the shape of a U with a courtyard/playground in the middle.  We walked into a large foyer area along the front and right side of the U shape.  Right away we were greeted by a man ( a guard?) who led us deeper into the foyer and into a hall that ran along the courtyard.  In this hall we met the director of the orphanage, Director Yang.   She was the doctor when Malissa was there.  Right away she recognized Malissa saying she could see the same eyes, but her face was a lot rounder when she was a baby.  

In the photo below Director Yang is the woman in black sitting next to Malissa.  The other two women are a few of the nannies who were in the orphanage when Malissa was there.  Unfortunately the nanny, Ms. Chen, who was Malissa's primary caregiver and is now the Director of Children's Affairs works in another facility, could not be there.  I was very disappointed by that since she would be the one who had the most information for us.  Also, the previous vice director and director of the orphanage, Ms. Zeng and Mr. Chen, no longer work there.  They also could not be there.  

Through our interpreter we asked Ms. Zeng many questions about Malissa, but she did not seem to know most of the information.  For example, did she know how Malissa got a scar on her ankle?  Why was she not put in foster care when so many other girls in our group were placed in a home?  When did she have her firsts, such as sitting up and teeth?  What other children were in her room with her?  Why was she named Ke Xing?  They would not let us take a photo of the file, but they did let us take notes while Cindy, our interpreter, told us what was written.

We did, though, get a bit of information that we did not know before.  For example, she was found at 7:20 am (different from what the police officer told us).  The children had their own cribs, so no cribmates-although during the day they may have been placed together at times.  The children left the orphanage once in a while to socialize with the public and some photos we have of Malissa in a walker (I told you about it a few days ago) was actually in the city center in a park near the hotel we stayed at, not in the courtyard of the elderly care facility.  The girls were also taken to the hospital several times for physical exams and bloodwork.  We also got to see the Finding Ad from a local newspaper that is required in an effort to try to find the birth parents or a relative.  It basically said an infant girl by the name Min Ke Xing was found on August 22, 2002.  She was born on August 22, 2002.  It then names the address of where she was found.  They gave me a copy so when I get home I will make a copy to share with you since it has a lot of Finding Ads in it, and I am sure one of the girls we traveled with 11 years ago has her ad in it.

At this point in the visit they got out a white scrapbook and asked Malissa to put her hand prints in red ink into the book then write her Chinese name and American name.  She struggled writing her Chinese name in the correct way so Ms. Zeng helped her.  

They then gave Malissa a gift of a certificate stating that she visited and a craft made by one of the students from the orphanage.  A lot photos I cannot share with you because I took some on my camera phone, and I am not able to download those yet due to the lack of internet service on my phone.  When I get those downloaded I will share those with you.  We also donated a gift to the orphanage, a digital camera.  They bought the camera and they gave us a receipt for it, then we gave an envelope with money in it to cover the cost.

Once we were done in the craft room we asked to visit with some of the children.  They said we could but  we could not take any photos.  A room next door had about 10 special needs children who were watching a cartoon.  They were excited to see us and began to talk to us in Chinese.  Of course we could not understand them but we sat down with them, held their hands, and did a lot of smiling.  One girl, Rio Xiao, in particular captured my heart.  She had cerebral palsy, and we were told that she was in the orphanage and in the same room as Malissa when Malissa was there.  We were told when she came in and for many years after she was not able to move at all.  Once they moved to the new facility in 2012, they had more room and access to rehabilitation services.  Rio Xiao made great gains and now moves quite well with a walker and can even talk a little now.  She had a beautiful face and smile.  Malissa sat next to her and they held hands for awhile.  

Soon after we walked into the courthyard/playground.  We walked around while a few of the children followed us out.  It became too warm and muggy to stay long so we walked back into the craft room where they asked Malissa to play on their keyboard.  She did it after some prodding.  I think they were as proud of Malissa and I was.  Their faces were beaming and all of them were taking pictures of Malissa while she played.  

Soon after, our visit came to an end since it was lunch time for the students and the staff had to return to their duties.  The visit seemed too short and we did not get nearly enough information, but we still feel blessed to have had the opportunity to make this journey into Malissa's first year of life.  

Right after leaving the orphanage we headed to the airport to catch a plane to Shanghai, where we are right now.  We are meeting up once again with our tour group to hear about their experiences at their orphanages.  When we can we will share some more.  

Marjorie-QinZhou!!!

We are finally here!  This is the pinnacle of our journey.  We arrived around 1:30 this afternoon, ate lunch, checked into the hotel, then waited in the lobby around 3:00 to meet the police officer, Officer Lou, who was called to the scene of a found baby--our Malissa!  

As we were waiting in the lobby I was beginning to get nervous-would he not remember anything, would he think he was wasting his time meeting with us, would he try to make our meeting as short as possible?  At exactly 3:00 pm he walked into the lobby and walked right up to us.  He seemed a little nervous, but he was very friendly and a lot younger than I thought he would be.  My guess is he was in his late 30's.  

We introduced ourselves and sat down on the lobby couch.  Right away I began to pepper him with questions and Cindy, our guide, interpreted what I was saying.  I began by asking if he remembered anything of the day Malissa was found.  He remembered that she was found in the evening after dinner time.  It was a very busy area in front of a Karaoke Entertainment Center.  A call came in through the emergency number-110-and he was told by the operator to go to that spot.  He found Malissa on a grassy median between two lanes of traffic.  She was wrapped in a cloth.  He remembers taking her to the orphanage right away and giving her to the staff there.  

He then led us in his car, with us following in our van, to the finding spot.  He parked in front of a small convient store and apartment buildings.  We got out and he pointed to an area with grown trees and shrubbery where Malissa was found.  He said the area has changed considerably since that fateful day in August of 2002.  The karaoke building is no longer there and has been replaced with the stores and apartment stores.  Below is a picture of the area.  

The photo below is the place directly across from the stores where Malissa was found.  

He said trees and shrubs were not there at that time.  There was only grass.  Behind these trees are apartment buildings that were there at the time Malissa was found.  We walked to the median and found a short dirt path between the trees.  While there we looked for an item Malissa could take as a keepsake of her finding spot.  She found a snail that was about 2 inches long.  Hopefully this will help Malissa feel like she is taking a little piece of her homeland and birth mother with her back home to America.  Below is the photo of her finding the snail.

It took everything in me to not break down and cry.  It was very emotional for me to be talking to the earliest known person who had contact with Malissa.  He was very kind and patient with us.  He shared as much with us as he knew and even shared that he has a daughter the same age and height as Malissa.  He said he has taken a few other babies to the orphanage, and one was found not too far from this same spot.  Malissa, though, was the first one that has come back to the spot and met with him.  

We ended up taking photos together in front of the finding spot, and he even wanted to have a photo taken with his camera phone.  It was so sweet because when our guide was taking the photo with his camera he took Malissa's hand in his hand just a father would do.  We gave him a gift and said our good-byes.  Below is one of the photos our guide took with our camera.

Once we parted ways with Officer Lou, our guide took us to the old orphanage where he dropped off Malissa.  It is now a hotel in the front and an elder care facitlity in the back.  We were not allowed to go into the elderly care portion since it was past visiting hours, but we took a few photos through the archway into the courtyard.  We have a few photos of Malissa in a walker in the courtyard so I wanted to see what that looked like today.  The trees have grown up considerably and it looks quite different.  I took some photos with my camera phone, but I can't get my phone to connect to the internet so I will have to share those with you later.

The portion of the facitilty that housed the children is now a hotel, but a woman at the front desk allowed us to walk up to the 3rd and 4th floor of the building where the babies slept.  Those floors are all hotel rooms now, but we were able to go into a sitting room area on the 3rd floor.  Under a window in that area they had linoleum nailed to the wall that I recognized.  We have a photo of Malissa when she was in the orphanage playing on the floor.  The linoleum Malissa was sitting on was the same as the linoleum that was nailed to the wall.  I know it is a small thing, but to me it is a big thing since it is a connection to Malissa's early life.

Malissa and I are now in the hotel room for the evening and resting up for the orphanage visit tomorrow.  Soon after the orphanage visit we will head back to Nanning to catch a flight to Shanghai.  There we will meet up with the rest of the group and share our experiences.  Please pray for us that our orphanage visit goes well.  

Marjorie-Nanning!

We are in Nanning!  We were picked up at the airport by our tour guide and a private van since it is now just Malissa and me.  The drive took about 45 minutes and most of the scenery looked unfamiliar. The city has changed so much since Mike and I were here 11 years ago.  Once we got close to the hotel I was beginning to recognize a few sites.  The bridges over the river that separates the northern and southern part of the city look the same.  Also the tree lined side streets surrounding the hotel look the same.  

We asked our guide, Cindy, to take us to the Civil Affairs building since I thought that was where we met Malissa for the first time.  The building, though, is not what I remember.  The photo below is the front of the building.  If any of my travel buddies out there remember the name of the building where we received our little girls, please share it with me so Cindy can take us there.

I remember a building with an awning similar to this but a lot more steps.   Also, it seems like the bus was able to pull up right in front of the building along the street.  This building is behind a gate and we had to get permission to walk up to it by a security guard.  I don't remember any of that.  

We arrived at the hotel soon after our stop at the Civil Affairs building.  The lobby looks exactly how I remember it with its majestic stairway and fountain.

Our room number at the hotel, Malissa noticed, is her "Gotcha Day"--914 (September 14th)!  It is not the same room we had 11 years ago, but it looks exactly the same, even down to the furniture.  I have a few  photos at home of Malissa crawling around the room and the television stand and the desk are the same.  The last time we were facing the street side, but now we are overlooking the back of the hotel with the pool and the People's Park close by.  So many memories are flooding back to me and all are wonderful!  Strolling throught the park with the other families and our babies in their strollers, swimming in the pool, meeting other families in the lobby by the fountain, eating in nearby restaurants, feediing Malissa her first meal in our hotel room, watching her peaceful face while she slept in the crib next to us, etc.

Now that we have had a chance to rest in our room we will meet up with Cindy again to do some more sight seeing.  I'll share more later.

p.s. Happy birthday to my brother, Russ!

Marjorie-Cormorant fishing

I had to share a video I recorded last night while we were on a lake cruise in Guilin. It is of a fisherman using a cormorant bird to fish.   

Marjorie-Yi River and caves

At the moment we are having a rare break during the day so I thought I would take advantage of it to add a few photos and let you know how we are doing.  Malissa and I are having a good time, but are beginning to get a bit weary.  There is so much to do and very little time to rest.  Also I am not feeling the best today.  I think the heat, eating so many different foods, or possibly accidentally drinking some local water is playing havoc on my digestive system.  I have been very careful about not drinking any tap water and to not even brush my teeth with the water, but it is difficult to not get any water in my mouth while taking a shower.  I am not bad, but it is slowing me down a bit.  Another mom is experiencing similar symptoms, but fortunately the children are doing fine.

Yesterday was one of my favorite days so far.  We took a river cruise down the Yi River to view the incredible mountains.  It was difficult to refrain from taking photos constantly.  I had to force myself to just sit back and take it all in.  The day was sunny, hot, and extremely humid, so at one point I just sat on the deck under my umbrella with some local rice wine while I soaked in the passing mountains.  

Below is a photo of one such scenery that is on the back of the 20 yuan.  

In the next photo you can see the bamboo boats that are common on the river.  Many of them with the local farmers paddle up to the cruise boats to sell their wares of fruits and vegetables.  We also saw fishermen with cormorant birds tied to the boat.  They have trained the birds to swim under the water and bring back fish.  There are many Chinese famous paintings with the bamboo boat and fishermen with their birds with the Guilin mountains in the background.  

After we debarked off the cruise boat we walked through a local village to visit a widow in her home.  We were able to see how the local people live.  This woman's house was 400 years and was passed down from one generation to another.   The photo below shows the outside of her house with our group.   The woman with her granddaughter are front and center.  

Then we all were able to take a bamboo boat ride for 2 people down another river (I can't remember the name of it) that lasted about 1.5 hours.  Malissa and I were propelled down the river by a local man standing at the back of the boat.  He had a long bamboo pole that was pushed along the river bottom.  Every one was passing us and you could hear the poor guy struggling.  We even offered one of our waters to him since we were afraid he was going to have a heat stroke.  Along the river there were several rapids which were quite fun and refreshing since we got splashed, but once he lost his bamboo pole so we went through the rapids sideways until another boat with a passenger picked it up and gave it back to him.  That was a scary experience, but we survived!

Today we were able to climb Fubo Mountain (or I should say most of the group did since I stayed at the bottom and rested).  The local guide we have has a very strong accent so it can be very difficult to understand her.  It kept sounding like she was saying football mountain.  Malissa did make it to the top and took a photo of the city with a mountain poking out of the middle of it.  Below is the photo.

We also went to Reed Flute cave to look at the formations.  It seems the Chinese like to use their imagination since every time we turned around the guide was pointing out what the formation looked like to them-animals, food, curtains, people, houses, witches, etc.  They also pointed out the shapes of mountains and what they looked like to them.   Below is one mountain that they call Nine White Horses since they see nine horses.  They say the more you see the more imagination and intelligence you have.  She told us Nixon was here and could see no horses, but when Clinton was here he could see eleven.  How many do you see?  I saw 5, while Malissa saw six.  I guess we know who is the smarter one between the two of us now!

Tomorrow morning early we are off to Nanning!  Hopefully we will get to see the Civil Affairs Office where Mike and I met Malissa for the first time.  Then the next day, QinZhou!  

Happy 4th of July!

Malissa-the view from our hotel room!

Marjorie-Photos to share

Ear cleaning in Chengdu Park.

Sichuan Opera

Chengdu Panda Preserve.  This is Mei Ling, a panda born in the United States.  

Malissa eating some more ice cream at Jingling, the old Chengdu street with traditional architecture. 

Marjorie-Panda day!

At the moment we are sitting in the airport waiting to board our flight to Guilin.  Earlier today we set off early to the Chengdu Panda Preserve.  What a beautiful facitlity!  Bamboo everywhere, winding paths through the bamboo forests, and of course pandas.  We were able to see at least 20 pandas and even a newborn in an incubator.  Unfortunately I packed the connector to download the photos onto my iPad in my checked luggage so I cannot share any photos yet.  As soon as I can I will share them with you.  We spent the whole morning there then went to an authentic Sichuan dinner-very spicy!  I could not eat most of the food since I am not into torturing myself while I am eating.  

Yesterday we strolled through a park in Chengdu and had quite a cultural shock.  As we were sitting down to relax, men kept coming up to us to offer an ear cleaning.  Yes, I said an ear cleaning!  Obviously we balked at the idea of an ear cleaning, but were more than willing to watch others get their ears cleaned.  The "ear cleaner" would stick a metal wire into the ear of the "ear cleanee" trying to dislodge any wax, then he would insert a long tweezer to  pull out the flakes of ear wax.  It was quite disgusting, but at the same time spellbinding.  

We found out that Chengdu is known for three things: relaxation, spicy food, and spicy girls!  Supposedly the Chengdu girls are the most beautiful in all of China.  There were some beautiful women, but I am not sure they were any more beautiful than other parts of China that we have been to so far.  

Also, yesterday in the evening we attended a Sichuan Opera Show.  It was quite the experience.  First of all the performers come out in full makeup with white faces and bright eye make up.  The costumes were in full Chinese regalia and very elaborate.  Then one of the women began to sing.  It was not the beautiful soprano voice of my daughter-in-law, Elise, but rather a screeching noise that reminded me of a mating cat.  Once again while we were watching the show we were offered an ear cleaning or a massage.  I was tempted by the massage, but the thought of a massage in public, and while I was already extremely tired didn't sound like a good idea.

Time to get ready to board the plane so good-bye for now.  When I can I will add some photos.  Off to Guilin, Guangxi (Malissa's province-getting close to the orphanage portion of our journey)!