Last day in Taiyuan, Shanxi

Today was our last day in Kelley's Province, Shanxi.  We ate our normal buffet breakfast, but she didn't eat much.  I think she knows something is up since all of the suitcases are out and half packed.  Dan and Kelley returned to the room to finish packing and watch cartoons.  I went with Anna to the Orphanage and Kelley's village.  

Her village is very close to the orphanage and was about a 45 minute drive from the hotel.  We drove thru some major construction zones.  They are building up the area for new factories and there was rubble everywhere.  We just stopped in front of her village and I took a few pictures without going inside.  At this point, there was very little traffic, just bicycles and scooters. 

We moved on a short distance to the orphanage to meet Grandma, Grandpa & Kelley's Aunt, who works at the orphanage.  I was told the rules:  no pictures inside, just the office and outside.  I was only allowed on one floor to see the babies.  There was a room with a big touch computer desk that had two toddlers with two caregivers (good odds).  There was a room with freshly abandoned babies (6-8) that are observed for two weeks for medical issues.  There was even a baby in an incubator in the room.  The next three rooms were for infants (6-8) under a year old that were lying in cribs.  All of the rooms and the hallway were very happy.  Pretty colors on the walls, mobiles hanging from the ceilings and bright curtains.  I'm not sure what was on the other floors, but they were quiet.  The orphanage was not very big; they can only watch 100 children.  The rest are offsite in foster families.

I went to the office and met the orphanage officials that came to the Civil Affairs office on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt were there, too.  We hugged and she cried many times.  Grandma hand made an ornately embroidered foot stamp for Kelley.  She also gave me some dates and strong smelling vegetables to be cut up and served with food...similar to a pepper, but looked sort of like a fig.  I left them in the hotel, because it is illegal to transport non-commercial products, like meat and fruits, into the united states.  There is a fine up to $5,000 and possible jail time if caught. 

She cares very much for Kelley and wants  her to be happy and healthy in a family that loves her.  She made me promise to send regular updates, which I was going to do anyways.  I showed her some pictures and video of Kelly smiling, laughing and running around that were taken in the past few days.  She showed me some pictures of Kelly and her two foster siblings that played together all of the time.  She also showed me a video of Kelley dancing around the room to music.  She was definitely loved and happy.

I asked Anna why they didn't adopt her.  She didn't know for sure, but most families can't afford to adopt and raise a child on their own.  The Government pays the family to foster and they pay the medical bills.  Grandma, 54, stays at home and Grandpa, 58, is a farmer.  Their daughter in law works at the orphanage and they were a perfect foster family.  Anna also said that many adopting families tell the orphanage that they will send updates and don't.  That makes it difficult for them to find foster families. 

Overall, the experience was heart warming and I'm glad I went.  On our way out, we took one last picture together in front of the orphanage.  Grandma slipped me 100RMB to keep as a souvenir for Kelley to remember her past.  When she is older, we will share picture with her and be sure she remembers where she came from. 

We went back to the hotel to wait for two hours and then it was time to head back to the airport.  Dan was very nervous that she would have a meltdown...like Kimmy did when we left Hunan four years ago.  We did pretty good in the airport waiting for our flight.  She was happy and played on the tablet and ran around some.  She took off a time or two, but Dan was able to outrun her and bring her back. 

We boarded the plane and took off.  She fell asleep within the first 20 minutes and we thought we were in the clear.  About an hour into the flight she woke up and panicked, screaming for Nye-Nye.  That lasted about 10 minutes and then we got her calmed down with some snacks and coloring.  Then the tears started again and last till she fell asleep about 20 minutes before the plane landed.  Everybody around us was trying to calm her down.  The man in front of us, turned around and yelled at her at one time.  The flight attendants brought her orange juice and snacks, but nothing worked...except sleep. 

She was in a daze when we got off the plane and found our bags and guide, Lucia.  She took us to the Garden Hotel, another high end hotel, except this one caters to adopting families.  We settled in and she was out like a light.  Our room is a family suite, with a bedroom, living room and bath.  There was a small gift waiting for Kelley from the hotel.  We are on the main land and very close to shopping and restaurants.  I am still without access to the blog, but am using a friend to post every day. 

The White Swan, another adoption family hotel, is under construction and being rebuilt from the ground up.  The only hotel left on the island is the Victory, where we stayed when we adopted Kimmy.  Lucia said most of the shops have closed and there is similar shopping by our hotel.  Guanzhou will be hosting a large trade show for business men selling all sorts of products and merchandise.  The show starts next  Tuesday and people will be arriving soon to set up.  The trade show is at an expo center on a different island.

Tomorrow morning we will head to the medical exam.  There is a serious of doctors who will exam and draw blood from Kelley.  It is to show that she doesn't have a communicable disease and can be allowed to enter the United States.  Afterwards, we will stop at a grocery store for some water and snacks and explore around the hotel.