Alisha's Orphanage

We were out the door bright and early this morning to travel to Qichun to visit Alisha's orphanage. It was a 3 hour ride from Wuhan. Alisha did great. Remember, there are no car seats in China, so she played on our laps and even napped a bit. Of course, the Cheerios and Gerbers are still a big hit!

Once we got off the highway, we started to see a different China than the other 2 cities. We were on dirt roads through a lot of farming communities. We even saw a farmer using an Ox to pull a tractor and to Jerry's surprise he was talking on a cell phone while working.

After being with Alisha for a few days, I was torn about taking Alisha away from the only family she has known, her home, country and culture. Once I saw the Qichun village, I realized that we truly are doing what is best for her. The village itself is very small with a school, some buildings and a few stores. Everything seemed very old and not very structurally sound (if you know what I mean).

We arrived at the orphanage and met the orphanage director, the director of children and the head nanny. They were very nice and told us the history of the orphanage. It was established in the 1950's. Presently 40 children are connected to the orphanage but all of them live with foster families. All of the foster families work for the orphanage. They have a working farm which grows mostly vegatables to feed the children and the foster families. Most of the children are adopted internationally and the few that remain have severe disabilities and will stay with their foster families for most of their lives.

They showed us around the complex which consisted of a few baby rooms, a medical clinic and offices. It was very chilly and the complex has no heat. They were concerned that Alisha was cold. Of course she was cold, we all were cold.

After the tour, we headed to Alisha's finding spot. For me, this was the hardest part of our trip. But Jerry and I knew this was something we needed to do. Alisha was left at the gate of a middle school not far from the orphanage. The nanny said there are some small hospitals in the area where she probably gave birth. I stood there for a long time taking it all in. I wanted to always remember that spot so that we could share our feelings with Alisha when she gets older.

Upon our return to the orphanage, they had a lunch prepared in their dining room. Each day the orphanage workers have lunch together. The meal was good and it consisted of many vegetables they grow on their land. They had a special egg made for Alisha which she loved.

We headed back to Wuhan and before coming back to the hotel we stopped at the Civil Affairs Office to pick up our official Adoption Certificate. Although, we already know Alisha is our little girl, it was overwhelming to see it in print including her new name. All that needs to be done tomorrow is to get Alisha's passport and we are headed to Guangzhou to fulfill our final US requirements (yes, more paperwork).

It was an emotional day for all of us. We are thankful to the person who found Alisha, the orphanage staff for taking her in and her wonderful foster family for loving her and taking such amazing care of her this past year. We also want to send a BIG thank you to Diana at Madison Adoption Agency who was our guiding angel through this journey.

Thank you to everyone who has posted comments. This journey has taken us far away from all of our friends and family. It helps to know you are all following along with us. Keep the comments coming!