#29 Hello Family
This a.m., my phone's weather report read: 27F/unhealthy. Looking out the window at the snow & smog confirmed both. Our trip to the orphanage was postponed...which left no plans for the day. Spent our 1st "free" morning (evening in USA) meeting some of MM's family thanks to FaceTime & Skype. Many had been waiting to see the little man "Live From ZhengZhou." Chan beamed as each fell instantly in love with MM. His humongous new family is ready to give him humongous love!! Ate brunch @ 10 then napped, played in the hall with other families, a Walmart run, fitted out clothes for MM pass out extras and/or packing them for orphanage. Five families went to dinner together--chaotic & fun time. MM fought sleep but Chan & I welcomed it!
# 30 Orphanage/Luoyang
Chan wanted to learn everything she possible could about her son so off we went on an over 2 hour drive to the two orphanages MM spent his first two years. She found a wealth of info!! First the Welfare Institute run by the gov't housing @600 kids with a 10 to 1 nanny ratio. Though very clean & decorated, it was not heated. MM lived here the last 6 months. Adjacent to that one was Maria's House...a branch of New Hope run & funded by US Christian NGO. Here MM lived for 1 & half yr & got lots of tender care right after his initial operation. Chan cried when she meet MM's main sweet nanny & the American doctor who'd given him such good care. Chan knew MM's intestines were pushed up into his lung which is why he has a big zipper strip on his abdomen --but can you imagine the shock to find out his heart is on the other side & flipped around! Dr. Said it seems to be no problem--how can that be??? His Dr. and the director (whose husband was super attached to MM) walked Chan out to the van where I was entertaining & being entertained by MM. They we so thrilled to see him. Feeling was mutual. Hugs & Pictures galore. Contact info & stories were exchanged. Both Chan & Dr. had a heartfelt appreciation for each other: Chan for the Dr. who cared for & nurtured young, sickly MM and the Dr for Chan for giving him a new life in a loving home!! We rode past the hospital where MM had been abandoned--his finding spot. Then headed back to his new life!!!
#31 Tidbits
Our ride to Luoyang gave me the opportunity to pepper our CCAI rep, Tina with lots of questions:
-Apartment cost $2300 per sq meter
-Most apartments are shared by 2 generations
-Few retirement homes as it is frowned on to have parents there
-the hundreds of apartment building going up (Counted 35 in @ 5 min drive) are private investors & will most likely not be occupied for a while. (Same story we heard 4 yrs ago.)
-Cars cost between $3300 & $17,000
-Average wage is $400-500 per month
-As far as TIna knew:
No Chinese have adopted American kids.
Most kids in orphanages had special needs.
Chinese can adopt from orphanage at no cost but few do.
Chinese can adopt from other Chinese families at a cost but few do.
-Crops in field now are wheat & the same field will be planted to corn with both harvested in the same year.
-Drove by several homes build into the side of clay hills.
-Also drove by several men sweeping with bamboo brooms along the expressway--what an endless job!
-And a bit of humor: When MM spits food out, Chan tells him, "No, No--Don't you know there's starving children in China!!"
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
