China Home Land Tour July 2011: Yongxiu - Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Gloria Hotel was where I stayed ten years ago when I adopted Elizabeth. I had many memories of my week and half stay there. While it has been updated, it still looked pretty much as I remembered. I reminisced with Elizabeth about our time spent in this hotel. It was great for both of us to talk about it.

We left the hotel at 9am to drive to the Yongxiu Social Welfare Institute, located in Yongxiu city/county in Jiangxi Province, about 50 minutes from Nanchang. As we approached Yongxiu City, Elizabeth became very quiet, as she observed the surroundings of the place which could have been her home if I had not adopted her. The city of Yongxiu has a population of around 300/400 thousand people – very small by Chinese standards. Its main activities are growing rice and fishing. The Gan River is an important tributary of the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia (and third in the world). The orphanage is located on a very tiny side street in the poorest section of the city. It overlooks the Gan River, and was rebuilt in 1999, by a European foundation, in conjunction with Save the Children, when the previous orphanage (originally built in 1983) was destroyed by the 1998 Yangtze River flooding. The orphanage is set up with 5 to 6 suites; where a 24/7 caretaker is in charge of 5-6 children in a baby room. Each suite has the baby room, a kitchenette, a bathroom/tub room, and a living room/play area with a TV. This set-up is meant to convey a sense of a small family unit, an idea developed by the European Foundation which funded the rebuilding. There is a large common indoor playing area and an outdoor see-saw and seagull slide. There is a garden area and a pagoda-style gazebo on the Gan River. Also part of the Social Welfare Institute is an old age home. Many of the senior citizens come and play with the orphans; a very beneficial set-up for both groups. The orphanage had around 33 orphans in 2001, and only 20 orphans currently. Most of the orphans are special needs children, some with cleft lip/palate, and others with more severe and non-correctible afflictions. 250+ children have been adopted from this orphanage over the years.

When we arrived at the Yongxiu SWI, firecrackers were set off in order to welcome Elizabeth (Jiang Yong Tong) “home”. A red banner was stretched above the front door, welcoming Yong Tong’s return. A group of people – the orphanage Director (a woman named Deng Lan Xiang), the Assistant Director (a man named Du Chun Sheng), and another official (a woman named Dai Zhi Hong), plus several caretakers, and senior citizens from the old age home next door, clapped and greeted Elizabeth. Elizabeth was very pleased and happy at the welcome. Then the Director and other officials, along with our guide Helen, were ushered into the conference room area. Watermelon, bananas and water were provided for our visit.

Mr. Cai, the Director at the time of Elizabeth’s adoption, has since retired. Elizabeth’s primary caregiver, was identified in pictures provided to me at the time of her adoption. So, were some other orphanage people. However, all of the people identified, have since left. Director Deng told us of the visit a few years ago of Jiu Jiu (now Allison Corbett), who was Elizabeth’s best friend at the orphanage. Allison’s mom, Kristin, is my good friend, who now lives in Maine, and who we will visit in August. Kristin and I have worked hard to keep the two girls connected throughout the last ten years. The Director was aware of this continued connection, and was very thankful for it. She said that Kristin also referred to this special bond between our girls. The Director also showed me the many pictures I supplied the CCAA (the Central Chinese Adoption Agency in Beijing) as part of our post-adoption follow-up over several years. The pictures were of Elizabeth from 20 months (when I adopted her) to age 4, and included pictures of our former home in Charlestown, MA.

I then got to review Elizabeth’s file. There was no note left with Elizabeth, nor an indication of her actual birth date or birth name. But, I discovered several earlier photographs of Elizabeth as a baby and toddler. These were delightful, and I took pictures of these pictures. Everything else in the file I already had, except for a picture of the woman who found Elizabeth at the gate of the orphanage. The Director told me that the file notes from the previous Director, Mr. Cai, indicate that Elizabeth’s nanny really loved and spoiled her. The notes also say Elizabeth was very bright, social, outgoing, and spirited. She was also said to have a temper, and had to be left alone on a chair in order for her to settle down!! These are apt descriptions of Elizabeth today!

We then went to view the suite where Elizabeth lived until she was adopted by me at 20 months. A shy little 3-year old girl stayed by Elizabeth’s side as we toured the facility. In the caretaker’s room was one crib and a medium-size bed (like a toddler bed) that appeared to belong to a 5-6 year old boy. In the baby crib was a 2-day old baby, found the night before at the orphanage gate. Elizabeth was found in the same spot, but at 4 days old. Elizabeth was fascinated by the baby’s tiny size. She asked me what would happen to her. I said she would be adopted, but it was uncertain whether she would stay within China or be adopted internationally. I did not enter a second baby room, but I could see that the children in the cribs were older than toddlers and were restrained. Again, my quick tour seemed to corroborate the reports that there are few healthy babies available in the orphanages now, but many special needs children. We saw several children with clef lip/palate; happily, with the first level of repair work done. The Director pointed out two older special needs children, probably 13/14 years old, who were babies when I last visited to adopt Elizabeth in 2001.

We then went outside, to see the outside play area – there were the seagull slide and see-saw depicted in the pictures I received of Elizabeth. We also saw the lovely view of the Gan River. When I was here last, all this area was dirt, as no landscaping had yet been done around the new building. It was now green, with many plants and flowers, and a path leading to a gazebo overlooking the Gan River. We took several group pictures, with the little 3-year old holding Elizabeth’s hand. Prior to the photos, Elizabeth was given a keepsake, a red thread necklace with a jade carving of a rabbit, indicating she was born in the Year of the Rabbit. It was lovely, and Elizabeth was quite pleased!

We gathered our things, and headed to our vehicles, as the orphanage Director and Assistant Directors were taking us to lunch. Before we left, I took pictures of Elizabeth at the entrance of the orphanage and at her finding spot by the gate.

Lunch was served in a private room of a restaurant nearby. Rebecca and I politely ate a small sampling of the food, but Elizabeth steadfastly refused to eat any food but the white rice. Our hosts toasted us several times with “gan bei” and kind speeches. Several of the men in the group were drinking a type of liquor, and their faces were quite flushed. They kept filling my glass of beer, and I was getting a little “buzzed” myself!

After lunch, we went to the local appliance store to look at refrigerators. The orphanage visit fee I had paid, some of which went back to the SWI, and the additional amount I had given directly to the SWI as a gift, appeared to be enough for the Directors to purchase a medium size refrigerator. The refrigerator was purchased, to be delivered to the SWI later, I was heartedly thanked, and my two girls were photographed with Assistant Director Du in front of the gift. We were very pleased to be able to answer one of the SWI’s needs.

I took one final picture of Elizabeth with Director Deng, and Assistant Director Du, we said our goodbyes and then headed back to Nanchang. Elizabeth said that she enjoyed her orphanage visit very much, and felt satisfied with what she had learned. She also stated that she was glad I adopted her, and that now she lived in the U.S.

While waiting for my friend Ginger and her daughters to arrive back at the Gloria Hotel, we toured around the hotel premises and reminisced with Elizabeth. We met a group of 9 Canadian families from the Toronto and Montreal areas, who had adopted their little Jiangxi girls, after a 5-year wait! I had waited for what seemed like a long 17 months in 2001 when I received Elizabeth, and 11 months for Rebecca. It was wonderful to see the formation of so many new families.

Ginger and her girls arrived, they dropped off their luggage, and we headed to the nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken to eat dinner, and to discuss our respective days. Hannah’s orphanage visit had also gone very well, and they got to meet the woman who fostered Hannah for nearly 10 months.

After dinner, we went to bed, as we were leaving at 7:30am to head to the Nanchang Airport, and start our voyage home to Boston!