Today has definitely been the best day of our trip so far (other than actually getting Kohl). We were able to visit the orphanage where Kohl lived before going to his foster family and a little while after before we got him.
We already knew a little about the orphanage because after we were matched we did some research and so we already knew that the orphanage system in this city was in the top 10 of orphanages in all of China. When we arrived we met with the director and were able to ask any questions we wanted. We had already had 2 other times meeting her and asking questions so there wasn't much else we could think of.
Next, she led us on a tour of the orphanage and one thing is clear- Kohl is a very popular little guy!!! Everyone (and I mean everyone) knew who he was and they were so excited to meet us and to know what kind of family he was joining. We met some of the ladies who had been his nannies. A couple of them cried while meeting us and telling him good-bye. They thanked us over and over for providing him with a good home and a future. They wanted us to know that they believed in Christ and that they were glad he would have Christian parents!
It was a very emotional day to see where he has come from. Of course it was also hard to see the many children still waiting in the orphanage. There are over 100 living in the orphanage, but there are many more in the foster care villages of the orphanage about an hour away. All of the children were so precious and I tried to show some attention, if only for a minute or two, to as many of them as I could as we toured.
Overall, were very impressed with the facilities at the orphanage. It was very obvious that the children are well cared for in this orphanage and that they genuinely love the children. I'm so grateful to all the workers at this orphanage for loving on our sweet Kohl until we could get to him. Here are some pictures from the orphanage.
One of Kohl's nannies- she was crying as she spoke with us and told him bye. She took care of him before he went to the foster home. Once he left she and her husband drive an hour to the foster home to visit him.
The older lady in this picture has been working at the orphanage longer than anyone. She has worked there for 30 years and is like the children's grandmother.
Where the babies sleep
One of the classrooms
After the orphanage we got to experience a neat tea tasting experience. It was very interesting to learn about the various local teas made here in Yunnan province.
Next, we came back to our hotel and ate leftover pizza and tried to get Kohl down to nap. We ran out of time because the hotel had a fire drill scheduled so we left and made a trip to WalMart to try to find some long-sleeved onesies. If you think WalMart in America is crazy sometimes please come and see it in China. There are people everywhere! There are workers all over the place, many with microphone headsets and they are hawking whatever item is in their section. It was very different from back home. Somehow Kohl managed to fall asleep and took a great nap all through Walmart and on our walk back. We never found onesies, but we did find a long sleeve shirt that will work. I only packed a few long sleeve items for him and here in Kunming they keep the children very bundled up. Most of the adults are even wearing long sleeves and jackets. And here are Chris and me in short sleeves and Chris even had on shorts. We've gotten some glares from people probably because wasn't as bundled up as they thought he needed to be, but no worries, he was fine!
This evening we visited a local church and then finally a restaurant I had been looking for since Monday called Salvatore's. It is a coffee shop and restaurant, but it serves western food. We both had really great burgers and homemade french fries. They also had ice cream and cold Cokes! (Not everywhere has cokes and some that do serve them room temperature). So we are excited to have this place close and we will be back for sure!
We are definitely making progress with Kohl getting use to mommy. I'm still feeding him and changing him and today he also opened up a lot more when we were playing. We are very encouraged and know that it is something that is just going to take our patience.
Sorry this post has been so long! We did a lot today! Thursday we are going to an Ethnic Village in Kunming that has all the different minorities here. The Yunnan province is one of (if not the most) diverse province in all of China. Friday we will get Kohl's Chinese passport and leave for Guangzhou in the afternoon. Thanks for all the prayers and encouraging words! Keep 'me coming!
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