Today Mitch and Mitchell took a trip out to the Fuzhou Orphanage. It was a two-hour drive from Nanchang. Their description of the drive was hilarious. They said there were no shocks on the car, and they beeped the whole way, zipped around police cars and drove right through the middle of work zones. The roads were totally filled with potholes and so dirty that they couldn't even see the lines. Mitch says he saw his life pass before his eyes many times. :-)
There were cows tied to trees the whole way along the way. (Before I describe this next part, remember from a previous blog where I said the streets are packed with old mopeds and bicycles, and they are pulling carts and hauling things piled high?) Well, they saw a guy on a moped hauling planks of wood piled 6 feet high on each side of him. He could just see straight out through the planks to drive. They saw one moped with a really long rope hanging behind it with a guy on a broken down moped way behind holding onto the rope; and a bicycle with pieces of plastic piled so high they couldn't understand how it could balance. You have to understand, these things are on the streets and highways mixed right in with cars, trucks, and double-decker buses. It’s unbelievable how they survive.
At the orphanage they were taken to a board room and shown a file of Faith's papers - some we have, some we don't. There was a photo of her when she was a newborn. (Mitch took a picture of the photo)
They met the lady who found her when she was abandoned.
She said Faith was wrapped in a simple blanket lying in a box by the gate of the orphanage and she found her on her way into work early one morning. This is Faith’s “finding place.”
When Faith was a newborn, she stayed in the baby room of the old orphanage building, but Mitch & Mitchell were not allowed into it because it was closed and empty now that they've moved into the new building. (Mitch took a few pictures through the windows.)
They learned that she had been staying with a retired orphanage worker, her adult son, and his son, in a 100-square-yard apartment. Mitch asked if they could see the apartment, and they said no because the worker is completely retired now. Faith was the last child she was fostering.
This next shot may look like a random photo, but it is not. If you remember my earlier posts, there was a picture of Faith standing by a metal railing in a hallway of the orphanage. This is Mitchell walking down that same hallway.
The woman in charge of the kids' paperwork at the orphanage took them out to lunch. They went to... you guessed it... a Chinese restaurant. They tried to be very polite, so they ate duck feet, steamed egg, some type of gray slime, and something they described as spaghetti with fish eyes. :-) (We'll let you know tomorrow how that all pans out.)
So it was a worthwhile trip and they took lots of pictures around the city so that Faith will have them some day.
Tomorrow we are supposed to go to an area park with our guide but Mitch is on the phone right now getting us excused from the outing. We don't really want to head out again. ONE MORE DAY TILL WE LEAVE FOR GUANGZHOU !!
OK… so Faith can now say "Barney." Hooray, an English word! She understands when we say "put it in your backpack" and "put it in the trash." She peels little jellies open with her teeth and dumps the jelly in her congee.
You know I told you she has to have her shoes on all the time? Well, the boys are trying to train her to go barefoot and when they take her shoes off she yells, "High-Dee, High-Dee" (Chinese word for shoes). Mitchell just said to her, "Oh, take your stinking high-dees off!"
She was so tired this afternoon, she fell asleep sitting up on the floor:
With big brother, Matthew
Dad, the boys want you to know we visited a Chinese "bavillion" yesterday, but that they like the ones at the Morrisons Cove Park better.
Mom, guess what? We had a fifty dollar bill rejected today because there was a mark on the corner of it! Insane, huh?
Lisa and Sue, we can't wait for those grilled cheese and Pringles!!
When the guys left today I started to cry. Knowing it was 9pm there, I wished I could get on AIM and talk to some of Mitchell's friends, but I didn't know how. Stephen, I told Mitchell I would even have settled for talking to you… ha ha. Mitchell feels they should be counted for double school days because they've been traipsing all over China by day, and watching Discovery Channel all night. He says they've been racking up lots of educational television credits.
Tomorrow is half-way-to-home day. Praise the Lord! I miss you Christian and Gracie!!
Love you all,
Miss you like crazy!
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