A visit to the Fuling Children’s Welfare Institution of Chongqing

I apologize for the long delay in blogging. After 2 very grueling days of travel from early morning to late evening visiting the orphanage and the Buddhist carvings at Dazu, both kids and your favorite blogger became quite ill and have been recovering for several days. One of my most terrifying parental moments ever was carrying a very sick Libby who had a 103 temp from the hotel in Chongching through the airport, onto the plane, off the plane in Guangzhou and into the white swan hotel all between 7 and 11 PM while she alternately was burning up and shivering with fever. It was horrifying. After sleeping it off for a couple of days she seems to have recovered and we have basically been sitting around the white swan hotel sneezing, coughing, and blowing our noses in harmony like a barber shop quartet of snot. All of this makes me feel a little like dispensing some advice for our adoptive parent friends (or any parent) who plans to travel with kids.

First, Take it easy. Your friends, spouse and/or agency may encourage you to do a lot of touring. Ours did, for some reason they want you to see everything in the province in the 5 or 6 days you are visiting. And as you are sitting at home it is easy to get caught up in the touring aspect of the adoption trip. We were busy in Beijing, and it was okay because we were basically waiting for gotcha day, and the touring was a very pleasant distraction. After getting Owen, however, the continued breakneck pace of travel I believe contributed to our kids (and me) getting very sick. If I had to do it over again, I would have taken it a bit more easy. Also, don’t be afraid to cancel on your guides. We have, and it’s been wonderful to simply sleep in and enjoy some quite hotel time with the family, well, wonderful in a coughy, sneezy, snotty sort of way.

Some indispensable items we brought…the headlamp and the Starbucks instant coffee have been a godsend. I have started just about every morning by strapping on the headlamp and making myself a cup of coffee in the quiet early morning as I sit and write this blog free of distraction. As soon as the kids are up its by by blogging.

Okay enough of that. It’s been too long since checking in with all of you and as you can see I was a little backed up. Before I start with the orphanage tour that we took last week, let me just say that Owen continues to be an absolutely amazing boy, full of smiles and giggles, and he and his sister continue to get along very well. Our hotel quarantine has forced the family togetherness, but it has really worked out well. Now that we are in Guangzhou until Friday (I think it’s Tuesday, but honestly I’m not exactly sure). I am ready to come home now. I am honestly rather tired of trying to make formula in the bathroom sink with water that you can’t drink and living with 4 people in a tiny hotel room is actually way less fun than I thought it would be. Okay. Enough again. My apologies.

The day after family day we were lucky enough to visit the Fuling Children’s Welfare Institution of Chongqing. It was a wonderful experience. First of all it’s a very nice place. Libby’s orphanage was very nice by Chinese standards, Owen’s orphanage is very nice by American Standards. After being cooped up in a bus for 2 hours, Libby jumped off the bus and ran toward the play area and played with a couple of the orphanage kids for a while. When we went inside, the nannies that greeted us snatched Owen away from Kristin…no easy feat let me tell you, and it was very clear that he recognized them and that they shared an emotional bond. We got to visit the room where little Lejun spent the first year of his life, with about 30 other kids swaddled in cribs tightly packed together in a room just big enough for the kids. There was nice and new play equipment, and the kids all seemed healthy and happy. There were 3 or 4 nannies on shift and all seemed sweet and attentive. Based on little Owen’s pleasant disposition, I would say that Fuling is as about as good as it gets. The pictures here are of the outside of the building and the children’s play area outside the orphanage. The large building with the gate in the first picture is actually the long term care facility for the elderly. They share a campus, but the buildings are separate. The orphanage sits high on the hill, and would have a lovely view if it weren’t for the thick smog which permeates all of Chongqing.