Our visit to Yangxi

We all made the trip and while it was challenging in many ways, it was well worth it so that one day we can answer the many questions Emerson is likely to have.




We arrived in the city of Yangxi after a 4 hour bus ride from Guangzhou. The roads were scenic but hard to watch since we were all hanging on for dear life. The first 2 hours out of Guangzhou were definitely the bumpiest before stopping to stretch our legs at a rest stop with a KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried). The 2nd half of the trip was a bit less bumpy but hotter since the temperature outside was rising and the air inside the bus was limited.



We went directly to the orphanage (The Yangxi County Welfare Institute) and were received in a nice room with plates of bananas, tangerines, and bottles of water. The front wall was all windows looking out to the somewhat shabby garden and playground the back wall had some windows that faced directly onto another brick building. Another wall held pictures of what appeared to be the lineage of Orphanage Directors and the fourth wall was full of pictures of babies with their adopted families – called the wall of happiness and smiles (or something very close to that). We were joined by Mr. Wu, the Director, the Vice Director, and two of the nannies who we had met on Gotcha Day. When we stepped out of the bus, Emerson (riding in her carrier facing out) immediately saw the Nanny we had talked to on Gotcha Day and started smiling.



As we enjoyed the fruit and water, Mr. Wu answered all of our questions, very openly. There are about 70 babies/children currently living in the orphanage and they are the only orphanage in the county which about 500,000 people call home. There are usually 3-4 babies found each month but could be up to 10 in a busy month. Abandonments are going down in the area. There are about 40 nannies working there, most working day shifts with only a few there at night and they share care of all the babies. We captured the entire conversation on video.



Then we walked up 2 flights of stairs to the non-special needs baby room. There were about 15 cribs and most had babies, trying to nap as we were there during that time. They showed us which crib each of our babies had occupied and let us take pictures of the cribs. The cribs are quite small with metal bars and wood bottoms. No blankets or sheets because it’s summertime and too hot. There were some sad things about this visit, but I’ll keep them in my heart and slowly let them go. We walked back down the stairs to the bus all holding our babies a little tighter.



Overall, my belief is that this particular orphanage is doing the best they can with limited resources. The nannies all knew our babies by name and seemed happy to see them; the babies responded positively to them. They gave them a place to sleep, food, and all the love they could.



We took the two Nannies and the Vice Director to lunch at a local Chinese restaurant that they chose. They had ordered for the group in advance and were very worried that we would not like it. Everything was delicious and they made sure we all got plenty of servings: skewered barbequed oysters (which we watched get shelled on the corner outside), tomato and egg soup, fried noodles, lotus root, various meats that I didn’t eat, and my favorite, the local fried fish dish.



After lunch we visited each of the spots where our babies were found. It was a somber drive around Yangxi with each family stepping out to photograph and absorb the surroundings. Emerson was found in front of the city Credit Union on a very busy street. Our Agency has given us the newspaper “finding ad’ that ran on her behalf:



“Song Xiaohong, female, was found abandoned at the left side of the gate of the Rural Credit Cooperatives, Xihu Road, Yangxi County on February 5, 2010. about one day old.”



We were told that as we stood in front of the building, a man and his family in front of the shop next door watched us intently. Maybe they were the finders.



The ride back was even more fun than the journey there since Emerson had a few short fits. Overall though, she was easy and the day was an important part of this journey.