Luoyang volunteering day three

What a full and amazing day we had today. We arrived to find the lobby full of the 15 washers and 15 29-inch TVs we bought yesterday. Children's Hope International had stickers made with our names and the company logo, and of course we took many photos of it all. Later in the day, a three-month supply of laundry detergent that we also bought was delivered.

Our interaction with the kids began with us returning to the preschool class of four- and five-year olds. We will have spent the majority of our visit with these children. We played with the kids, and they especially loved spinning around while we held their hands. I think we get dizzy before they do. We were able to bring some sweet rolls and breads from the hotel for the kids, and this made the children very happy. We also helped with their English lessons, using flash cards to introduce some words. We then passed out the flash cards and let the kids select the cards for the word being spoken. We also had small oranges for them, which they received after saying the word "orange."

After lunch, we went to the outdoor play area. We met older boys, and also reunited with many of the teen girls we met yesterday. We passed out mints, gum and red licorice, which they really enjoyed. We mostly talked in English, and it was so nice to learn that many of the girls want to become English teachers. The maturity, friendliness, gratitude, happiness and politeness of these kids is absolutely astonishing. They love to say, "hello, how are you?" and "I am good, thank you." And the girls really like touching my hair, saying it is very smooth. I don't think they have conditioner for their hair.

The final portion of our day was a field trip to a park with 17 preschoolers. The children were very happy to ride the bus to the park and enjoy the beautiful weather. (It seems about 65 degrees here, and is sunny.) Several staff members accompanied us. The children had fun climbing up animal statues and seeing animals in the zoo there. And the most amazing thing happened when Karen bought ice cream for the children. We only bought enough for half, and the children shared an ice cream cone in pairs. They were so good about it, immediately offering the cone to the other child after taking a bite.

We visited a wonderful shop next door to the orphanage, where crafts made by the children are for sale for bargain prices. Other items also are available, and all benefit the facility. After shopping, a reporter from the local paper asked Rich some questions about our visit. The reporter apparently checks in with the orphanage quite often. We took more photos, and were able to include boys in many of them.

We also met a frequent visitor to the orphanage, a native New Yorker who is working in Luoyang teaching English. Michael has visited the orphanage for a year and never seen the 400 children we also have not been allowed to view. He thought the 60% number of the Luoyang orphans having Cerebral Palsy probably is accurate, and also said that Luoyang is unusual for the high number of boys - about 60%, I believe. He also said this orphanage is very well run; many Chinese orphanages unfortunately have lots of corruption.

The director of the orphanage and a few other key employees took us out to dinner at an amazing restaurant. I can't remember the exact number, but some 20+ dishes were served, with soup for each new course. The restaurant is more than
100 years old, and we had our own private room up on the fourth or fifth floor. The food was absolutely delicious, as has most of our food here been.

I plan to try to research some of the questions that have arisen on this trip both among the volunteer group and from those reading the messages. We have heard that on average, it's about $25,000 in total costs to adopt from China/many foreign countries, and that the number includes fees to the local governments. (I think there is a federal tax credit and also some reimbursement from Bank of America for adoptions, to help with the costs.) I want to know what the Cerebral Palsy rate is for China and how it compares to other countries. As for the age limit on adoptions, some have said that China considers age 14 to be an adult. I am hoping that we can find some answers through our Children's Advocacy Group, which Maureen
McDonald is now leading. Keep in mind that while Rich can translate a lot and we have met people who speak English, there still is a large gap in the language and thus communication.

Tomorrow will be hard, as it will be our last day with the children. I truly hope to visit Luoyang again. This has been a life-changing experience, and for that I am so grateful.

I'm also so impressed with the kindness, compassion and creative thinking of my three wonderful colleagues on this trip. I can't imagine having a better group for our inaugural volunteer trip.

Good night.

Chris