Words cannot describe the day we all enjoyed today. We spent the day with our Zhangye Family - the loving, welcoming, warm people of the Zhangye Social Welfare Institute who loved and cared for Kaia before she came home to us. They are truly very dedicated and kind people. We met one of the orphanage directors shortly after 9 am and headed to the electronics store to purchase a gift of a printer/copier for the orphanage. She doted after Kaia and received her with the emotion of family she hadn't seen in a long time. She hugged her, held her hand, touched her hair and couldn't get enough of being together. We drove to the orphanage where we were greated by all the staff with open arms and appreciation. We were brought to a large conference room laid out for our arrival with platters of dates, bananas, pears, and small tomatos. We were given tea and encouraged to eat and drink. We were welcomed by everyone and introduced to all the directors, nannies, doctor, and other staff. After talking and telling them about our wonderful daughter, we were taken on a tour where we were able to visit with a dozen children from baby to young child, many with special needs and all so lovable. We were shown the room where Kaia slept and the location of her crib. They insisted she climb in for old times sake - and she was happy to comply. After our tour and group photos we went out to lunch with many of the directors. It was a wonderful exchange of company and thanks. We agreed to meet for dinner!
That left us with a few hours to shop, return to the hotel to freshen, and head out with our guide to see the sights of Zhangye and be part of the culture. We visited the giant sleeping budah, several beautiful parks, the old wooden tower which we climbed for an amazing view of the city, the playground, and an ice cream shop. It was nice to see these beautiful local sights and the kids enjoyed time burning energy on the playground.
After our sightseeing, we met up again with the orphanage staff for a customary Chinese dinner with lots of food and STRONG white wine. The kids both fell asleep as we ate, talked, and played drinking games - or in our case eating games. Since we don't really drink and the wine was "tear to you eyes" strong, we had to eat more food if we lost. It was a fun evening filled with laughter and words of thanks and praise. Truly a day we will never forget. Kaia was given two beautiful silver beaded bracelets and our family was given a set of local green glass cups as reminders of this day and our Zhangye family. We were invited back more times then we can count - and we will return to this wonderful, welcoming place again someday!
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