Visiting the orphanage

Gayle and Aimee went shopping today while I visited the orphanage where Aimee spent all but the first four months of her life. It is a Social Welfare Institute, meaning it serves as both an orphanage and a nursing home. The orphanage side is a three-story building, with the top two floors housing 30-40 children.

I met a dozen or so kids as they returned home from their lunch break at the elementary school nearby. Later, on the way back to Guangzhou, our guide told me the rest are severely challenged, and that is why I didn't see them.

We decided not to take Aimee because she is doing great, and we didn't want to cause an emotional setback. I think going back would have been very confusing for her. Our guide told me the orphanage director and his two assistants were disappointed but understood.

After the visit, they took me to a traditional Chinese restaurant, where the dishes are served family style and where Westerners might be a bit squeamish, as I was. The dishes included a broth with chicken feet, oysters that looked unlike any oysters I've ever seen, shrimp that looked more like crawfish, a whole fish and -- at my request -- pork fried rice.

The orphanage director and the two assistants seem to really care about the children, and our guide told me it is among the best he has seen as far as the cleanliness and level of care and love. For that, we are extremely grateful.

Aimee is totally out of her shell. She a live wire and, like her older sister, instantly becomes the center of attention of whatever room she's in. She is picking up English quickly but is chattering quite a bit in an ancient dialect that the locals say is neither Cantonese nor Mandarin. Whew! Guess that lets us off the hook for having to learn either language.