Monday, July 7, 2014

Day Four - At Shenyang orphanage




Well today was definitely an exciting and eventful day! Today was the first day working in the orphanage. Since it was the first day, it was a little chaotic. When we arrived, we dropped our stuff and all the gifts in the meeting room and then got a tour of the orphanage. I was surprised to see how nice the orphanage actually was since I imagined it being really small with plain colors, but it was huge with different colors of paint everywhere, pictures on the walls, and a lot of fun toys. 





I was a little disappointed to see how developed the orphanage actually was but realize that it's the same as any other orphanage in the sense that the nanny to child ratio is large and cannot supply every kid with special attention. So after the tour, it was really fun getting to hang out with the kids. We had two hours with them before lunch and nap time and then another two hours after. 





I started off with the toddlers and we did a craft with them. We made paper aquariums with a paper plate, rice, cut out fish, and tissue paper. It was really fun bonding with the kids by helping them make it. Even though we couldn't communicate with the kids, it amazed me how close we actually got through sharing smiles and laughs. The two hours we got with those kids was not enough for me since we got so close in that small amount of time. 



I bonded with two boys; Shen Zhi Lei and Shen Jun Peng. It was such an amazing experience to get to know them along with their bubbly personalities. It was cool to see how developed their brains were since they were picking up English words I taught them and to see how they all colored perfectly in between the lines. After we finished making them we left to eat lunch at the orphanage. The kids get to leave with a foster family type thing that lives at the orphanage. I think it is a cool temporary family thing that allows the kids to get special attention. 



The orphanage food was definitely traditional; they gave us noodles, chicken neck and feet, beans, rice, sticky rice, and a roll. I can't say it was my favorite, but it was a nice experience. 




So after lunch we got to spend some time with the older kids. We helped them with art but their art was really elaborate and out of my artistic ability. Then we moved onto a more familiar area and we made the kids puppy chow. The kids really enjoyed making it but they enjoyed eating it even more. After that we took them outside to play and burn it off. We played soccer with most of them, which was really fun since the kids have no off button! While we were playing outside, foster parents were picking up their kids. 





When we were saying our goodbyes, my friend Shen Jun Peng ran up to me again and said hello! It really made me happy seeing him again since I won't be with that group any more this week. I think it's a sad thing that they are in the orphanage because of their medical paperwork when they're all great kids with unnoticeable birth defects, but it's comforting to see that they are well taken care of. 



Once we came back to the hotel, we were on our own for dinner again. Steven, Grace, Alexis, and I walked down to the KFC and then did some street shopping on the way back. We bought a whole lot of Chinese candy and had a testing party afterwards. It was a great way to end the day! I'm so blessed that my threads are bringing me together with all these people! 

1 comment:

  1. Your photos, reflections, threads, and essence of this experience are precious and valuable for others. Thanks for being honest with disappointments and sharing the reality of your experience. It makes it so much more real and enduring!

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