A Day I Hope I Never forget

So today (11/12/2013) we were off to Yinchuan, Isac's province. We got up early as jet lag still hasn't been our friends and then made our way out for breakfast on our own. We were on campus so we knew worst case one of the students would know English. We hit the food cart again because it was SO good! Even though I felt safe, getting out on our own and ordering food from a cart felt so invigorating. I said before I am a play it safe kind of person, and even this time I almost opted out, trying to get Josh to go without me, but I'm glad I did, the country is beautiful and so are the people.
We ate breakfast and got packed up. Ben had arranged for a driver to meet us in the back of campus and one of his teacher friends to meet us to make sure the driver knew just where to drop us off. Well she forgot and we didn't see the driver so we were getting kind of nervous as it is a long drive to the airport and we didn't know how to tell him where to go. But she came down a little later and after trying to get a hold of the driver we raced to the front of campus hoping he was waiting there for us instead. We got there and he was waiting and off we went to Yinchuan.
the flight there was pretty uneventful. It was fun flying over the Great Wall and following it to Ningxia. We were glad that when we got off we could go to our hotel, take showers and rest before our big day...or not! Our guide Tony met us at the gate, "Hi are the adopting parents from the United States?" HA! Umm is it that obvious? And then he told Josh, "Wow you look young!" Ha! Even the Chinese think he looks young! He said we will go back to the hotel and get to your room and we are meeting the foster parents in the hotel...ummmmm WHAT?!?! Tonight, right now?!?!?!
We got to the hotel and found out that the pipes were broken so we also couldn't use the water...yay.
We rushed into our room and I threw my hair up and got as nicely dressed as I could and threw their gift together and rushed to work on the questions we wanted to ask them, I thought we had all night to work on!
Thankfully when we got down stairs they weren't there yet but Sophia and sweet woman who works for the orphanage and Tony were there. I put it out there now, Tony has been doing this for 10 years now, he knows his stuff and he is a strictly business guy. That being said he is still fun and seems to really care about the families and kids. And then in came his foster parents and little foster sister. A sweet little 5 year old girl with Cerebral Palsy. She was so so sweet! Josh was able to even make her giggle! We learned that they live out far in the country and have fostered many children. She wrote a letter to us asking us to keep in touch and promise to love and protect Isac. She said she has fostered many but giving them up is never easy. She told me the little sister cries at night as they were best friends. That just broke my heart in two! She was so sweet and patient as she answered so many of our questions about "Joon Joon". The dad too was very quiet but seems so sweet and you could see the love he had for the little sweet girl they had with them. After all the questions They invited us to come have dinner with them before we left Ningxia. Sadly Tony told me he will refuse for us since it is against the orphanage policy because it would be too hard for Isac to see them again. As hard as it was to agree I definitely agree with them. But watching her face when he told her was even more heartbreaking. She began crying. We took pictures and hugged and said our goodbyes. Sophia even had tears in her eyes and Tony was quick to tell her not to be sad. I wondered if that was because it is the Chinese way to show less emotion or if it was because this is her job and she needs to be tougher. She is younger than Josh and I and though she has a higher position in her job she has only been doing it for 2 years.
We said our goodbyes to Tony and Sophia and headed up stairs. My heart was so broken for this sweet foster mother who cared so much about the sweet children she cared for. I will be ever so thankful in the days ahead for the love she gave our sweet Jun Jun.
Josh and I ordered dinner in our room and I worked hard on getting ready for gotcha day.

All ready with our stuff for Gotcha

Isac's foster mama

Reading the letter she wrote for us, was translated by orphanage.

Fuzzy but this is the family with the little girl! I would looove to help her find a home! She was running and laughing! She did have a limp when she walked but other than that she seemed perfect!!!

 

Tomorrow is the big DAY!!!!