Jan 25, 2010: Introductions

Today we were introduced to Lanhua at the busy offices of the Guangzhou Social Welfare Institute. The process of the adoption was simple and efficient. Although the adoption was straightforward, the situation felt incredibly complicated. It’s difficult to describe in words. We walked in to the office with a stack of documents and records that we’ve accumulated over the past 4 years. We left with a 9 year old child. Our guide from our adoption agency is named Ann. Her English is excellent and she is very patient, experienced, and kind. She will see us every day and help Lanhua communicate with us. Much of what we describe is based on Ann’s translations and direct discussions with Lanhua. Rather than trying to explain how we’re feeling or how hard the day seemed to be for Lanhua, we’ll just describe this wonderful little girl. She is incredibly independent and inquisitive. She makes her own food, bathes herself, and is fairly capable of communicating what she wants despite the language barrier. She misses her foster family very much, but is counting the days (literally) until she can travel to the United States. She wants to go to school in the US and learn English so that she can talk to us. She loves to play on the computer, is discovering Steve’s iPhone, and has a great eye with the digital camera. She’s very pretty and is quite particular when it comes to her hair, clothing, and yes, her shoes. Our first meal with Lanhua was at the venue of her choice: McDonalds. For dinner, she wanted Cup-of-Noodles. When in China…….. Lanhua slept like a log last night. She’s showing amazing strength and resilience as she adjusts to living with her new parents. We’re stunned by the soul of this child. There are no words.