8/1 9:30pm CT 8:30am US time
I'm so overwhelmed with the events of the day that I'm not sure what to talk about first. My heart is shattered into a million pieces upon spending an entire day at HTH. The love the workers have for the children- these are the ones that the state orphanages deemed in-adoptable, hopeless, or too much to handle. These beautiful children are thriving here at HTH. I can't imagine the progress they would make if they had a family.
Our day started at 7am to help feed the kids breakfast. So HTH is structured with one group of kids per floor in 2 buildings. I'm on 2nd floor with 8 kids. Shyla is on 4th with 5 (I think) kids with CP. I am loving getting to know the kids and their huge personalities. I really connected with the kids today. Boy B (see last post) really opened up to me today. He is self harming and has bruises on his face and hands. He sits on the couch with his head hanging off the side in pretty much all his free time. He's nonverbal DS and Autistic but today I sat on the couch with him and tickled his belly while he just laughed and laughed. He held my hand and played with my fingers for a long time. He's such a sweet and loving boy.
Girl A has captured my heart completely. She just turned 4 last week but because she has Downs, she's very small. She is so sweet. She would really thrive in a family! All she wants is to be held and loved. I think being held tight makes her feel safe. Tonight, I fed her dinner and then rocked her to sleep. I got to see her little personality at school today! The teacher blew bubbles and she went wild! She grinned so big, I'm not sure she could see! She flapped her arms and legs up and down and laughed hysterically!
Girl C continues to amaze me with how brilliant she is! I talked to another of the girls from the US that's a part of the staff about what C's diagnosis is but she didn't know either. She's nonverbal and communicates well with ASL. She doesn't walk but does have feeling in her legs and has 6 digits on each hand and foot. She's so independent and smart. She's absolutely beautiful too. I can't imagine the progress that beauty would make in a family.
Boy D is so so special. I can tell he's smart but is nonverbal. It fascinates me how drawn to light he is. I imagine with his form of blindness that that's all he sees. He presses his face to lights on toys and just stares. I think with the right treatment, he could have much improved vision! I know he can see light so it makes me wonder exactly how much he can see and what it would take to help his vision improve!
Girl D has everyone wrapped around her beautiful little finger. Spina Bifida will never keep this girl from living a big life! She speaks both Chinese and English and uses ASL too. She has had surgery. She has a large knot on her back where she is paralyzed from there down. She walks on her hands and rolls around, making life look easy. She is another that with the right equipment and treatment would absolutely thrive!!! I can't advocate for this beauty enough!! If you or anyone you know might be interested in any of these precious kiddos, contact either of my parents and they can send pics, videos, and more information! We had some new guests join us here in the HTH guest house today and last night. One of which is a mother and her 9 year old daughter Julia. I am so jealous of her language abilities. At 9 years old she speaks perfect Chinese and English. This kid is a ball of energy! She brought her Tenzi game to play and really wanted to play during dinner. I had to go back to work so I promised to play at night. We played Tenzi for a good hour or so. (If you've never played, it's super fun and super easy) I'd like to take Julia around with me all day as my little translator. That's probably the most difficult part about living as an only English speaking person in China. Although many people speak at least a little English, it's still really hard to communicate. I feel very out of place and a little isolated when everyone around me is speaking Chinese (even though some can speak English) and I can only pick up small bits and pieces. I feel ashamed to be so ignorant in only speaking English when so many here are bilingual. I wish more American children were taught another language. All over the world, millions of children learn 2+ languages.
Shyla and I made a trip to the village store during our afternoon break for some snacks. It's so difficult to describe the village. HTH is a part of of the village like a university is a part of its city. There are many building that belong to HTH but many buildings mixed in that do not. The weather has been so wet and humid since we arrived in Fuzhou, so making a trip to the store means walking in the rain down the dirt roads between the many rundown houses and buildings along the way. Trying to dodge puddles, broken slabs of concrete, junk piles, bikes, cars, mopeds, people, and more. We stocked up on sodas and snacks. Our goal was to find some fruit or something for breakfast but we didn't quite hit that goal. We got a couple packs of dried fruit and some breakfast like snack cakes. If you've never shopped in a Chinese market or store of any kind, you're missing out on a real culture shock. It's very difficult finding anything familiar. Even the lays chips and Oreos taste different. But it's all a part of the experience and wild ride.
Good night from FuZhou
