A Lovely Manor

We had the pleasure of touring her orphanage this morning. Love Manor was colorful, clean, organized, and a happy place.  When we walked into her classroom, her two closest friends ran up to her and latched on.  They stayed like this for a few minutes.  Her teachers were friendly and enjoyed looking through the pictures of her with us on our camera. They LOVED her headband.  In fact, all the students were touching it.  Michael (our guide) said it meant a lot to the caretakers for us to return with her.  It made them feel more comfortable and reassured them of her well being and safety.  You can tell they love these children.  And side note, adoption is not as common as it once was.  Everlee was number 41 this year adopted from her province... and there are dozens of orphanages in her province.  So, sending a little one off to an adopted family is not daily for these caretakers... not even monthly.  They are not immune to the process and certainly have emotions too.    

Behind them is her dorm.  The classroom was in a separate building.  Nannies wake them, feed them and get them ready for the day.  Then the kiddos go to "school" until lunch.  They walk back to the dorms to eat and nap, then back to "school" for a few more hours to play.  By late afternoon, the nannies take over again with dinner, baths and bedtime.  I found the ages of the teachers vs. nannies interesting.  The teachers were younger, say 20s-30s.  They do the playing, games, and entertaining.  They have to have energy.  The nannies appeared older, say 40s-50s. They did the rearing.  Makes sense to me.  The older, the more patient, soothing and guiding... routine with the meeting of needs.  More of a parent figure.  

Everlee's main nanny

We didn't even need a guided tour because E knew exactly where to go.  Up the stairs she marched. She held onto my finger and lead me to her bedroom.  Below, you can see her pointing to her crib.  

Just as they were showing us her lunchroom, her class came in to eat.  She hustled to her assigned seat and anxiously waited for her serving.  We tried to pull her away, but both our guide and all of the nannies welcomed her to eat one last time with her friends.  We didn't want to impose or confuse her, but we also didn't want to tease her appetite. I'm really glad we stayed through lunch.  It was neat for us to see.  She is very self-sufficient.  She fed herself, cleaned her mess, and wiped her hands in the designated spot after. It was all very systematic and efficient.  (She is easy to spot with her adorable head bow! And notice Beck in the background, sneaking a peek at the meal.)

  

I am touched by the ladies and children of Love Manor and thankful for the love they've given E the past two years. Thank you, thank you for our visit.  Everlee will have so many pictures to look back on in the future.  We took video too, so she can remember the friends, rooms, and caretakers... and hear their voices.

On the way back, Michael took us to a scenic lookout to get a panoramic view of Chongqing.  The high rises are endless. Puts Manhattan to shame.  He says it is the most densely populated city in China... A larger city population than Beijing or Shanghai if you only count city, not suburbs.  I don't know much about China, but it's hard to imagine any place has more buildings or people than this.  It is overwhelming and makes me miss quaint, quiet Summerville, South Carolina.