HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KIKI!
Good morning from Guiping. Now that we have officially finished our orphanage work and lectures we are ready to celebrate Kiki's birthday with a climb on a mountain. Happy Birthday to Kiki!!!!
Danling's favorite food is in Hangzhou but I'm in heaven when I'm in Guiping! The dumplings are so tender and the greens have just the right amount of garlic. LOTS! The odd and tasty bits of meat that you find out later you've eaten. Now everyone has tasted pigeon. And speaking of food here in China, from the very start of our trip we've had Eggs Melamine every morning for breakfast. It's kind of like Eggs Benedict only instead of the Hollandaise Sauce, there's extra protein. Hey, I'm not one to complain of a little flank pain! Now breakfast and up the mountain we go!
Jane Steinmetz
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Hi All.
Hi All. We had an extremely warm and joyful welcome from the directors, nannies, and children. Again, just like Lanxi, we saw a confident and proud group, so pleased and happy to show us their accomplishments. This a HUGE difference from one year ago. It proves that if you plant the seed of knowledge, you will see the fruit of your efforts. We saw enormous changes in the faces of kids that last year had blank faces and could not walk or even talk. One girl, after a few months of Ouyang's special education and Physical Therapy, is
now able to walk, talk, and participate in arts and craft projects.
She has amazing dexterity in her fingers! We examined 25 kids. One child, with a cleft lip and palate was brought gravely to us last October as a newborn. The staff at that time was unsure if he would be able to survive. I focused my efforts last year on a talk about cleft lip and palate. This year he is a happy, repaired, well nourished one year old with a ready smile. I learned that many of the kids are finding homes in Spain, as that is the European country with the most adoptions. Also Canada and the US, of course. Most of the children with special needs go to the US, Denmark or Sweden.
2 of the nannies have been proudly promoted to "Laoshi" (teacher in Mandarin). Those two, last year, were clearly leaders and so I'm glad they are getting recognition from the director. Each time Ouyang, our special ed teacher, comes to help the children in this orphanage,(20 days per month), these two women assist her. Today we will be getting a full tour of the orphanage but I already peeked in the arts and crafts room where the children have made beautiful origami mobiles
made from recycled paper. So heartwarming. Jane Steinmetz
now able to walk, talk, and participate in arts and craft projects.
She has amazing dexterity in her fingers! We examined 25 kids. One child, with a cleft lip and palate was brought gravely to us last October as a newborn. The staff at that time was unsure if he would be able to survive. I focused my efforts last year on a talk about cleft lip and palate. This year he is a happy, repaired, well nourished one year old with a ready smile. I learned that many of the kids are finding homes in Spain, as that is the European country with the most adoptions. Also Canada and the US, of course. Most of the children with special needs go to the US, Denmark or Sweden.
2 of the nannies have been proudly promoted to "Laoshi" (teacher in Mandarin). Those two, last year, were clearly leaders and so I'm glad they are getting recognition from the director. Each time Ouyang, our special ed teacher, comes to help the children in this orphanage,(20 days per month), these two women assist her. Today we will be getting a full tour of the orphanage but I already peeked in the arts and crafts room where the children have made beautiful origami mobiles
made from recycled paper. So heartwarming. Jane Steinmetz
Saturday, October 25, 2008
SUSAN Time
SUSAN Time
Hey everyone back at home,
Man have we all been busy here in China. Today we took a long bus ride to Guiping to meet up with PING. Get it hahaha, I thought it was funny :p. Anyways you all have probably been keeping up with the blog and if not YOU BETTER BE STARTING and if you have been, you know that we have been to Yiwu, Lanxi, and Hangzhou orphanages. Each one is so different from the other. But one thing that is common throughout all of them is the love the nannies give the childeren. I have so far given my speech 3 times; I have one more to go, YES. I have started to notice that the farther south we go, the harder the questions at the end get. For example one question at the last orphange was how does a being a minority benefit you and if so how and if it doesn't how? I know what you're thinking - WOW, I know my same exact thought. EMBARASSING! Like always Danling is doing a tremendous job at translating. In fact I am pretty sure Danling doesn't need me there anymore she knows it by heart. I am thinking about making a deal with the Da Tu Do= Big potato (that's Danling) . If I give her 3 chocolate bars then I don't need to make the speech anymore she can hehehe.... we'll see how that goes.
This trip to China has been amazing! I encourage as many of you to go on this Volunteer trip . You will learn so much and fully appreciate all that goes on with adoption. So far my favorite part of the trip has been going to Lanxi my home town and orphange. The reason I liked it so much was because we got to go and see the new orphanage and babies. All of them look so happy and are just SOOOO CUTE you could SMOOCH them. Another thing that made that city remarkable to me was I got to see my foster family not only once but twice. It was a very emotional thing but TOTALLY worth it. A cool thing about seeing the foster parents for the second time was we got the orphanage director to agree to let families with Danling vist their foster families. I am Soo tired I must get some beauty sleep we will soon be off to the Guiping orphanage where I get to give my speech again YIPPPIE........... So I must say good night.
p.s I am looking at the time on my computor which is still on MN time and if anyone is up and reading this right now YOU ARE NUTS it is 8:36 in the morning AHHHHH!
Susan Heley
Hey everyone back at home,
Man have we all been busy here in China. Today we took a long bus ride to Guiping to meet up with PING. Get it hahaha, I thought it was funny :p. Anyways you all have probably been keeping up with the blog and if not YOU BETTER BE STARTING and if you have been, you know that we have been to Yiwu, Lanxi, and Hangzhou orphanages. Each one is so different from the other. But one thing that is common throughout all of them is the love the nannies give the childeren. I have so far given my speech 3 times; I have one more to go, YES. I have started to notice that the farther south we go, the harder the questions at the end get. For example one question at the last orphange was how does a being a minority benefit you and if so how and if it doesn't how? I know what you're thinking - WOW, I know my same exact thought. EMBARASSING! Like always Danling is doing a tremendous job at translating. In fact I am pretty sure Danling doesn't need me there anymore she knows it by heart. I am thinking about making a deal with the Da Tu Do= Big potato (that's Danling) . If I give her 3 chocolate bars then I don't need to make the speech anymore she can hehehe.... we'll see how that goes.
This trip to China has been amazing! I encourage as many of you to go on this Volunteer trip . You will learn so much and fully appreciate all that goes on with adoption. So far my favorite part of the trip has been going to Lanxi my home town and orphange. The reason I liked it so much was because we got to go and see the new orphanage and babies. All of them look so happy and are just SOOOO CUTE you could SMOOCH them. Another thing that made that city remarkable to me was I got to see my foster family not only once but twice. It was a very emotional thing but TOTALLY worth it. A cool thing about seeing the foster parents for the second time was we got the orphanage director to agree to let families with Danling vist their foster families. I am Soo tired I must get some beauty sleep we will soon be off to the Guiping orphanage where I get to give my speech again YIPPPIE........... So I must say good night.
p.s I am looking at the time on my computor which is still on MN time and if anyone is up and reading this right now YOU ARE NUTS it is 8:36 in the morning AHHHHH!
Susan Heley
IN GUIPING NOW!
IN GUIPING NOW!
We did not get much of a chance to write in Hangzhou as we wanted to spend all our R & R time enjoying the lovely city.
On our free day, I went with Danling to City Hall to meet with the Director of Civil Affairs who was very positive. Then we met up with most of the group at the Hangzhou Orphanage where Susan did Power Point #3. We had lunch there & toured the facility. It is a brand new orphanage & beautiful. It is meant to be the model orphanage for the province. It has a number of fabulous playgrounds, gym, running track, classrooms, therapy rooms & many buildings with bedrooms. It is built to have 500 children but currently only 150 live there. A nice facility but they are lacking in the training of how to use all of the equipment.
We were all able to go our separate ways in the later afternoon & enjoy the beautiful West Lake.
In the evening, we met Shirley who lives in Hangzhou & helped us with the adoption of Susan in 1996. Many families from the Twin Cities know Shirley as she has helped with CHSFS adoptions for years. She hasn't changed a bit! The whole group went to Pizza Hut for dinner. Pretty funny - they had Halloween decorations & the greeters were dressed up. The pizza was good - it bit different from the U.S. - especially the seafood one with squid & other assorted specimens - it was great.
After dinner, a few of us went to the night market which was huge. It was Friday night so it was jammed. So many designer products . . . or so they said!
The whole day it did not rain & was in the 60s or 70s - perfect!
Today we flew from Hangzhou to Nanning. There we boarded a bus for Guiping. It is in the southwest part of China & what a difference. Very rural.. Beautiful mountains, fields of crops, oxen, women hauling water in buckets on poles.
Off to dinner with the group.
Cheryl Heley
We did not get much of a chance to write in Hangzhou as we wanted to spend all our R & R time enjoying the lovely city.
On our free day, I went with Danling to City Hall to meet with the Director of Civil Affairs who was very positive. Then we met up with most of the group at the Hangzhou Orphanage where Susan did Power Point #3. We had lunch there & toured the facility. It is a brand new orphanage & beautiful. It is meant to be the model orphanage for the province. It has a number of fabulous playgrounds, gym, running track, classrooms, therapy rooms & many buildings with bedrooms. It is built to have 500 children but currently only 150 live there. A nice facility but they are lacking in the training of how to use all of the equipment.
We were all able to go our separate ways in the later afternoon & enjoy the beautiful West Lake.
In the evening, we met Shirley who lives in Hangzhou & helped us with the adoption of Susan in 1996. Many families from the Twin Cities know Shirley as she has helped with CHSFS adoptions for years. She hasn't changed a bit! The whole group went to Pizza Hut for dinner. Pretty funny - they had Halloween decorations & the greeters were dressed up. The pizza was good - it bit different from the U.S. - especially the seafood one with squid & other assorted specimens - it was great.
After dinner, a few of us went to the night market which was huge. It was Friday night so it was jammed. So many designer products . . . or so they said!
The whole day it did not rain & was in the 60s or 70s - perfect!
Today we flew from Hangzhou to Nanning. There we boarded a bus for Guiping. It is in the southwest part of China & what a difference. Very rural.. Beautiful mountains, fields of crops, oxen, women hauling water in buckets on poles.
Off to dinner with the group.
Cheryl Heley
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Leaving Lanxi / Arriving in Hangzhou
We had a little change of plans this morning, due to a request of Susan's. She felt bad that she had come this far & was unable to see her foster father. When we were there a few days ago, her foster father was working the night shift as a security guard. So Susan asked Danling if we could see him in the morning briefly before we left town.
After a few phone calls, we tracked them down & were told it would be best to come to the factory where he worked as the foster father, foster mother & daughter-in-law all work there. So the bus & our whole group stopped on the way out of town for a brief visit. It definitely made his day & Susan felt much better afterwards too. It was an emotional visit.
One little twist was that the orphanage director of Lanxi was going to accompany us out of town on our way to visit a tourist site. I had not known this & Danling had forgotten (or decided to honor Susan's request anyway) when she started making calls. The director had previously said that she did not want returning families visiting foster families so our prior evening visit was done on the sly. Well, we could not hide this one from her. At first she was not too happy with Danling although she put a pleasant face on for me. In the end, she was very pleasant to the family & said she would let Danling's families visit their foster families in the future.
Next we stopped at an old village that had buildings over 500 years old. It had been untouched by the Cultural Revolution or wars. It currently has about 5000 residents & most are descendants of the same family. Our tour guide was part of the 51st generation. It was very interesting.
We had a nice lunch there. Not much odd food to report except shrimp served in the shell. One of our translators, Cathy, was able to unshell them in her mouth which impressed Susan. Susan & I sat on the Chinese table & the dish was gone by the end of the meal. The American table had a full plate. Something about seeing little eyeballs & hitting crunchy shells turns us off!
We arrived in Hangzhou late in the afternoon. To our relief it is much cooler here. The city is beautiful. Our hotel is across the street from West Lake. It is the same hotel that we stayed at when we met Susan so it brings back many fond memories .
This evening we went to a dance show. It was pretty amazing! People coming out all different places on stage & in the aisles & in the rafters! All of a sudden there is a pond on stage & a waterfall & soon we are getting sprinkled overhead! At one point they grabbed people in the audience to join them on stage & Emma marched right up front & danced along! So brave! It was a nice night but it is now late & time to call it a night. We plan to get up early tomorrow to walk along West Lake & see the people doing tai chi. A day of relaxation is needed after the intense schedule of the last few days.
Cheryl Heley
After a few phone calls, we tracked them down & were told it would be best to come to the factory where he worked as the foster father, foster mother & daughter-in-law all work there. So the bus & our whole group stopped on the way out of town for a brief visit. It definitely made his day & Susan felt much better afterwards too. It was an emotional visit.
One little twist was that the orphanage director of Lanxi was going to accompany us out of town on our way to visit a tourist site. I had not known this & Danling had forgotten (or decided to honor Susan's request anyway) when she started making calls. The director had previously said that she did not want returning families visiting foster families so our prior evening visit was done on the sly. Well, we could not hide this one from her. At first she was not too happy with Danling although she put a pleasant face on for me. In the end, she was very pleasant to the family & said she would let Danling's families visit their foster families in the future.
Next we stopped at an old village that had buildings over 500 years old. It had been untouched by the Cultural Revolution or wars. It currently has about 5000 residents & most are descendants of the same family. Our tour guide was part of the 51st generation. It was very interesting.
We had a nice lunch there. Not much odd food to report except shrimp served in the shell. One of our translators, Cathy, was able to unshell them in her mouth which impressed Susan. Susan & I sat on the Chinese table & the dish was gone by the end of the meal. The American table had a full plate. Something about seeing little eyeballs & hitting crunchy shells turns us off!
We arrived in Hangzhou late in the afternoon. To our relief it is much cooler here. The city is beautiful. Our hotel is across the street from West Lake. It is the same hotel that we stayed at when we met Susan so it brings back many fond memories .
This evening we went to a dance show. It was pretty amazing! People coming out all different places on stage & in the aisles & in the rafters! All of a sudden there is a pond on stage & a waterfall & soon we are getting sprinkled overhead! At one point they grabbed people in the audience to join them on stage & Emma marched right up front & danced along! So brave! It was a nice night but it is now late & time to call it a night. We plan to get up early tomorrow to walk along West Lake & see the people doing tai chi. A day of relaxation is needed after the intense schedule of the last few days.
Cheryl Heley
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
October 12, 2008
It is October 12th & we are about to leave for China with the Red Thread Charities volunteer trip. Included in the group:
Danling Cai, our fearless leader
Cheryl Heley, RTC Chair, & her daugher, Susan
Cheryl Barile & her daughter, Emma
Tim (doctor), Jane (nurse & RTC board member) & their daughter Quin
Kathy Bjornson, nurse
Kiki Dickinson, physical therapist
Nancy Lawton-Shirley, occupational therapist
We are flying to Beijing where we will spend two days to get adjusted to the time change & do a little sightseeing.
We'll write from you in China!
Cheryl Heley
Danling Cai, our fearless leader
Cheryl Heley, RTC Chair, & her daugher, Susan
Cheryl Barile & her daughter, Emma
Tim (doctor), Jane (nurse & RTC board member) & their daughter Quin
Kathy Bjornson, nurse
Kiki Dickinson, physical therapist
Nancy Lawton-Shirley, occupational therapist
We are flying to Beijing where we will spend two days to get adjusted to the time change & do a little sightseeing.
We'll write from you in China!
Cheryl Heley
October 15, 2008
jane said...
Hi All. We arrived in Beijing and everyone agreed the flight was quite painless. Our guide Chandler met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. The next morning we were taken on a rickshaw tour of the local neighborhood and got to visit a middle school, (Ages 9-11). The children were doing their exercises aimed at reducing eyestrain and promoting alertness. The were doing acupressure to their own faces and scalp to piped in music and a voice repeating 1-10 in mandarin. A few of the children stood and introduced themselves in English and told us what their favorite color, food, sport and season was. Our children did the same and then we were treated to a brand new olympic song and we treated them to halloween pencils and a rousing rendition of "When You're Happy and you Know it Clap Your hands." We then went to the Drum Tower and the Forbidden City. Yesterday we toured the Great Wall and in the evening met with the vice director of CCAA. She was very warm and answered all our questions with candor. I believe all of us are now officially decompressed and on China time. This morning we leave on a plane to Yiwu. Jane Steinmetz
October 15, 2008 5:07 PM
Hi All. We arrived in Beijing and everyone agreed the flight was quite painless. Our guide Chandler met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. The next morning we were taken on a rickshaw tour of the local neighborhood and got to visit a middle school, (Ages 9-11). The children were doing their exercises aimed at reducing eyestrain and promoting alertness. The were doing acupressure to their own faces and scalp to piped in music and a voice repeating 1-10 in mandarin. A few of the children stood and introduced themselves in English and told us what their favorite color, food, sport and season was. Our children did the same and then we were treated to a brand new olympic song and we treated them to halloween pencils and a rousing rendition of "When You're Happy and you Know it Clap Your hands." We then went to the Drum Tower and the Forbidden City. Yesterday we toured the Great Wall and in the evening met with the vice director of CCAA. She was very warm and answered all our questions with candor. I believe all of us are now officially decompressed and on China time. This morning we leave on a plane to Yiwu. Jane Steinmetz
October 15, 2008 5:07 PM
Oct 17, 2006
jane said...
Yesterday was our first full day of exams in Yiwu. We set up our exam rooms by first having Kathy and I get vitals and measurements while taking a medical, social and developmental history. Also photos! Tim saw them next and did a medical evaluation. They were then brought to Kiki and Nancy who evaluated their PT/OT needs. In the morning we saw quite a few kids who are in foster care. 2 families had 5 special needs kids that they were caring for! The afternoon was spent evaluating babies and toddlers from the orphanage. We all agreed that this year was much easier having the forms pre interpreted in mandarin. Emma and Quin had the run of the place and played happily with the kids waiting. This is a big orphanage and we have a lot of work to do.
October 17, 2008 6:07 PM
Yesterday was our first full day of exams in Yiwu. We set up our exam rooms by first having Kathy and I get vitals and measurements while taking a medical, social and developmental history. Also photos! Tim saw them next and did a medical evaluation. They were then brought to Kiki and Nancy who evaluated their PT/OT needs. In the morning we saw quite a few kids who are in foster care. 2 families had 5 special needs kids that they were caring for! The afternoon was spent evaluating babies and toddlers from the orphanage. We all agreed that this year was much easier having the forms pre interpreted in mandarin. Emma and Quin had the run of the place and played happily with the kids waiting. This is a big orphanage and we have a lot of work to do.
October 17, 2008 6:07 PM
LANXI - DAY #2
We had another great day in Lanxi. The morning started out slower for many as the only scheduled event was Susan giving her life story talk. This time her audience consisted of the staff of the orphanage & the old folks home, and many residents of the old folks home. (The orphanage & nursing home is in the same building). Just like in Yiwu, Susan did a great job (spoken by an unbiased mom!). The seniors were very eager & very friendly to us.
After lunch, Kiki & Nancy did training with the three nannies at the orphanage. They enjoyed working with the smaller group & being able to discuss more specific points. During this time, Tim & Jane & Danling went to the Lanxi Hospital where Tim gave a lecture to a group of doctors. He was very well received. The relationship that has been built with the local hospital has proven very beneficial as they now provide more care to the children at the orphanage. Finally, the afternoon mission of the rest of the volunteers was to keep the children at the orphanage out of the room where Kiki, Nancy & the nannies were doing training. So that left the two Cheryls, Kathy & Susan. It sounds like a simple enough task but was quite a challenge, especially with one extremely active six year old!
This evening we had dinner with the Vice Director from the hospital, two doctors, and the orphanage director. It was an enjoyable meal but as usual we overate!
Finally, the day ended with tea at the home of the Director of Civil Affairs for Lanxi. Danling & I had met with him yesterday afternoon & the whole group had dinner with him last night. At that time, he invited the group for tea at his house! His home had a lot of amazing artwork - it is hard to describe. We had a good visit - he had many questions about life in the U.S., social security, unemployment, retirement. He is a sharp guy & will be a good connection for RTC in the future.
Tomorrow morning we pack up & leave for Hangzhou. Each leg of our journey has been more incredible than the last . . . it will be hard to measure up to this last one!
Cheryl Heley
After lunch, Kiki & Nancy did training with the three nannies at the orphanage. They enjoyed working with the smaller group & being able to discuss more specific points. During this time, Tim & Jane & Danling went to the Lanxi Hospital where Tim gave a lecture to a group of doctors. He was very well received. The relationship that has been built with the local hospital has proven very beneficial as they now provide more care to the children at the orphanage. Finally, the afternoon mission of the rest of the volunteers was to keep the children at the orphanage out of the room where Kiki, Nancy & the nannies were doing training. So that left the two Cheryls, Kathy & Susan. It sounds like a simple enough task but was quite a challenge, especially with one extremely active six year old!
This evening we had dinner with the Vice Director from the hospital, two doctors, and the orphanage director. It was an enjoyable meal but as usual we overate!
Finally, the day ended with tea at the home of the Director of Civil Affairs for Lanxi. Danling & I had met with him yesterday afternoon & the whole group had dinner with him last night. At that time, he invited the group for tea at his house! His home had a lot of amazing artwork - it is hard to describe. We had a good visit - he had many questions about life in the U.S., social security, unemployment, retirement. He is a sharp guy & will be a good connection for RTC in the future.
Tomorrow morning we pack up & leave for Hangzhou. Each leg of our journey has been more incredible than the last . . . it will be hard to measure up to this last one!
Cheryl Heley
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
FIRST FULL DAY IN LANXI
WOW is all I can say. We entered the Lanxi Orphanage & what a shock. The last time I had been here was 2003 & they are in a new building, across the lane from the old one.
But the real WOW is the changes in the children. There are currently six children upstairs in the orphanage and 4 older children in foster care. The nannies and orphanage kids were all in the special education/playroom when we got there & the children were all happy, some sitting at a small table, some playing with toys. There was children's music playing. Some of the kids could not even sit up by themselves last year & were now playing and showing emotion. Their faces were so content & joyful.
All of the RTC volunteers that had been here on prior volunteer trips and me had tears in our eyes, knowing where they were at just a few years ago. Truly Lanxi is a model of what should be done with all orphanages in China. It was just a night & day difference between Lanxi & Yiwu - I truly hope that Yiwu can get to this level in the future.
They have a number of different rooms - one bedroom, a little room off the bedroom with a t.v. in it, special education/playroom, another room I am not sure what it is used for but the RTC doctor & nurses used it, and a therapy room. All of the orphanage rooms are on the third floor & before you enter the floor, you have to take off your shoes & put on slippers or put little coverups over your shoes. It is all clean so the kids are able to crawl on the floor & not get dirty. There is an outdoor area to play in outside of the orphanage rooms. It has mats on the floor, bikes & other bigger toys, and it is protected from the sun by a blue plastic awning. Lanxi does not get as cold as Minnesota so the hallway between rooms is all open to the outside. The whole building is shaped in a U & there is a nice courtyard down below with a pond & nice plants. It is a very nice setting. Seniors live in the rest of the building.
There are three nannies at the orphanage & they were all there yesterday since we were coming. They have a uniform of dark blue athletic pants & a fitted white athletic shirt. It is a practical uniform for working with the children but also looks professional as it is fitted. The nannies seemed very proud of themselves & the children.
In the afternoon, the nannies did demonstrations for Nancy & Kiki so they were able to show that they remembered and could perform the things taught last year. They did great on the PT stuff and will get more training on some of the OT stuff, like brushing. The OT is a bit harder to grasp. Nancy & Kiki were very impressed by the staff.
The group did doctor/nurse/PT/OT assessments on each child in the orphanage & foster care. While the assessments were happening, the Cheryls & Danling went shopping! No, we were not slackards, we needed to go to the antique market to find some things for the RTC Red Lantern party to be held in February. We tried to find the old man & his stall but could not find it. Danling started asking around & found out he died this year. After about a dozen inquiries, a woman selling small birds took us down the alley & into her home. Her family had antiques but they were too expensive for our budget. But they welcomed us & tried to help us find the daughter-in-law of the old man who sells things some days in the market. She did not have her phone number but called a friend of the daughter-in-law who gave her the number for the daughter-in-law (got that?!). She came running & then we wove further down the alley & into her home where there was a room full of antiques. We went through & picked out more than a dozen things that we liked. Then the skills of Danling were put to use - bartering with them & going back & forth. It was comical to sit back & look at the parties in action! Prior to this, another family member, a man, stepped in to add his input about prices. What a fun experience!
Back to the orphanage to join the others. And then Danling, the orphanage director, and I went to meet at the Head of Civil Affairs and the Head of Foreign Affairs. The meeting was very relaxed with a lot of joking. The three of them plus the vice-director from the local hospital hope to come to Minnesota in December. We tried to convince them that another time of year would be better due to the weather but they were not flexible on that. It is not a sure thing yet as they do not have their passports & visas. While in Minnesota, they plan to spend time at Special Childrens in Hudson where Nancy & Kiki work doing therapy with special needs children. Also, they want to see a nursing home & hospital. It will be a short trip so we will try to pack in a lot in a few days.
The whole group had dinner with these three officials. It was delicious!!! And all three were very relaxed & friendly. I was seated at the right of the Head of Civil Affairs which meant I was the most honored guest. As the waitresses set down each dish on the lazy susan, she would spin it so that I took it first. Yes, I could get used to this but I don't think it will happen at home! The Head of Civil Affairs invited the whole group to his house tomorrow night for tea!
Each day has been amazing. It is now in the morning & time to get running as Susan has another powerpoint to do this morning!
Cheryl Heley
But the real WOW is the changes in the children. There are currently six children upstairs in the orphanage and 4 older children in foster care. The nannies and orphanage kids were all in the special education/playroom when we got there & the children were all happy, some sitting at a small table, some playing with toys. There was children's music playing. Some of the kids could not even sit up by themselves last year & were now playing and showing emotion. Their faces were so content & joyful.
All of the RTC volunteers that had been here on prior volunteer trips and me had tears in our eyes, knowing where they were at just a few years ago. Truly Lanxi is a model of what should be done with all orphanages in China. It was just a night & day difference between Lanxi & Yiwu - I truly hope that Yiwu can get to this level in the future.
They have a number of different rooms - one bedroom, a little room off the bedroom with a t.v. in it, special education/playroom, another room I am not sure what it is used for but the RTC doctor & nurses used it, and a therapy room. All of the orphanage rooms are on the third floor & before you enter the floor, you have to take off your shoes & put on slippers or put little coverups over your shoes. It is all clean so the kids are able to crawl on the floor & not get dirty. There is an outdoor area to play in outside of the orphanage rooms. It has mats on the floor, bikes & other bigger toys, and it is protected from the sun by a blue plastic awning. Lanxi does not get as cold as Minnesota so the hallway between rooms is all open to the outside. The whole building is shaped in a U & there is a nice courtyard down below with a pond & nice plants. It is a very nice setting. Seniors live in the rest of the building.
There are three nannies at the orphanage & they were all there yesterday since we were coming. They have a uniform of dark blue athletic pants & a fitted white athletic shirt. It is a practical uniform for working with the children but also looks professional as it is fitted. The nannies seemed very proud of themselves & the children.
In the afternoon, the nannies did demonstrations for Nancy & Kiki so they were able to show that they remembered and could perform the things taught last year. They did great on the PT stuff and will get more training on some of the OT stuff, like brushing. The OT is a bit harder to grasp. Nancy & Kiki were very impressed by the staff.
The group did doctor/nurse/PT/OT assessments on each child in the orphanage & foster care. While the assessments were happening, the Cheryls & Danling went shopping! No, we were not slackards, we needed to go to the antique market to find some things for the RTC Red Lantern party to be held in February. We tried to find the old man & his stall but could not find it. Danling started asking around & found out he died this year. After about a dozen inquiries, a woman selling small birds took us down the alley & into her home. Her family had antiques but they were too expensive for our budget. But they welcomed us & tried to help us find the daughter-in-law of the old man who sells things some days in the market. She did not have her phone number but called a friend of the daughter-in-law who gave her the number for the daughter-in-law (got that?!). She came running & then we wove further down the alley & into her home where there was a room full of antiques. We went through & picked out more than a dozen things that we liked. Then the skills of Danling were put to use - bartering with them & going back & forth. It was comical to sit back & look at the parties in action! Prior to this, another family member, a man, stepped in to add his input about prices. What a fun experience!
Back to the orphanage to join the others. And then Danling, the orphanage director, and I went to meet at the Head of Civil Affairs and the Head of Foreign Affairs. The meeting was very relaxed with a lot of joking. The three of them plus the vice-director from the local hospital hope to come to Minnesota in December. We tried to convince them that another time of year would be better due to the weather but they were not flexible on that. It is not a sure thing yet as they do not have their passports & visas. While in Minnesota, they plan to spend time at Special Childrens in Hudson where Nancy & Kiki work doing therapy with special needs children. Also, they want to see a nursing home & hospital. It will be a short trip so we will try to pack in a lot in a few days.
The whole group had dinner with these three officials. It was delicious!!! And all three were very relaxed & friendly. I was seated at the right of the Head of Civil Affairs which meant I was the most honored guest. As the waitresses set down each dish on the lazy susan, she would spin it so that I took it first. Yes, I could get used to this but I don't think it will happen at home! The Head of Civil Affairs invited the whole group to his house tomorrow night for tea!
Each day has been amazing. It is now in the morning & time to get running as Susan has another powerpoint to do this morning!
Cheryl Heley
Yesterday was our first day at Lanxi Orphanage.
Yesterday was our first day at Lanxi Orphanage. For many of us it was
like a homecoming to see the familiar smiling faces of the staff
members and nannies. And then we saw the children!!! Oh my they have
changed so much in one year's time! Their little faces were just
beaming as they played in the beautiful new playroom singing twinkle
twinkle little star in mandarin, clapping their hands and going
through the hand motions.
These children in Lanxi are special needs
kids with down syndrome, autism and other syndromes and because of
training that Red Thread has done these children have had ongoing
occupational therapy, physical therapy, good nutrition, and loving
attentive care from the nannies and staff at the orphanage. It was
absolutely amazing to see the difference in the children at Lanxi
compared to a year ago.
Happy, bright faces, interacting with us and so bonded with the
nannies. Last year one of the little girls cried constantly and this
year she is interacting with the kids and the staff as one of the
family. The techniques that Nancy and Kiki from Special Children
taught the nannies have made these children blossom into happy
functioning members of their little orphanage family. Two of the
nannies did demonstrations with the kids using the therapy techniques
they have learned and have been doing all year on the children.
Truly there was not a dry eye as we watched the confidence of the nannies
proudly showing the kids' developmental progress. I'm sure they all
felt like rockstars with all the cameras flashing and videos being
taken. After the demonstration, the medical team went to work
examining the kids including two new little babies, one little girl
with cleft lip and palate and another little boy with a cardiac
problem that will be repaired soon in Hangzhou. Both of these new
little ones were well nourished and happy. I gave some cleft palate
nursers donated from River Falls Hospital. The nannies caught on very
quickly and were intrigued by the design of the bottle.
Later we took
photos of Susan and Quin at the gate as both children share a history
of being here at this orphanage for part of their lives. It was
truly an emotional day at Lanxi SWI.
Jane Steinmetz
like a homecoming to see the familiar smiling faces of the staff
members and nannies. And then we saw the children!!! Oh my they have
changed so much in one year's time! Their little faces were just
beaming as they played in the beautiful new playroom singing twinkle
twinkle little star in mandarin, clapping their hands and going
through the hand motions.
These children in Lanxi are special needs
kids with down syndrome, autism and other syndromes and because of
training that Red Thread has done these children have had ongoing
occupational therapy, physical therapy, good nutrition, and loving
attentive care from the nannies and staff at the orphanage. It was
absolutely amazing to see the difference in the children at Lanxi
compared to a year ago.
Happy, bright faces, interacting with us and so bonded with the
nannies. Last year one of the little girls cried constantly and this
year she is interacting with the kids and the staff as one of the
family. The techniques that Nancy and Kiki from Special Children
taught the nannies have made these children blossom into happy
functioning members of their little orphanage family. Two of the
nannies did demonstrations with the kids using the therapy techniques
they have learned and have been doing all year on the children.
Truly there was not a dry eye as we watched the confidence of the nannies
proudly showing the kids' developmental progress. I'm sure they all
felt like rockstars with all the cameras flashing and videos being
taken. After the demonstration, the medical team went to work
examining the kids including two new little babies, one little girl
with cleft lip and palate and another little boy with a cardiac
problem that will be repaired soon in Hangzhou. Both of these new
little ones were well nourished and happy. I gave some cleft palate
nursers donated from River Falls Hospital. The nannies caught on very
quickly and were intrigued by the design of the bottle.
Later we took
photos of Susan and Quin at the gate as both children share a history
of being here at this orphanage for part of their lives. It was
truly an emotional day at Lanxi SWI.
Jane Steinmetz
Monday, October 20, 2008
Greetings from Lanxi
We said good-bye to the staff of Yiwu last night & took a bus to Lanxi, an hour drive.
The final day at Yiwu was very emotional for many of the volunteers. We did the usual checking all morning from 8:30-12:00. Then we had a terrific lunch of dumplings & noodles (I am not losing any weight while in China!). After lunch, Nancy (OT) and Kiki (PT) did training for the orphanage top administrators, nannies, and foster parents. They seemed very eager to learn new things. The training ran from 1:00-4:30 & when I stepped in near the end, they were still very focused, absorbing all that our professionals had to say. They taught them a lot of techniques to help with sensory issues since so many we had seen have sensory defensiveness. Some things demonstrated included using a special small brush to pressure brush. It is a simple thing - brushing a person's arms, hands, & legs for 8 times each day for 2 weeks. That can have a lifetime impact. Of course, when I say it is simple to do, I mean it is a simple technique that can be easily learned. What is not simple is to find the time to do this when you 5, 6, or 7 foster children in your home, all with strong special needs. Or at the orphanage, where there is 40 babies!
They also taught massage, although this is already done by many as it is an eastern tradition. During exams, one foster dad told us that he found that massage calmed one of his children. Another item was bounce to improve muscle tone. It involves sitting on a large ball, like the exercise ones, and bouncing with the child. Nearly all of the kids loved to do this in the assessment room.
Most of the items above are things that Nancy, our OT, taught. I know more about them as that who I was working with for the assessments. Kiki, our PT, taught the group various ways to improve big muscle tone & coordination. Near the end, she was showing the use of kinesiotape. The first time I had seen this tape was during the Olympics when many athletes used it - especially the U.S. women's beach volleyball team.
During this time, Kathy & Jane (nurses) and Tim (doctor) evaluated more children. By the end, they were able to examine every child in the orphanage & foster care - that is 85 children in 4 days! Initially we had thought that we would only be able to do a portion of them.
Now you may be thinking that the rest of us nonprofessionals had a break but it was far from that. We spent the afternoon in the nursery. All of the nannies were over at the training so we were the nannies for the 40 babies & toddlers. And my shoulder muscles are feeling it this morning! We always had one in our arms & talking to another through the bars of the crib. Then we found walkers under some of the cribs so we let the older ones go wild so we had an added job as traffic cop! We left smelly and exhausted but feeling good that we were able to give each child some direct attention.
Last night we had dinner with the orphanage director, vice-director, and head of the business office, the vice-director of civil affairs, and a wealthy Yiwu businessman who owns a bus company & employs 4500 people. The businessman was the 'big potato' at the table. And he announced that the coach bus that we had been using since we got to Yiwu & that would bring us to Lanxi was done at no charge to RTC! Yiwu has a lot of money so we will need to work on getting more connections for the orphanage.
We arrived in Lanxi around 9:00 last night. Boy, has the city changed. I was first here in 1999 & then in 2003. It is a different place - a bustling city! A few of us were energized & rested from the bus trip & strolled around downtown for an hour before calling it a night.
This morning we do not start until 10:00. Danling thought it best to give everyone a little break or else there will be burnout!
This message has gotten lengthy but I hope I was able to paint a picture in your mind of what it is like here.
Cheryl Heley
The final day at Yiwu was very emotional for many of the volunteers. We did the usual checking all morning from 8:30-12:00. Then we had a terrific lunch of dumplings & noodles (I am not losing any weight while in China!). After lunch, Nancy (OT) and Kiki (PT) did training for the orphanage top administrators, nannies, and foster parents. They seemed very eager to learn new things. The training ran from 1:00-4:30 & when I stepped in near the end, they were still very focused, absorbing all that our professionals had to say. They taught them a lot of techniques to help with sensory issues since so many we had seen have sensory defensiveness. Some things demonstrated included using a special small brush to pressure brush. It is a simple thing - brushing a person's arms, hands, & legs for 8 times each day for 2 weeks. That can have a lifetime impact. Of course, when I say it is simple to do, I mean it is a simple technique that can be easily learned. What is not simple is to find the time to do this when you 5, 6, or 7 foster children in your home, all with strong special needs. Or at the orphanage, where there is 40 babies!
They also taught massage, although this is already done by many as it is an eastern tradition. During exams, one foster dad told us that he found that massage calmed one of his children. Another item was bounce to improve muscle tone. It involves sitting on a large ball, like the exercise ones, and bouncing with the child. Nearly all of the kids loved to do this in the assessment room.
Most of the items above are things that Nancy, our OT, taught. I know more about them as that who I was working with for the assessments. Kiki, our PT, taught the group various ways to improve big muscle tone & coordination. Near the end, she was showing the use of kinesiotape. The first time I had seen this tape was during the Olympics when many athletes used it - especially the U.S. women's beach volleyball team.
During this time, Kathy & Jane (nurses) and Tim (doctor) evaluated more children. By the end, they were able to examine every child in the orphanage & foster care - that is 85 children in 4 days! Initially we had thought that we would only be able to do a portion of them.
Now you may be thinking that the rest of us nonprofessionals had a break but it was far from that. We spent the afternoon in the nursery. All of the nannies were over at the training so we were the nannies for the 40 babies & toddlers. And my shoulder muscles are feeling it this morning! We always had one in our arms & talking to another through the bars of the crib. Then we found walkers under some of the cribs so we let the older ones go wild so we had an added job as traffic cop! We left smelly and exhausted but feeling good that we were able to give each child some direct attention.
Last night we had dinner with the orphanage director, vice-director, and head of the business office, the vice-director of civil affairs, and a wealthy Yiwu businessman who owns a bus company & employs 4500 people. The businessman was the 'big potato' at the table. And he announced that the coach bus that we had been using since we got to Yiwu & that would bring us to Lanxi was done at no charge to RTC! Yiwu has a lot of money so we will need to work on getting more connections for the orphanage.
We arrived in Lanxi around 9:00 last night. Boy, has the city changed. I was first here in 1999 & then in 2003. It is a different place - a bustling city! A few of us were energized & rested from the bus trip & strolled around downtown for an hour before calling it a night.
This morning we do not start until 10:00. Danling thought it best to give everyone a little break or else there will be burnout!
This message has gotten lengthy but I hope I was able to paint a picture in your mind of what it is like here.
Cheryl Heley
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