remebering 2 years ago
The next day we got back into the van and drove to the dustiest little town so far. think wild west town, but Vietnamese...
The orphanage was a 2 room affair. Front room: office, Back room: kids. 7 kids, 4 care takers in 2 shifts and an administrator.
It was lunch time when we got there so Chellie got to feed Elliott. He looked healthy enough, like a plump cute little guy. Then of course I realized that he was already a year old so he was really small. Chellie cried so much. She had waited so long. Then we had to leave. We went to a near by lake park, tourist trap. We had a lunch of stewed mystery fish. Which didn't go over well with the picky eaters of the group. Then we killed some more time. Then we had to go to the hand over ceremony. On the way to a government building we stopped to get formula and bottles and diapers.
We entered a board room of sorts it was draped in red fabric with the Chairman watching. I wasn't close enough to the traslater to know what was going on but they gave Chellie Elliott and as far as the Vietnamese government was concerned he was Chellies. It went oddly smooth.
The other couple adopting the old girl did not have it so easy. The girl was 4 and didn't want to go with these strangers, she had a fit and peed all over her new dad. He took it well. He was definitely the most level of the couple. On the way back to the resort Elliott fell asleep on me. Jokes were made about me having the better pillows. I think Chellie just really wanted to keep looking at him and it was easier to do that if I held him.
The orphanage was a 2 room affair. Front room: office, Back room: kids. 7 kids, 4 care takers in 2 shifts and an administrator.
It was lunch time when we got there so Chellie got to feed Elliott. He looked healthy enough, like a plump cute little guy. Then of course I realized that he was already a year old so he was really small. Chellie cried so much. She had waited so long. Then we had to leave. We went to a near by lake park, tourist trap. We had a lunch of stewed mystery fish. Which didn't go over well with the picky eaters of the group. Then we killed some more time. Then we had to go to the hand over ceremony. On the way to a government building we stopped to get formula and bottles and diapers.
We entered a board room of sorts it was draped in red fabric with the Chairman watching. I wasn't close enough to the traslater to know what was going on but they gave Chellie Elliott and as far as the Vietnamese government was concerned he was Chellies. It went oddly smooth.
The other couple adopting the old girl did not have it so easy. The girl was 4 and didn't want to go with these strangers, she had a fit and peed all over her new dad. He took it well. He was definitely the most level of the couple. On the way back to the resort Elliott fell asleep on me. Jokes were made about me having the better pillows. I think Chellie just really wanted to keep looking at him and it was easier to do that if I held him.