Orphanage & Foster Family Visit - Part 1

Today was the most powerful, intense, amazing, wonderful day. It was a day that we will always remember and one that has forever changed us.


Early in the morning we were picked up by our driver and we headed to the orphanage. The orphanage itself is a new building and one that Maelyn never lived in herself. But, the orphanage is where Maelyn’s information is still kept and many of the caregivers and even children are people that Maelyn would have known during the first two years of her life.

As we pulled up to the orphanage, we were greeted by a sign that welcomed Maelyn home. Then, the Director of the orphanage and many of the caregivers met us at the car. It was completely surreal. After years of researching and piecing together as much of Maelyn’s history as possible, we were finally here – in the place where we hoped to get answers to some of our questions and for Maelyn to connect with her orphanage family.

We were taken to the Director’s office. She was accompanied by a woman who seemed to be very happy to see Maelyn. She showed us a photo of Maelyn and confirmed what we had always believed – that the photo was taken on her last day at her foster parents home, just as she was saying her goodbyes to her China family. We were thrilled that they remembered Maelyn! The woman also went on to tell us that she was the one who brought Maelyn from where she was found to the orphanage. (For all of those Shangrao adoptive families reading this blog, she is responsible for bringing all of the ‘Wan’ children to the orphanage – such an important piece of the puzzle solved).

We then showed the Director and the lady the photos we had of Maelyn in China – and asked about the adults in the pictures. We were able to confirm that the man Maelyn has always called her ‘China Daddy,’ was in fact her foster father. We were thrilled! We also learned about the man who had accompanied her to Shanghai for her lip surgery – confirming so many names and places in Maelyn’s life.

We shared with them photos of Maelyn since she has been home with us and then we were told that our request to visit the foster family’s home (rarely allowed) had been arranged. We couldn’t believe it!! They told us that the foster family was eagerly awaiting our arrival and that we would be leaving right away.

We once again got into the van and then we headed into the countryside, where the foster family lives. Maelyn was getting very tired by this point because she had been up since midnight. I was hoping and praying that she would stay awake and engage with the foster family even just a little bit – but I knew that we wouldn’t force anything. She has been very clingy with me on this trip, so if we had to, we would just let her stay in our arms the entire time.

When we got there we ended up parking on the side of the road. Their house is up on a small hill and there wasn’t a driveway we could park in. As we got out of the van, the foster mother was there waiting for us. She was grinning from ear to ear and our guide began translating that the foster mother had a happy heart because we were here to visit. She tried to say hello to Maelyn, but Maelyn hid her head in my shoulder and wouldn’t budge.

We started walking up the walkway and then we were looking at the house. I was so, so happy to see the home. We had seen a few photos online of the home, but to see it in person was an entirely different experience – and I instantly felt at peace. I have had an intense need to know more about Maelyn’s past – for both our sakes. Being there, in person, was amazing.

I crouched down with Maelyn to tell her that this was where she had lived when she was little, but before I could even get the words out, she jumped out of my arms and yelled, “This is my home!” She ran right inside and started squealing and jumping up and down. Our little miss who was tired and acting shy came completely alive as soon as she saw her China home. I could see peace and contentment all over her face.

Everyone was giddy and happy that we were all together. Maelyn went right away to her ‘China Mama’ and sat down at the table with her, as though it was something she still did every day. I asked where the foster father was and the foster mother went to get him. When he came in the room, Maelyn screamed in joy and literally ran to him. The joy that was on both of their faces was impossible to miss and every single one of us in the room shed many tears.

I showed the foster mother photos from when Maelyn lived in China and she couldn’t believe that we had them. She had never been given any photos of Maelyn and a camera is a luxury they couldn’t afford. I gave them the photos and also updated photos of Maleyn in the two years since she has been home with us. They were very happy to be able to keep them.

The crib Maelyn slept in…

We spent the next hour and half talking, through our guide, and sharing stories and information. While we talked, the foster father used a big knife to carve sugar cane for all of us to eat. The foster mother shared a story about when Maelyn and her foster sister walked out of the house together and they couldn’t be found. The foster mom was crying and frantic, but they were finally found. She couldn’t believe how tenacious the girls were.

We were shocked when we found out that Maelyn lived with a foster sister for the entire time she spent with the family. We had assumed, through information we had found, that there were many children living in the home at once. But the family confirmed that it was just the two girls. The other little girl is eight months older than Maelyn and was apparently heartbroken when Maelyn left to come home to our family.

We were also introduced to their neighbours, who spent a lot of time at the home and they knew Maelyn well. The neighbour said that Maelyn was a very smart little girl and that they would marvel at watching how she solved problems and copied everything that everyone else did. Maelyn was obviously very loved not only by the foster family, but by the community as well.

The foster mother’s grandchildren. They live there and the oldest one remembers Maelyn.

We feel at peace because we now know for certain that Maelyn was very, very loved and she lived in a family setting for the first two years of her life. So many questions were answered and that in itself is such a gift.

When it was time to leave, Maelyn was very sad. We all shed tears as we hugged and promised to keep in touch. We walked away with love for this family that we had only met two hours before.

We will be back to visit. How could we not? Our family and hearts have grown and the experience was magical.

(There was more to our day – we went back to the orphanage and spent quite some there. Will update again about our experiences in the next two days, once we land in Guangzhou.)