Our first stop was to visit the police officers that found Ailee. We were fortunate enough to make contact with them through our searcher and have been communicating with them through WeChat. WeChat is an app that China uses to communicate and keep in touch online. It has been very, very helpful to us while we are here and it gives us the ability to stay in contact, once we are home.
The police officers were very kind and they were quite interested in our life in Canada. We had some great conversations and they wanted us to know that they consider us friends and that we are more than welcome to return.
We then drove about an hour to Ailee’s orphanage. We visited the orphanage in 2012 and although we recognized the main building, we could see that there were quite a few changes to grounds since we had been there. The building that Ailee lived in with her nannies was no longer in use – they had built a brand new building and the original building was no longer accessible. We were a little disappointed that we couldn’t show Ailee the room she lived in and that we remembered.
The director toured us around the orphanage, which is now home to children with severe disabilities. It was very difficult to see the rooms filled with kids and to just walk away. Difficult to put into words and it went against every fibre of my being.
When we were on our tour the director realized that Ailee’s nannies had in fact taken a leave for a few days to care for a sick parent. While we understood the unpredictability of a family emergency, we were devastated that after all this distance, we wouldn’t be able to visit the nannies. Ailee took this news quite hard and I felt so guilty for putting her in that position.
Luckily, an hour later, we got the news that they had been able to connect with the nannies and that the wife was going to join us for lunch, even though she wasn’t working. Ailee beamed at this news and I felt very relieved that she would get the opportunity we had talked so much about at home.
Ailee’s nanny ended up meeting us at the gates of the orphanage on our way to lunch – as soon as I heard someone speak behind me, I knew who it was. She has a very distinctive voice. We all headed off to lunch and we were able to spend a few hours together, sharing stories of Ailee and talking about her likes and dislikes. It gave Ailee an opportunity to absorb what was happening and to begin to connect once again with them woman who had cared for her during the first year and half of her life.
When it was time to leave, we all felt completely drained. I felt like I could have slept for days. It took about an hour and a half to get back to the hotel, where we were able to rest for a little while. Then, it was time to prepare for Christmas festivities!
The kids wore their Christmas pyjamas and we took pictures in the lobby of our amazing hotel. Earlier in the afternoon, Lori and Nancy decorated Nancy’s room with a few Christmas decorations and just after we got back, Paul went and got snacks for the group. We then gathered in Nancy’s room and were able to eat together, listen to a Christmas story, and open a few presents. It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas, halfway around the world!
Other photos from the day:
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