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| With one of the directors of the Foshan City SWI |
As it turns out, the McCarthy's son Matthew was also from Foshan City SWI so we would be going on the visit with them. Kelly had let the boys know about the visit and asked them if it was something they wanted to do. Both said they wanted to go back for a visit, but Matthew was having a hard time with it the night before so we weren't sure if they'd be joining us. We had talked to Luke about it a bit as well and he wanted us to bring "a big cake" to share with his friends. I tried to explain that I wasn't sure how we would acquire and transport a big cake, plus we weren't sure if we'd get to see his school and how much access we'd have to his classroom if we did see his school and classmates.
After we finished breakfast and went to meet our guide, we were pleased to see the McCarthy family there as well and Matthew seemed to be in good spirits. The ride to Foshan was about an hour and the only clue that we had moved from Guangzhou to Foshan was a sign welcoming us to Foshan as we crossed the river; otherwise it never felt like we had left the city.
Upon arriving at the orphanage, we were greeted by the caretaker who had brought Luke to the Civil Affairs office on Monday and the two directors of the orphanage. Luke exchanged a lot of hugs and you could see that they were happy for Luke. We learned that this particular institute houses young and old. So, in addition to orphans Luke's age and younger, senior citizens live there as well, likely similar to a US nursing home.
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| Our family with the two orphanage directors |
Our kids immediately bolted over to the play area and we recognized this area from some of the pictures we had received of Luke. However, from the sounds of it, the kids more often than not would play inside. We soon were able to see that room, which was dark and not very inviting or playful for children. Off of that play area, we were led to Luke's room - a long, narrow room with six beds and bars on the window and the door. Three beds on the bottom and three on the bottom. Luke's bed was mostly empty, but Matthew's had been overtaken as a storage location. Interestingly, the room had a TV, an Xbox and some computer equipment. The boys in the room had decorated it with various posters and items. A large flag of England hung near the desk.
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| Luke's room at orphanage. |
After we left his room, we made the walk to his school. His school is a neighborhood school and most of the kids are not in the orphanage. It took about 10 minutes to walk there and when we arrived, it was recess or PE time for the younger children who were happily running laps around the basketball court all dressed alike in their white school uniforms with red and blue trim. After a few minutes, we were able to go up to Luke's classroom and go into his class. The whole class was excited, partly to see Luke and also to have the novelty of seeing an American family. A lot of the kids came up and introduced themselves, practicing their English. Luke had brought along a gift bag and put some of the toys we had gotten him in the bag and gave it to a friend. We were also able to get a class picture. We caused quite a disruption and we are thankful to Luke's teacher for allowing us to have that experience and allowing Luke to say goodbye.
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| Luke's class |
During the visit, we learned from his teacher that Luke is a good helper to the teacher and a good learner, but he is struggling because he is not receiving any help with schoolwork at the orphanage. He is currently in a 5th grade classroom, which would put him a bit behind by US standards. So we're hopeful that with some individualized attention, he will blossom as a student.
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| Luke with his teacher |
By the time we got back, it was well past a noon lunch. Kelly took us to a nearby restaurant with a cafeteria style dining feeling. You get a scoop of rice and then add some sides as you move your tray down the row. It was an inexpensive and tasty lunch with local foods. We have learned that having a drink at mealtime is not the norm for Chinese dining, and if there is a drink such as water, it is normally served hot or warm. Since soup is common, the broth is often the drink. So before we went to this place, we stopped at the convenience store to buy some drinks.
After we got back to the hotel, we spent some time at the pool again. That evening, we invited the McCarthy's to join us for a traditional Korean meal. Unfortunately, we found that the restaurant that we wanted to visit had closed, so we went to an Italian restaurant instead and enjoyed pizza and pasta. It was an emotional day with a lot of excitement and that evening Luke was feeling a little sad although I wasn't able to fully determine what was causing his sadness, we guessed that various emotions from the day's experience and the upcoming changes to his life were all starting to sink in. Changing your daily structure and routine and integrating into a new culture with a new language and leaving behind friends is tough regardless of all the positives that might lie ahead. Please keep Luke in your prayers as he makes this transition and works through the grieving process.
A few more pictures from our day are shown below:
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| A view of the playground from Luke's room |
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| Luke's bunk on lower right |
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| Luke giving a gift to a friend |
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| Luke's school. His classroom is on the top floor |
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