Donations Delivered!

What an amazing day we had yesterday!  We woke up early in the morning and the driver and guide met us in the lobby where we loaded all of the boxes into the van to go to the train station. 

Taking the Train
When we got to the station, our guide quickly hired a porter to take all the boxes and luggage into the train station and then helped us get them onto the train.  When we started to board the train, a very official man came out and started yelling at us about all the boxes and that there was no way we could take all of it on the train.  Our guide (who Andrea and I just love to death and is absolutely the best!) calmly explained to him that these were donations for the orphanage.  Of course we just stood there with probably pretty lost expressions on our faces until it was all done.  The official relented and we were allowed to load everything onto the train.  Step 1 complete!

We thought we were going to have to share our cabin with a couple other people and were strategizing how to explain to them that we were taking up most of their room with our boxes.  We were blessed by the fact that nobody else ever came to claim their spot in the cabin, so we had it all to ourselves for the entire trip!

The 6-hour trip was actually very easy.  Connor and I watched movies and Andrea took about 1,000 pictures out the window!  The landscape was breathtaking (when we weren't in a tunnel going through yet another mountain!) and it was so special to see this part of China that we wouldn't have otherwise seen.  There were several different rivers that looked pretty clear and the vegetation is a vibrant green.  The terraces of crops going up the sides of the mountains are stunning and I have never seen healthier corn crops.

Arriving
Before we arrived at the Xiushan stop, we got all of the boxes and luggage over by the door to make a quick exit as Xiushan was not the final destination.  Once we stopped, we got all of the boxes out onto the platform and then we started making our way out of the station.  To our surprise, there was an entire delegation from the city and the orphanage waiting for us!  They helped us load everything into their van and we made our way to the hotel.  The city is so much larger than we expected!  The city is more modern than anticipated, but I guess it would have to be to have 80,000 people.  Our hotel is great and is situated right on the river.

Shopping
Before we headed to the appliance store to shop for the air conditioner/heating units, we were told that they wanted to take us to lunch.  We had some excellent food and translated conversation…..I have personally not sweated so much at a meal since living in Mexico.  We were told the food had been toned down in terms of the spiciness, but it was HOT!  Poor Connor had to have them bring ice for his lips! J

After lunch we went to the appliance store.  Needless to say, we attracted A LOT of attention wherever we went, and Connor had packs of girls following him and giggling the entire day.  We found 2 units that the orphanage really wanted, and I made sure we were getting the proper warrantees and free delivery, etc.  We tried to work some deals because we were buying two of them, but it was pretty much non-negotiable.  But they did agree to deliver them that day, so you will see a picture below of them being unloaded.

The Orphanage
After shopping, we walked around the town for a little while taking pictures of some different finding places that were close to where we were.  After about an hour, we arrived at the front entrance of the orphanage and started carrying in the goods.   We walked upstairs to the playroom where we were going to work and guess who just happened to be in there with her nannie???  Yes!!! It was JiJi/Ming/Lizzie!!!  We were told that we weren't allowed to touch her, but we got to be in the room with her and watch her play and walk.  She is quite the little walker and we were told that she is the only one who continuously gets out of her crib.  Sorry for the little side bar here, but it was truly wonderful to see her in real life and it was only the fear of doing something to mess up the "Gotcha" date on Monday that kept Andrea from running over and immediately scooping her up in her arms.  Everybody here calls her "JiJi"  (pronounced GG, like saying the two letters) and we like calling her that now too.  We'll see what we end up calling her after we leave I guess.

We finally got started on putting down the flooring and getting all the toys out of the boxes.  Everybody loved going through the pictures and pages that everybody had sent in and they pointed and commented about all the pictures.  It was very cute!  While we were working in the playroom, a truck pulled in with the air conditioner/heaters and took them up into the baby rooms.  This is an area where we are not allowed to go, but we were told we could get some pictures of them installed today as we told the director how important it is for all the families who contributed to see the final product.

I can't begin to tell you the appreciation that has been expressed to us on everyone's behalf.  It seems unfair that all of you who have given so generously can't be here to share in the personal thanks, so we will do our best to express it here.  Just in the way Andrea, Connor and I have been treated by the staff shows how appreciative they are of the outpouring of love you all have shown.   THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for letting us be the conduit to share these items that will make the lives of these sweet little babies better.

With love from Xuishan,
Danny, Andrea & Connor