After several hours in the orphanage, we all realized that the afternoon had slipped quickly by and that we needed to say goodby to our new family members and make our way to the hotel. Darkness came quickly during the hour long ride to the Novotel Ocean Dunes and Gulf Resort in Phan Thiet, which would be our home for the coming days. At the hotel, we were warmly greeted by the staff and got settled into our rooms in just a few minutes.

Now it was time for another kind of celebration — Jessie’s birthday. We had already planned to have a larger ‘official’ party once we returned to Ankara, but also wanted to recognize Jessie’s special day. So, we had a small family party in our room. Jessie opened several presents with great delight while Nancy, Grandma Patsy and I looked on. Her favorite was her own digital camera, which she had been wanting for a long time.

At dinner we joined all of the other families and much to our surprise at the end of the dinner, the hotel staff produced a beautiful birthday cake for Jessie. (As I said in an earlier post, Thao was super and I assume she was responsible for getting this cake for Jessie.) So, Jessie got to celebrate her birthday twice in one night. After that it was off to bed after a very long, emotionally filled day — one that we all will remember forever.

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