On Sunday, after breakfast, we made the journey back to the Ham Tan Orphanage for the last time. Some of the members of the group had the wonderful idea that we could throw a picnic for kids at the orphanage so we were off to spend the day with them. We were a little concerned about how Alyssa’s caregiver would react. She had semed so sad when she said goodby to Alyssa on the previous Friday. But, Nyat was already caring for another little baby, a very tiny one week old boy. Of course, she was thrilled to see Alyssa again and insisted on holding her the entire time we were at the orphanage.
This day was more about the older kids at the orphanage than the babies. The first day we had barely noticed the older kids at the orphange, but their presence became more obvious each visit. You could also see a sadness in their faces when they saw us with our new babies. Clearly they were all thinking “Why not me?”
There are about 20 children at the orphanage, probably half are babies and toddlers, the rest being school aged, including several teenagers. None of them spoke much English, but many were studying English at school and actually understood much more English than they spoke. Interestingly, if you asked them a questions, they generally didn’t respond, but would ask you to write the question and then would respond in perfect English. It was clear that they were unable to understand our American accents, probably because their teachers spoke with a Vietnamese accent.
We had a wonderful time and a delightful picnic in the orphanage grounds. The older kids were thrilled to get so much attention. Both of the grandmothers who were with us were especially taken by some of the older orphans and were very interested in helping them. Thao mentioned that it was possible to sponsor a child through our adoption agency - The Adoption Center of Washington and that is what they plan to do. Anyone else reading this blog who would like to do the same can contact ACW via their website. We would certainly appreciate it if you would help this worthy cause. Â A couple of pictures of the orphanage are below. Â You can see more here - Ham Tan Orphanage.
One Wing of Ham Tan Orphanage
Tired from the long drive out and back to the orphanage, we all collapsed that evening and enjoyed an early evening before going to sleep. Alyssa continued to amaze us with her long periods of sleep in the night and her calm manner. She is a very easy baby to care for and a joy to be around.
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