Day 8 – Friday, November 25, 2005 – Changchun to Yanbian, Jilin

Today is a day we dreamed of, but were uncertain our dreams would come true! We flew from Changchun (the capitol city of Jilin) to Yanbian (the city where Juan Juan spent over 2 years of her life!). Our guide, Jenny, flew with us to take us to many special places. Today is Li Juan's first airplane flight! We were met at the airport by the 3 directors of the Yanbian Social Welfare Institution. They brought their own cars to drive all of us to the Yanji Hotel where we would be staying. After we checked into the hotel they took us right to the orphanage. We were only able to take a few photos at the outside front of the orphanage. We were given some photos during this visit of Juan Juan in the orphanage with different caregivers. These are treasured photos! Yanbian SWI is a smaller orphanage that is for children with special needs. We saw only 2 babies in Juan Juan's old room. In another room we met maybe 15 special needs older children. They were singing a song when we were coming into the room and they all agreed to sing it again for us. I was able to shake all of their hands and ask them all their names. They were cute and somewhat shy and embarrassed as they spoke their names. It was very touching and a very emotional moment. We purchased a cross-stitch picture of a Chinese symbol that one of the girls made. It was a treasure to see Juan Juan giggling as she ran back and forth between the caregivers and the different rooms visiting her friends. We heard she was loved by all and this was clearly evident in this visit. Lilla greatly enjoyed playing on outdoor play equipment that was in a large room in a central part of the building. She was upset to go when the visit was over. After the orphanage visit, the directors took us to a traditional Korean restaurant. Yanbian is called the "third Korea" because 40% or so of the population is Korean. The 3 directors of the orphanage are Korean. We loved the foods! There was the traditional kimchee, a wild green vegetable, some soy cakes, some potato cakes, a mushroom dish, peanuts, spicy carrots, rice with tiny pieces of corn, a hot soup, and tea. We sat in our own room at a round table. We were able to talk through Jenny as our interpretor. We spoke of other Yanbian adoptive families and children, Juan Juan and our plans to go to Tumen City (Juan Juan's finding spot) and also to visit the foster family the next day. It was a very wonderful and memorable experience! Following lunch, we loaded into the head director's car and the 3rd director drove us to Tumen City (about an hour away from Yanji) where Li Juan was found. We knew she had been found in the Hospital in Tumen and they drove us there (after stopping to ask directions once we got to Tumen). Jenny took us inside the hospital and we were able to find the nurse who found Juan! We asked if we could go to the Tumen River to view N. Korea across the river. We drove there and got out to take photos and video. We are all able to go out onto the bridge separating China and N. Korea and we walk to with a few feet of the border. There are shops along the border and we went into one to buy a few momentos for Juan. Our visit in Tumen comes to an end and we drive back to Yanji. The director drops us off at our hotel and we prepare to go out shopping with Jenny. Jenny took us to a Korean department store where we are able to buy a traditional Korean costume for Juan Juan. It is beautiful! What a special momento. A dinner at KFC follows the shopping (we want McDonald's, but Yanji doesn't have a McDonald's). Lilla needs a few fries to help bring some familiarity into her day. She has been quite a good traveler, but she enjoys the familiar things when her life is anything but routine! Lilla enjoys playing on the indoor playground while Juan just watches and takes it all in. Juan is bonding with Ben, Emma and me. She often prefers Ben to carry her and play with her, but then will decide it is time for Mama. She enjoys having Emma carry her and play with her as well. We are blessed that she is accepting of all of us so quickly. Back to the hotel we go for some sleep. Tomorrow morning I will go with Jenny and the 2nd director (the lady in charge of the children at the orphanage) to visit Juan's foster family! We are not taking Juan because it could be very confusing for her and interrupt her bonding with our family. Ben, Emma, Lilla and Juan will stay at the hotel when we go for our visit. I cannot adequately express how amazing today was for our family. We were able to see the places where Li Juan spent her life until the day she came to us (only 2 days ago!). We were able to see a place that we had only read about and never dreamed we would see personally (the border of China and N. Korea). We are so thankful to the Chinese Officials who gave permission for this to happen, to the Orphanage Directors who made this visit possible, to Jenny who has done so much for us and has become a dear friend, to Holt International for the work that they are doing in Yanbian (sponsoring the foster care program at the orphanage), and most importantly to God who allowed us to realize these dreams of seeing places that will help us give our daughter, Juan, a better window into her life story before she came to be with our family. All of this - and especially our daughter - are priceless.