A Trip to the Orphanage and Hangzhou Silk Market

On Wednesday we were able to visit the Hangzhou Children's Welfare Institute - the orphanage where Maddux lived before he was in foster care, and where he went to school at each day. We were able to meet his teachers, take a picture with his classmates (not allowed to post on the internet), see his classroom, his bedroom, and tour some of the orphanage.

The orphanage is very big, almost like a campus, there is one picture that shows all the buildings that are part of the orphanage. the orphanage has over 300 children, and also serves as a teaching facility for teachers and assistants from other orphanage in China to train at, 3 buildings are dedicated to lodging and facilities for this.

After the orphanage tour, we were able to go visit the Hangzhou Silk Market. We were able to get 2 outfits for Maddux that he can grow into. We also had our first temper tantrum here, Maddux was tired and hungry, and it was about 40 degrees outside and dark. He also wasn't feeling well earlier in the day, and combined with the orphanage trip was probably a bit much for him.

Thursday our guide is taking us on a tour of the West Lake and to pick up notary paperwork.

Enjoy the pictures! (Sorry if all the captions are for the picture after - can't seem to make that work right on blogger today).

When we were waiting to travel, we had been emailed a picture of Maddux in front of this - while it looks like a painting, it is actually sewn onto silk - with the same picture sewn on both sides.

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The orphanage layout.

Maddux's classroom.

Maddux with his teacher.

Bedroom at the orphanage (Maddux's was the second toddler bed).

The building that has Maddux's classroom and bedroom.

With the orphanage director and staff in charge of international adoptions and foster families.

On the orphanage's stage.

Hangzhou Silk Town