Ever since I arrived in Taipei, one of my goals for the summer was to volunteer in an orphanage here. I searched and searched the web, and even with the help of the woman I was living with had no real success. I had come to the acceptance that maybe this summer just wouldn't be the summer for visiting/ volunteering. Well I guess when we least expect it things do end up turning out. I was searching some adoption blogs, specifically Taiwan adoption blogs, and I found this blog about a family who had adopted their daughter from Taipei, Taiwan in a home called Harmony Home. I did some further research and looked up the home online and then I made some calls. The director Nicole was so welcoming and invited me to come at anytime I had free. Well I decided last Sunday to venture out after going to Mass. I wasn't sure how complicated it would be, but the orphanage was actually very easy to get to to my pleasant surprise. It was so wonderful though, because the first time I came Hana, the other director picked me up, and not only did she just pick me up but she had about 15 kids piled into one van. It was so lovely to get to see all of the beautiful children before I even arrived in the home.
I helped the children out of the van and carried many of them up the three flights of stairs. When I entered the home, I was even more surprised to see how many little babies and children there were living in one home. The home was actually very bright with color, although it was definitely not like living in a family. They kind of had like a huge play pen and an area that they used a gate so that the kids couldn't get out.
I waited to be shown around the house first, and then just got in the big play pen and played with the small kids and held the babies for the rest of the afternoon. It was such a great feeling to get to be able to play with the children and help out in any way I could. I was told that several of the children in the home are HIV positive, however several of the children have been fortunate enough to actually not contract the disease from their mothers.
I think of how hard it must be for N, the director to not fall in love with everyone of these children, because they are all so special. I was told that many of the children in the home are in the process of being adopted. I was very glad to hear that, but what happens to the children who have HIV or who don't get adopted? I can't imagine living my entire life in the home. Although the nannies are wonderful and the living space is comfortable; its not like living with a family and getting the individual attention that children need.
My heart felt a huge sense of sadness for the fact that there are so many children in the world living in institutional care without parents. I have always had the dream to adopt children, and my dream is even more clarified after seeing these children. I know how easy it would be for me to love a child, any child, even if the child is not my own. That is the one thing about Asian culture that I have had a difficult time in understanding. Often in Asian cultures, families never adopt children, because of how important they think it is to have their own blood and familial lines kept within the family. This means that although so many orphans live in Asia, they often, actually mostly will be adopted internationally.
It was interesting to observe that at the Harmony home, that there were more boys than girls. I'm not sure why this was, because in China the case is very different. Yesterday, I went back for my last visit, and it is always a little overwhelming when you first arrive, because there are so many children vying for your attention, but only so much of you to go around. I ended up cuddling with this beautiful baby girl Shuang shunag, and just held her in my arms, which she slept for about a solid 45 minutes and then when she woke up she still wanted to be held and cuddled with. The nannies were telling me that she loves to be held the most out of the children. They said that when she is not being held or given the attention, she will often sit on the floor crying.
Yesterday, it was so hard to actually leave the home, because it meant saying goodbye to all of the children. If I could have I would have taken one of the children home with me, but I know that now is not the point in my life where I'm ready to support children yet, but I couldn't help but want to adopt one of these children right there and now. It was definitely one of the most difficult experiences having to say good bye. I really do hope these children find families soon. Although they are being loved by the volunteers, there is never enough time in the day to give every child the love and attention they deserve. I will continue to pray for the children in the home and hope that the future holds many possibilities for them.
