SNAPS: My time at the Orphanage in China was rewarding
The service trip to China was the first trip to visit since I was adopted. I joined adopteen, founded in 2007 by Amy Zhong and her brother Art Zhong, to volunteer at the Xi’an City Children’s Welfare Institute in Xi;an. Located in Denver, Colorado, Adopteen is a place for adoptees to gather together and meet new adoptees to talk about being adopted and one’s identity.
At the entrance of Xi’an City Children’s Welfare Institute, the orphanage is similarly structured to a college campus.Among the older children who performed a song for us, are two staffs leading the song on Adopteen’s visit on the last day.Participating in the awards ceremony are (l-r) Amy Zhong, director and co-founder at Adopteen; Lily Nile, CEO and co-founder of Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI); and director Xiong, director at Xi’an City Children’s Welfare. In the nursery, the nannies interact with one of the of the girls from the Adopteen group while playing with the toddlers.
