What a great week I just had in Zhanjiang working at the orphanage.  We had our very first Shining Stars Summer Camp and it was a hit!  We had craft time and played outside and the children had a great time.  We were given permission to take the children to the zoo the last day of camp.  This was a huge sign of the trust that the orphanage has in ZKO.  The children had never left the orphanage, and by the time we actually got the children to the ground floor and outside, it was just too much for two of the little ones.  One of the teachers stayed behind with them because  they just could not handle being outside.  It was so tramatic to see them melt down.

Jessica and her teaching team had been practicing for weeks walking the children  in a straight line in order to have them prepared for our outing.  The first day of camp we learned about tigers and made tiger hats that I meant for the children to wear to the zoo, but the day of the outing they all came downstairs with lovely white hats on their heads.  Of course the teachers had thought about protecting their faces from the sun!  

With the help of the Dallas team, the Ohio team and other volunteers we started off for the zoo.  I will say that the nerves of all of the adults were on edge since we had been given such responsibility and we wanted to make sure that we didn't even have a skinned knee when we returned the children to the orphanage.  Every child was holding the hand of a volunteer, some going at a brisk pace while others lagged behind taking in the sights and sounds (and smells!) of the big city. 

I wish that each of you could have been there to see the faces of the locals as we passed by on our 15 minute walk to the zoo.  At first they were staring because here came a long line of Americans with Chinese children, but I believe they soon realized that we were from the orphanage.  Their stares turned into wide smiles and thumbs up gestures!  You could tell that they were genuinely touched by what we were doing.

The zoo has just recently gone through a much needed renovation and was filled with new exhibits, yet small enough that we were not too worried about losing someone (I can say that now that it is over!).  Some of the children were taken in by the fish exhibits right off the bat while others ran from one exhibit to the other.  The monkeys were a hit of course and because small tree branches had just been left for the giraffe to nibble on we were able to pick up the branches and feed to the beautiful animal.  Many of the  animals were not in exhibits where you had to stand 15 or 20 feet away, they were literally right behind a fence so you could reach out and touch them or even feed them like we did.  

The more "dangerous" animals like the bear, lion and tiger were in enclosures made of a thick plexiglass material so you could literally touch the glass and see the animals who were only inches from you!  The kids loved seeing the lion and tiger!

The highlight of our time at the zoo had to be the Sea Lion show, much like a show you would see at Sea World.  The kids squealed with delight at the tricks the sea lions could do.  It was a joy to watch their little faces, something that I will never forget.

At the close of the show we walked back by the giraffe cage and I guess the zoo workers had been watching us feed the giraffe before, because now they had set up a table by the cage and were selling the tree branches!  Seems that we taught them how to make a few extra rmb!

It is always hard to leave the children and I will confess I usually have tears running down my face when I say goodbye.  This was actually the first time I have left them with a smile on my face.  It is obvious to all that they are dearly loved by their teachers and that the children love them in return.  The children were all so happy and in such great shape that I left knowing they would be taken care of and happily awaiting me next time we get to have an adventure together.

Thank you all for your prayers on behalf of the children and the camp.  We certainly felt the prayers and needed them on our outing!  Please continue to remember these precious little ones, some of whom are awaiting their forever families.  Files have been sent to Beijing and are now in the hands of an American adoption agency for several of the children.  If you feel a tugging at your heart and would like more information, please reach out to us!

So thankful for my ZKO family!  What a blessing it is to get to love these children!

Susan Doshier
ZKO Board Member
Proud Mom of Kristen and Kaitlyn (Zhanjiang 1996) & Rachel (Dallas) 1997