Friday, September 24, 2010

Our Trip to Nagpur To Pick Up Girija - September 23

After a restless sleep we got up early to catch a flight to Nagpur which is in the center of India.

We dodged the usual cattle on the way to the airport.



This is a shot of our coordinator Rejeev. He is an amazing man. There is no way we could have done the trip without him. He told us he has handled close to 600 adoptions. He has a deep passion for what he does & it shows.



We landed in Nagpur around noon and our driver picked us up. We navigated through the streets of what was as close to a third world country as I have ever experienced. I thought the driving conditions in Italy were bad. This city made it look civilized. Rajeev compared the traffic to water. Each person finds their spot as they work their way down the street. Lanes do not exist & when they do have them they don't pay any attention to them. We weaved in and out of cars, trucks, motorcycles, cattle & thousands of pedestrians. It was a real eye opener for me. I was thinking that I would see poverty like I've never seen, but didn't realize I was going to be immersed in it.

We drove for about 30 minutes & rushed out of the car, down an alley that was surrounded by buildings that looked like they were in a war zone, up three flights of stairs that smelled of urine before reaching the steel gate at the front of the orphanage. It all felt like a secret government black ops mission.

This is a shot of the top view of the alley leading to the orphanage.



They put us in the director's office while they got all of the kids ready. Girija was getting upset from all of the focus on her. She was told we were coming & was getting nervous about it.



Then we were directed to the back of the orphanage where all of the kids were waiting for us. They put most of the kids on a rug so that Girija wouldn't feel so anxious.



This is the first shot I took of Girija. She maintained that stare for some time while she tried to figure out what's going on. The caregiver to the left is the one that from what I could tell had the closest connection with Girija & called her mom.



A shot of Girija trying to figure us out.



We played it cool and gave all of the kids equal attention so Girija would feel comfortable. We handed out suckers to break the ice. Then we would slowly give Girija some things to make her feel comfortable around us. She would take each item and stuff it under her legs to keep them protected from all of the other kids. One of the caregivers told us she was the boss of the orphanage & was almost always happy.



She finally warmed up to Christi and let her hold her.



She soon fell asleep from exhaustion. I can only imagine how stressful the entire event was for her.







The other kids in the orphanage were so cute. There were several that we wanted to take with us. This little girl is six and all of us connected with her. She has such a fun personality. Fortunately she is waiting for a family from Italy. Lucky girl!









They took us in the office to ask the caregivers any questions about Girija and to have lunch.



Girija woke back up and we got the pleasure of watching her interact with one of the caregivers. It has to be hard on the caregivers since they have raised Girija from an infant and have grown close to her.



I was able to get some fun shots through the side window of the caregiver giving Girija some affection.



Girija trying to figure Christi out.













She is absolutely beautiful.





We posed for a few pictures with Girija's favorite caregiver.



And they said their final goodbyes.





The view from the balcony of the orphanage. Our driver is waiting in the white car to the right.



We left as fast as we entered. Girija was screaming the entire way down to the car. Many of the caregivers came out to the balcony to wave goodbye.



Girija stopped crying and gave an angry wave back.



Then we hit the busy streets again for the airport.



At the airport we played patty cake and got her to laugh for the first time.



We boarded the plane back to New Delhi to start our new life together.



And flew off into the sunset.

11 comments:

Anonymous September 24, 2010 at 7:12 AM  

Hi guys, I'm Marsha and I work with Cathey. I am SO happy and excited for you all. Girja is absolutely BEATUTIFUL. We feel like we already know her from the pictures Cathey has shared. Can't wait to meet her in person. Have a safe journey back home.

Angela September 24, 2010 at 7:40 AM  

Glenn, you did such a great job with the photography. Thanks for keeping us in the loop. I am crying at my computer. So happy for you guys!

Anonymous September 24, 2010 at 8:51 AM  

Hi Glenn, it's Joey. I am SO happy for you guys! Congratulations!

Amy @ Living Locurto September 24, 2010 at 10:09 AM  

What a gorgeous story in photos!! WOW! I can't wait to meet her:-) It broke my heart to see those kids in that orphanage.

Anonymous September 24, 2010 at 10:20 AM  

I am so crying while reading your story. So happy for you all... And wish you well!

Anonymous September 24, 2010 at 10:45 AM  

What an amazing story! Congratulations and may God bless your beautiful family!

Photo MOM September 24, 2010 at 10:48 AM  

I am overjoyed for you and your family. I was having such a hard time reading this story as the tears were flowing (and still are). I too am adopted and this touches me so deeply. Congratulations.

LillaCummingsPhotography September 24, 2010 at 9:46 PM  

Loved your story! Found your blog through I Heart Faces - small world, I am in Plano. Your little girl is beautiful inside and out! and so lucky to have a wonderful family like yours. Adoption stories are amazing! Wishing your family just the best!!

Rachelle September 25, 2010 at 4:02 AM  

Tears are streaming as I read your story. Congratulations to all of you. Beautiful pictures of a new family's birth. Looking forward to reading future updates as little G gets settled.

Neha from Nagpur September 27, 2010 at 9:13 AM  

Congratulations! A beautiful story in pictures.

Glenn Hadsall September 27, 2010 at 6:53 PM  

Neha from Nagpur, Thank you for the kind response. I have enjoyed looking at the pictures of Nagpur in your blog. It shows a different side of Nagpur that I was not exposed to in my short day trip to the city.