The highlight of today was visiting Go Vap orphanage (the orphanage where Ivy was living when we first met her nine years ago this month when she was only 4 1/2 months old). Son Michael Pham, founder of Kids Without Borders, arranged our visit. We met the orphanage director. The orphanage director during Ivy's adoption in 2001 has retired. We shared a photo book of Ivy with the caregivers including several that took care of Ivy as a baby. We toured the orphanage and enjoyed meeting the babies and children there. It is a large orphanage. There are groups of children with many medical issues including cerebral palsy, hydrocephaly, down's syndrome, and many different birth defects. Ivy and Olivia especially enjoyed holding and playing with the infants. The electricity was out when we first arrived, but came on during our visit.
It was also on this day that we discovered Pho 24, a restaurant chain that specializes in pho (traditional vietnamese noodle soup). Ivy loves their strawberry smoothies and Olivia loves their orange juice. We ate lunch AND dinner here today:
http://pho24.com.vnIt was also on this day that we discovered Pho 24, a restaurant chain that specializes in pho (traditional vietnamese noodle soup). Ivy loves their strawberry smoothies and Olivia loves their orange juice. We ate lunch AND dinner here today:
The first two photos are during our walk back to the hotel after breakfast. The third is a photo of Ivy and Olivia's favorite drinks at Pho 24. The fourth photo is of the girls on the staircase just before leaving the hotel for Go Vap orphanage. The remaining photos were taken at Go Vap orphanage.
Links to photos of Ivy and Olivia's adoption trips in 2001 and 2002 may be found in the list on the right.
I haven't yet read all of your posts or looked yet at all of the photos but have stopped because the one of Ivy holding the baby and looking down at the baby is going to be a family CLASSIC, it's brilliant!
ReplyDeleteSeeing the orphanage and holding the babies must have been hard for all of you. What an incredible experience you are all having. I love the photograph of Oliva looking at the toddler through the window and the one of both girls on the staircase. The place looks fabulous.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you buying to eat in the first photograph? It looks like a lemon?!
ReplyDeleteMangos! And the orphanage visits were indescribable...
ReplyDeleteQuel bonheur vous avez !
ReplyDeleteEt que vos filles sont belles !
florine24,
ReplyDeleteOui !
Merci beaucoup !
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI allow to contact you that I am the happy mom of a garcon young which is on go vap which was born May 22nd, 2010, I believed to appercevoir on one of your photos in the dormitory of youngs I believed the appercevoir, would have has you any hazard of the other photos of this dormitory, I shall be grateful to you for it, I leave you my e-mail address if you need lauriane16@hotmail.fr it
Cordially
Laurence
Our son is from GoVap and we brought him home Dec.'08. This is not the room he was in so they may have changed things around. Love all the shots : )
ReplyDeleteHi, Do you have any more pictures of GoVap orphanage? I adopted my daughter from there in January 2011 and would love to find some pictures of her time there!
ReplyDeletetullicarm@yahoo.com