Visiting my orphanage...

So today I went to Pyeontek, which is about 1 1/2 hours from Seoul. This is the orphanage I stayed at when I was 6 years old. I remember how it was but it was weird seeing it 22 years later. Not everything is the same.  This is the small cafeteria where the children eat.

This is the outside of the where I used to live. On the other side the older children go to school. There are older disabled children who do not have homes that go to school here.

The place is very small. I remembered it being bigger but of course my memory is a little hazy. There are about 48 children here. When I got here all the kids looked and stared at me then, almost immediately they just come to you and climb on you and want to sit on your lap. 

I stayed in the room with the older kids and watched them play. They all wanted to talk to me but I didn't know what they were saying to me and that was hard because I wanted to speak to them too. But instead I made paper airplanes for the children. 

I would sit down and they would all start climbing on me like they were little monkeys. It was really sweet and I wasn't quite sure what to do since they all tried to climb me. One of the boys started to latch onto my leg and wouldn't let go.

It's so sad that they attach so easily to strangers, which shows me that they want to be loved so much and are seeking someone to love them. They call all the females that come here mom and all the men daddy. 

Originally I had planned to buy toys for the children, but the orphanage insisted that was not necessary and they had a lot already. What they needed were good quality nebulizers for the children when they get sick because all of the ones they keep buying are poor quality and break. So with the money that everyone gave me, I was able to purchase one, and I also purchased one for them as well. I hope no one minds I did that with the money they gave me. Thank you for everyone that donated money. It really was a big deal to them. They called me big brother because they were so thankful. I brought a lot of candy from the U.S. so I handed them out after they had lunch. The kids went crazy! It was so funny. 

Afterwards I went to Ester home, which is where the unwed mothers stay. There are about 45 mothers that stay here. I think it was weird for them to see a man there. This is where unwed mothers come and stay for a little while to have their baby. Most of the time, the babies are given away, but sometimes they do keep them. All of the children were so cute I wanted to take them all home with me. I will be back here to visit again to see the children. I can't imagine not coming back here again. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience. When you are actually there, it is so surreal. Now that I have had time to think about the time I spent there, I want to go back and take it all in again and spend time with the kids.