Saying goodbye wasn't the hard part.....
Kara was so excited to see her friends. She came to America knowing that she would only be here for one month. She left the only family she has ever known behind to travel for days to meet strangers that didn't speak her language or cook her food. She was excited to get back to what she knows, school, friends, foster family, people that speak Mandarin, etc.
Our family knew no matter what the outcome of the month, Kara was returning to China, there were no other options. We had prepared ourselves for this, as a family (Kara included) we kept track of the days until she would be returning to China.
When she left from the airport there were no tears, the other boy that flew with her was visibly upset, but Kara was prepared. I think this helped both me and her. I hugged her before she boarded the plane and told her I loved her. She walked down the jet way and waved and said goodbye. She looked back multiple times and waved, but always with a smile.
Kara just arrived (approx 60 hours from her flight out of Chicago) at her orphanage.
The hard part is now. The hard part is folding her clothes that she won't ever wear again. The hard part is hearing Audrey say she wants Kara to come back forever. The hard part is wondering how she is doing.
I don't know how Kara is doing, but my guess is that it will be the same for her in the days to come.
For us, this month was a crazy, wonderful, emotional roller coaster. For Kara, she came scared, experienced things she would most likely never experience in the orphanage, she visited a Dr, eye Dr, and dentist in the month that she was here, she hadn't seen any of those in the last 5 years (that we know of), felt the love of a family....But it's not over, we all still have feelings to sort through. It's complicated....she's worth it. Every child is worth it.
Here are a few pictures of her the few days before she left.
Kara :)
Mom and the girls!
It's hard to take a family picture of 6 without a selfie stick ;0
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