I still have tons of photos of the orphanage I want to share, however right now I want to focus on Dorothy and the experience of her leaving the facility. Eric and Tisra had left for a few hours to pick up her passport, so Dorothy was back in the hands of her caretakers, happily playing with her friends once again. When Eric and Tisra finally got back, the news wasn’t good. The passport was not ready, even though we were told two weeks ago that it was. Fortunately, our guide and coordinator, whom we have affectionately nicknamed “The Enforcer,” has promised us that it will be ready the next day. No matter what. We were grateful for any strings he had to pull to make this thing happen, and were equally giggly imagining him in a throwdown match with some government officials!
The bad news was we would have to stay an extra night in Orissa to wait on the passport. The good news was that even though she did not have her passport to leave the country, she could still leave the orphanage… so Eric and Tisra signed the official papers…
Even “The Enforcer” did his part signing…
then all the paperwork was filed away in their meticulously organized system…
and no one could stop them from taking their daughter home…
Everyone at the orphanage was happy for her, but sad to see her go. There were lots of hugs and some tears…
and finally, Eric and Tisra had to get her in the car even though she was inconsolable. They knew that eventually she would calm down, or at least cry herself to sleep… and that is exactly what she ended up doing. Tisra stroked her hair and whispered to her, “before the night is over, sweet miss, I will get a smile out of you!”
We had to go back to the hotel again, and unfortunately all the rooms with king beds were sold out – so Eric and Tisra had to get two singles in one room.
But they decided to make it work…
First, though, they had to get this little girl out of the World’s Scratchiest Dress. This thing was quite ridiculous… it had beading, glitter, lace, embroidery, rosettes, ruffles, a petticoat, and ribbons. And I am pretty sure it was made entirely out of acrylic. Also it was slightly too small on her, and Eric had to tear the back seam to get it off her little body.
Once he did that, though, they were able to get her into some nice cotton clothes that FIT. We decided to head downstairs and get her a little something to eat before bed.
They ordered some yellow dal and rice for her to eat, and she did quite well with her first meal…
in fact, she even rewarded them with the One Thing that was Most Sought After… her smile.
At one point, Eric said she even giggled. Like out loud. I missed it, but I can’t wait to hear it soon!
Everyone around was stopping them and asking about the baby… they were treated almost like celebrities, and people even asked to take photos of them!
And Dorothy was definitely feeling the love around mom and dad… all she wanted was to be close to them.
So Tisra happily obliged, and rocked her into dreamland on her first night away from the orphanage. ♥
Little Dorothy, I know that everything right now is confusing and scary and you still aren’t sure who these people are that keep feeding you and carrying you around, but trust me when I say that they have loved you for a very, very long time and they are here for the long haul. You are one very lucky little girl.
by jessie
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