WHAT I KNOW
This is the original note that accompanied me when I was found. It was presumably written by my birth parents, and is my only surviving connection to my life before the orphanage. My name (in black, not blue) was chosen and written by the orphanage.
The translation of the note, done by Oliver. In the Western Calendar I was born on May 5th, 1995, around 1:50 a.m.; in the Chinese calendar, it was April 6th.
A certificate declaring my orphan status, and when I was sent to the Welfare Institute. Tangxi Town, or 汤溪村, is in the Wucheng District of Jinhua. I've always been told i was left on the police station steps there, but I'm not sure how true that is; I was brought to the Welfare Institute by the police, however. What happened in the 25 days from my birth to being left, I do not know.
This is actually from my trip; I came back to add it here. When I visited the Welfare Institute in Jinhua, although the Director was unwilling to share any other information without authorization, he did provide us with this: a list of five children who were adopted from the orphanage to Americans (美国, or America, is the first part of the destination listed in the right column). Names are in the first column, while date of departure from the orphanage is in the middle. I am the second one down, 金梅, and there are the names of at least two other girls in my adoption group there as well. We would have left for Hangzhou.
The two nannies from the Welfare Institute who brought the children in; I'm not sure if there were more. (Post-trip edit: when I visited the Welfare Institute in Jinhua, there was a woman staff member there who had a photo with her and one of the adopting parents in my group. I unfortunately didn't have this photograph to show her, but it's guaranteed she was in the room at around the same time.) This photo was taken in the Chinese Overseas Hotel, Hangzhou.
My parents, the first time they held me. I was very overdressed, very colorful, and VERY hot. Note the "Barney-purple" chairs - my dad mentions him in his interview, further in the project.
The results of the mandatory health review done by the Welfare Institute's outpatient department. In 1995, adopting a healthy baby was fairly common; however, as domestic adoptions have increased, China (and similarly-trending countries) are restricting/prioritizing international adoptions to ill or special needs children.
As a group we attracted a lot of attention from citizens, who would gather around and look at/touch my ears and face: a traditional way of fortune-telling. These photos are still in Hangzhou, before we traveled to Guangzhou to finalize the adoption.
Filing out paperwork at the U.S. Consulate on Shamian Island, in Guangzhou.
"They say we can keep her!" - my mom's caption of this photograph.
My parents chose to keep the name given to me by the Welfare Institute: "金" (jin, meaning gold, after Jinhua) and "梅" (mei, meaning plum/plum blossom). Typically, it's more common for adopting families keep the Chinese name as a middle name.
Headed back to the States; going through customs. The person in the middle of the photo is Oliver, the invaluable translator and guide that the adoption group had during the entire trip, and who gave us the translation of the 'original note' (above).
The first picture of me in America. Off-camera: A whole bunch of enthusiastic family.