An Adoption Story Part 2
We began our 24 hour plane trip from Nashville to Bengaluru Airport, India. From the airport we got a cab ride to Hassan which took approximately 4 hours. Needless to say we were exhausted and excited all at the same time. We arrived at the Mallige REsidency hotel in Hassan just as the sunrise began to light the streets. After a brief nap my wife and I took a “Tuk Tuk”, from our hotel to the orphanage. A “Tuk Tuk” is a motorized three wheeled taxi that are very common in all parts of India. After our short ride we arrived at Thavaru Charitable Trust and met with Dr. Palaksha Hassan Krishnamurth, who established this orphanage to help the children of his home town. We were immediately met with smiles and hugs and met all the children of Thavaru, including our new daughter, Wren Lee Anvitha Determann.
Wren was extremely shy and upset with the strangers trying to talk to her and hold her. My wife and I prepared ourselves for this type of first time interaction as it is quite common. Most people are unaware of the trauma that many of these children have gone through, and haven’t the slightest idea of how these children process that trauma. I will say that Wren’s backstory is quite sad, however, I will not give details about what our little Wren went through, as that is her story to tell if she so chooses. We began playing with Wren on the ground and were invited to Dr Palaksha’s home for lunch with Wren where we first noticed her starting to warm up to both of us. It was decided that Wren could come stay with us for the rest of our journey as we all agreed we wanted to build the bond between us.
It was difficult for Wren to stay with us in a new environment and we started picking up on the toys and games she liked most and concentrated on establishing trust. We were unsure on how she would during meal times however she was not shy about eating, at all! On a side note, the food we were able to sample during our stay was amazing. We had buffet style course with every meal and it was a treat to try everything. After a weeks stay in Hassan, we then drove back to Bengaluru airport and flew to the capitol, New Delhi. This is where we had several appointments to have all of Wren’s paperwork in order and to get her passport from the embassy.
After we had everything in order we took time to do some local shopping and took a trip to the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is truly a wonder and I have never seen anything like it. The story behind the Taj Mahal is intriguing and I would need several blogs to explain it. It was summed up perfectly by our guide when he said it is the greatest love story in the history of the world.
Soon it was time to make the long trip back and introduce Wren to her new home and brothers who were eagerly awaiting her arrival. We said our goodbyes and after the 30 hour trip we were finally back in Nashville. Wren immediately took to her older brothers and her new pets that she’d never had before. She sleeps very well most nights and spaghetti is her favorite food to eat. She is part of us now and calls us “momma” and “dadda”. It’s as if she has lived with us the whole time and she feels completely comfortable in her home now. As a parent I sometimes wonder how she’ll respond when we tell her about how our paths crossed and what happened when she was young. Well, that’s a different story for when the time comes.
