Friday, May 24, 2019

We Really Want to Know, How Are You Now?

To my dear sister:


Dear sister who shares the same blood with me, how come we haven’t met in more than ten years? miss you so. How is everythingAre you living a good life as I've always wished for you?

Although it has been 17 years, I still remember clearly your adorable face the day you were born. Our parents held you tightly in their hands and the household was filled with happiness and joy. Your other older sister and I, though young, were so happy because of your arrival, and we danced around you. However, the happiness was shortDue to the Family Planning policy at that time, we had to hide you from the government

At first, Mom and Dad took you out of the town where you were born, and brought you to other towns to avoid the civil servants who carried out the Family Planning policy. But the attempt was not very effective. Then our parents took another approach: to hire an old man to take care of you (Poor as we were, our parents made every effort to keep you well. They spent all they had to hire this person to look after you). We hoped that the storm of Family Planning would pass soon so that we could pick you up as soon as possible. But things went awry, the storm swept across the country, and it was so vigorous that no one could hide from it. All those involved in concealing children would be severely punished. Their homes and those of their relatives would be torn down, their furniture emptied, their people jailed and their kids forcibly taken away. The old man we hired was scared of the policy and refused to take care of you, which put we in a dilemma. 

After taking everything into consideration, our best solution was to put you into the orphanage, which at least allowed us to know your whereabouts. Since then, Mom and Dad often went secretly to the orphanage to see you, but they dared not to tell anyone, for fear that you would be forced to be sent to another place. At that time, I was only nine years old. I often saw our parents wipe tears secretly and as a kid, I knethat was because they missed you. A year later, we were told that you had been sent to America. At that time, our parents were very sad and thought that they would never see you again, but they also prayed that you would have a better life in America. 

Since then, Dad has suffered from sleep problems. For 16 years, Dad never slept at night. Knowing that you were sent to America, I made up my mind to help our parents find you. That's why I chose English as my major in college. I want to find you, my dear sister. I miss you very much. How are you doing right now?

I often wonder how happy we would be if you were with us. How I wanted to take care of you, to give you a candy when you cried as a child; how I wish I could be by your side when you are in adolescence, when you are in trouble, share both your happiness and bitterness... I want to do my sister's duty and take good care of you. Accompany you on your path to an adult. Dear sister, we really want to know, how are you now? If you know that we are looking for you, can you contact us and let us know what you've been through? We miss you very much. Wish you all the best in America!

Not a Single Day

I gave birth to a baby girl when I went out to work in Henan province. Before she was born, I had already given birth to a disabled daughter and a son. At that time, I was pregnant unexpectedly and my parents couldn't make any other choice. I still had to bear a lot of pressure to support her. I stayed iHenan province until my daughter was a month old, and then I went back to the rural hometown of Anhui Province, Anqing City, Wangjiang County.

At the time the National Family Planning policy was very strict, as another child was not allowed in this situation. As I expected, after two days, local villagers came to my home and talked about the policy of Family Planning. They said my child was not allowed to be born, or in the future, the child cant go to school and register permanent residence. I was helpless, with giving up my own flesh and blood of love, and I was forced to let the Family Planning staff take her to the orphanage in Anqing city.

Since my daughter leftwe parents were worried about her and thought of her day and night. I went to the orphanage in 2005 to make sure my daughter wain a good situation of adoption. The institution staff said, according to the national related law, that learning about her was not allowed. Now I can't find my daughter whereabouts, after losing her more than ten years ago, and not a single day goes by without thinking of her, also looking for her by all kind of methods, ending up so far with nothing.

Thank you very much!