Author Archives: janishaag

(#7 in the Annie series) Here’s how China has changed, Nikki says, in the four years since she was last here: —There’s not nearly as much smoking in public as there used to be. Typically, only men smoke and fewer … Continue reading →

(#6 in the Annie series) We began our Wednesday when Wendy came to pick us up in the same clean van that took us to get Annie two days before. There was a different driver, but he drove with the … Continue reading →

(#5 in the Annie series) To be honest, when I learned that Nikki was going to adopt Annie, and I decided to accompany Nikki to retrieve this child from a place called Changsha, China, I did not automatically think of … Continue reading →

(#4a in the Annie series) This post is from the blog of Butterfly Children’s Hospices, the people in Changsha who first cared for Annie when she was found in such bad shape. It’s deeply moving and really gives the scope … Continue reading →

(#4 in the Annie series) She was up at 6, as she has been every day for the past three years at The Lighthouse, the International China Concern (ICC) orphanage in Changsha, Hunan province, in south-central China. Her ayi (Chinese … Continue reading →

(#3 in the Annie series) Climbing the highly polished marble stairs, Nikki and I could hear them before we saw them: “Ni hao!” (Hello! Welcome!), and as we rounded a corner for the second set of stairs—three ladies in white … Continue reading →

(#2 in the Annie series) So after Nikki made the statement that Hong Kong is emphatically NOT China, I got to see a bit of Hong Kong… for less than 24 hours, but we’d be back at the end of … Continue reading →

Jan takes iPhone photos of the United Airlines planes lined up at SFO. One of them will take Jan and Nikki to Hong Kong. (Photo/Dick Schmidt) (#1a in the Annie series) Friday, June 17, 2016, 4:51 p.m. California time We … Continue reading →