Though the effects of the essences that he had consumed began upon his birth, the circumstances surrounding his birth itself were confusing to him. He had been born in a hospital, the doctor who delivered him running a hand that radiated green over his body. The hand reminded him of the feeling of growth, which is strange as growth is an abstract concept that should only be observed.
Soon after his birth, after he had been cleaned up, he was presented to a kindly, portly old woman who seemed to be a no nonsense sort. The woman took him and two others with her out of the hospital, through a village, and into a building on the outskirts of the village which held many more children of varying ages.
It didn't take a genius, which John was, to understand that he had just been sent to an orphanage.