The Big Day approaches

Thursday, March 30, 10:22 a.m.

By Terry R. Cassreino

BEIJING – This is just a reminder to everyone reading this Blog: The reason Pam and I flew halfway around the world will happen in just four short days in the city of Nanchang in Jiangxi Province.
Sometime that afternoon we will meet our daughter for the first time, take her in our arms and welcome her into our family.
We'll have paperwork and meetings to do the rest of the day and through much of next week. And we'll fly to Guangzhou to the United States consulate the final week to complete the baby's travel requirements.
But for all practical purposes, we'll have Cao Ai Hua beginning Monday.
Now, for everyone wondering about the time factor, I'll try to help. So pay close attention.
Normally, China is 14 hours ahead of Mississippi, Louisiana and all other states and cities in the Central time zone. With Daylight Savings Time kicking in this weekend, you'll jump ahead an hour beginning Sunday. So, that means China will be 13 hours ahead.
Here's the deal: We plan to leave Beijing on Monday, April 3, 2006, at around noon local time. Translate that into Central time, and we will leave Beijing at about 11 p.m. Sunday night. That, therefore, has us getting Cao Ai Hua sometime in the middle of the night for you (early Monday morning) but late Monday afternoon for us.
Got it?
Let's try again: We leave Beijing around noon Monday (about 11 p.m. Sunday in Hattiesburg). We'll get Cao Ai Hua on Monday afternoon shortly after we arrive at our hotel in Nanchang (early Monday morning in Hattiesburg). We'll try to update our Blog with photos Monday night (late Monday morning for you).

Families arrive

We've been meeting several families from Holt International Children's Services as they arrive in town for their own adoption. Some are adopting their first child, just like us; others are adding to their own family of adopted children.
Either way, they all feel the same way we do – that this is what God has led us to do. We couldn't have children naturally, so we believe after much thought and prayer that this is what God wants us to do: Help children who otherwise would be left parentless.

Welcome arms

The Chinese people are some of the happiest and friendliest people Pam and I have met on our travels.
They are extremely helpful. And they seem thrilled when we try to speak the limited amount of Mandarin that Pam and I know.
We have been using the Pimsleur method of learning a foreign language, a compact disc course that stresses conversational Mandarin and trashes workbooks and reference books. Lessons are 30 minutes long and come two to a disc.
As you learn words and phrases and repeat them over and over, you actually walk away with an pretty good Chinese accent. Then when you repeat some phrases, your speech is so good the Chinese people think you are fluent and start chattering away to your complete dismay.
It happened that way in Mexico after we used the same method for Spanish. And like the Mexicans we met in Cancun, Cozumel and Nuevo Laredo, the Chinese seem to love that you actually have enough respect for their culture that you took time to try to speak their native language.

Copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino