Reflections, clarifications on traveling in China

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

MADISON, Miss. (Monday, Dec. 29, 2008, 6:35 p.m.) – After receiving some feedback on an earlier post about my thoughts and experiences on our China adoption trip, I thought I’d share a few more observations.

These may serve to amplify or clarify my earlier thoughts.

China safety: For the most part, China is a relatively safe country. Pam and I felt safe enough to walk freely to different areas of Beijing, Zhengzhou and Guangzhou during our adoption trip this month; we did the same during our adoption trip in March and April 2006.

The people of China are proud, welcoming folks who genuinely love to visit with Americans. They love to practice their broken English as much as I enjoyed trying the little Mandarin I knew and could speak like a native.

In every city we visited, Pam and I felt comfortable enough to take a taxi just about anywhere. And we freely ate at Chinese restaurants, ordering from the menu despite our inability to speak fluent Mandarin.

Travel unease: This year’s trip fell days after the terrorist attacks in India, which led to a lot of unease on my part. I wasn’t comfortable traveling by air as long as we did (23 hours to China, 33 hours back to the United States).

To be honest, I would have felt the same way regardless of the terrorist attacks. I just don’t like to fly for any reason. Period. Exclamation point.

Once in China, Pam and I were by ourselves for the bulk of our trip. In 206, we were part of a larger group of adoptive parents (30 total, including 10 who traveled with us to Jiangxi province). So whatever we did this time around we did it by ourselves.

That didn’t necessarily mean the trip was horrible. I just would have preferred to be part of a larger group of adoptive parents who could have shared experiences.

Chinese culture: Pam and I made a conscious decision this trip to attempt to immerse ourselves more in Chinese daily culture than we did last time. In 2006, we took a few more organized tours.

This time, we took a tour to the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Peking Acrobats. Beyond that, we explored Beijing, Zhengzhou and Guangzhou on our own, seeing what its like to live day-to-day in the cities.

We visited large shopping districts, neighborhood markets, city parks and restaurants where no one spoke English and we were challenged to order food we liked. It was an adventure to say the least.

Hotel lodging: The Novotel Peace Hotel in Beijing was nice, centrally located, had a good breakfast buffet (included with our room), but an overpriced and not very good dinner buffet. The price was about $150 a night.

The Crowne Plaza in Zhengzhou was spectacular: A beautifully decorated hotel with nice rooms and a comfortable bed. The breakfast buffet (included with the room price) and the dinner buffet ( Brazilian barbecue) was excellent at about $30 a person. The price was about $150 a night.

The White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou was also very good, even though the bed felt like a rock. The breakfast buffet (included with the room price) was good, but the dinner buffet was awful and severely overpriced at more than $50 a person. The price was about $150 a night.

Trip expense: If you’re wondering about the cost for travel to China, here is a quick rundown – about $3,000 to $3,500 for round-trip air fare from the United States to China; about $5,000 for hotel and in-country airfare in China; about $50 a day in expenses per person.

I think Pam and I got by with less than $50 total per day. We usually ate a nice breakfast at the hotel and then ate a nice dinner at a local restaurant, where two could eat good for less than $20 total. Hotel meals will cost significantly more.

I hope this helps give you a better idea about our trip. Like Holt International Children’s Services told us, every adoption trip is different: The children are different, the circumstances are different, the situation is different.

Pam and I traveled to China with sinus infections that worsened rather than improved. And we were in Beijing and Zhengzhou during bitterly cold, miserable winter weather. I’m sure that contributed to the overall feel of our trip.

Don’t let that change your mind.

Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.

Attention turns to New Year's Day

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

MADISON, Miss. (Monday, Dec. 29, 2008, 11:15 a.m.) – Now that Christmas is over, Pam, Camryn, Matthew and I are busy preparing for the New Year.

Nope, we won’t be hitting the clubs or the party circuit on New Year’s Eve. It’s possible we might travel to Slidell – but that’s pretty iffy at the moment.

Actually, if I do travel to Slidell I will have to spend some time shopping for Carnival and the Krewe of Endymion.

I ride in Endymion, the largest Carnival organization in New Orleans with more than 2,500 members. The parade attracts 1 million-plus people to the streets of New Orleans; I’m on Float 7-A this year.

I already bought the majority of my beads; now I need stuffed animals and other throws. And if we head to Slidell this weekend, I may try to complete my parade shopping for this year’s event.

The parade, of course, is just one part of the next two months. Pam and I will attend the Endymion coronation ball on Jan. 31, the open house at our den Feb. 7 and the Endymion Extravaganza the night of the parade Feb. 21.

We also plan to take Camryn and Matthew to New Orleans for the parades. Camryn absolutely loves Carnival parades; it will be interesting to see what Matthew thinks.

Risks and fears of traveling – even for an international adoption

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

MADISON, Miss. (Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008, 3:46 a.m.) – Now I can tell the whole story, one I purposely withheld from my wife, Pam, while we were preparing for and taking our trip to China to adopt our son.

Despite a successful and memorable trip to china in March and April 2006 to adopt our daughter, Camryn, this trip didn’t go quite as smoothly.

For starters, Pam and I traveled to China ill. I had a bad sinus infection that I still am struggling to end as I write this blog entry.

It didn’t help that Pam fell ill and bedridden for a day while in China; that Matthew, our son, became ill and had to seek help from a Chinese doctor; and that my sinus infection worsened.

On top of that, we were traveling across China – to Beijing, Zhengzhou and Guangzhou – by ourselves.

In 2006 we were part of a group from Holt International Children’s Services, our adoption agency in Oregon.

This time, Pam and I were traveling across the country by ourselves.

And we were traveling overseas less than a week after terrorists bombed a hotel and singled out Americans in a raid in Mumbai, India – next door to China.

I’m already fearful of flying. I entered the 2006 and 2008 trips to China mindful of the risks of international travel for Americans. But the terrorist attacks had me uneasy.

Everywhere we went in China, I was always making sure I knew where we were and who was around us. I kept on eye on Pam and Matthew and another on everyone else.

That was especially true on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, when a taxi ride left us on Beijing Street in Guangzhou – a scene of wall-to-wall people making a mad dash for retail shops that lined the wide thoroughfare.

I never felt so out of my element in my life. We were there maybe 30 minutes to an hour looking for a taxi; it seemed, however, like we were there for hours.

I know it sounds paranoid; heck, maybe it is. But I know how I felt, I know how uncomfortable things were for me and at times I knew I couldn’t wait to return home.

The state of our world today is pretty pathetic, isn’t it – particularly when a married couple, seeking to give an orphaned child the gift of a family, doesn’t feel safe on their journey to parenthood.

Well, we are home. We made it back safely. Our son has met our daughter. And we are grateful to Holt International, China and others for making this happen.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.

Jet lag leads to lazy Sunday

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

MADISON, Miss. (Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008, 9:30 p.m.) – I just barely made it through today as I continue to struggle with jet lag from our 31-hour trip to China in which we passed over the International Date Line and 14 time zones.

Pam also is struggling. In fact, it seems worse this trip than it was last time in April 2006 – possibly because we traveled home in 23 hours in 2006 compared to 31 hours this year.

Nevertheless, we managed to take Matthew and Camryn to visit Santa at the Bass Pro Shop in Pearl. Hey, the shop has a much better Santa than Northpark Mall in Ridgeland.

Matthew went hysterical and Camryn shied away.

After I explained to Camryn that Santa likely would pass up our house on Christmas Eve if she didn’t tell him what she wanted, she returned for a short visit on his lap.

Santa still had to pry from Camryn her Christmas wish: A hula hoop and a jump rope. Hopefully, I will be able to post a couple of Santa photos by Monday.

Today, Pam and I shopped for Christmas at Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Madison. As expected, it was a madhouse; we lasted a couple of hours before deciding to hit Target on Monday.

Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.

Chinese concerned about U.S. economic woes

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

MADISON (Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008, 5:35 p.m.) – Many of the Chinese we met during our Dec. 2-Dec. 18 adoption trip were concerned about one thing: The failing United States economy.

Everywhere we went in Beijing, Zhengzhou and Guangzhou, the Chinese whom we met and whom spoke English all wanted to know just how bad the economic crisis is back home.

I was fascinated with their concern, especially in a country that is still a developing nation. My answer was the same: It’s very bad, it could get worse but Presidet-elect Barack Obama will bring much needed change to the nation.

Our economic problems won’t end overnight, I said, but President-elect Obama will put us on the right path to correct the problems of the past eight years.

Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.

Returning to a life of normalcy

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

MADISON (Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008, 8:10 a.m. CDT) – My Friday was pretty much shot.

I stopped by the bank in the morning to deposit unused travelers checks (we got by nearly three weeks in China spending half of the budgeted amount of money, something I find amazing).

I visited my doctor to find relief from the sinus infection from hell that has been dragging along since Thanksgiving. My doctor gave me another round of antibiotics and took an x-ray of my sinuses.

I stopped by Kroger for about an hour to buy some much needed groceries for the house. And then at CVS Pharmacy to fill my prescription for antibiotics.

By the time I returned home, Pam was getting Camryn, our daughter, and Matthew, our son, ready for an afternoon nap. I was tired, too. The jet lag finally caught up with me.

Thursday night arrival

We arrived at the Jackson-Evers International Airport at 9:21 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18. Northwest dumped our plane off on the tarmac, which I thought was classless and tacky.

We had to carry Matthew down a flight of steep steps, walk across the tarmac to the terminal, then trudge up two flights of steps to the terminal building. That sucked.

A few feet down the corridor, our family was ready to greet us and meet their new brother, cousin and grandson: Matthew Wu Di Cassreino. It was an overwhelmingly emotional event.

Our daughter screamed with delight to see us for the first time since Monday night, Dec. 1. Our moms cried tears of joy at seeing their grandson.

And Matthew was vaklempt. Actually, he cried and screamed, not wanting anyone but Pam and me.

Adapting to home

Since Thursday night, Matthew has accepted his family. He goes to his cousin, Jamie. He wants his Maw Maw Gay (my mother). He lets Na Na (Pam’s mom) hold him. And he loves his new sister, Camryn.

Camryn also loves her new brother. Other than learning about sharing (Matthew has no toys, while Camryn has tons) and the occasional slight streak of jealously (which is to be expected), Camryn adores her brother.

If you need proof, take a look at this accompanying photo: Friday night, Camryn helped Matthew to the glider in our living room, sat right next to him and gently ricked back-and-forth while her brother laughed of joy.

Then, Camryn rocked Matthew to sleep.

On tap for today: Let’s put up the Christmas tree and – maybe – let’s visit Santa Claus.

Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.

The joys of international flight

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

DETROIT (Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008, 2 p.m. CDT) – The 19 hours in the air from Guangzhou to Detroit, including time spent at airports in Guangzhou and Tokyo, has taken a large toll on Pam and I.

Simply put: We are tired. Drained. Exhausted. We got virtually no sleep on the Guangzhou to Tokyo flight and the Tokyo to Detroit flight. We don’t feel good. And we are ready to go home.

Now we are stuck in Detroit for another six hours waiting for our connecting flight to Jackson. And to make matters worse, the best place we could find for food was Fudruckers.

Just how much of a challenge was today’s flights? Well consider these facts:

In flight meals: These were terrible, horrible and completely tasteless compared to the food served on the way over to China. Bland eggs for breakfast. Nasty chicken for lunch.

In flight films: Nothing to write home about here. “The Women,” which sucked. “Wall-E,” which sucked. A few television shows, which sucked.

Sleep deprived: Pam and Matthew were so tired that they fell asleep waiting in the lounge area waiting for our flight to Jackson. Matthew slept on the seats, Pam on the hard floor.

Restroom blues: When Pam woke about an hour or so before our flight left, she decided to use the restroom. Minutes later, she rushed back to the waiting area breathlessly to tell me she was so tired she didn’t realize she used the men’s room until she left the stall and noticed urinals lining the wall. As she told me, a gentleman who apparently was in the same restroom passed by laughing and waving to her.

The joys of international flight. Can’t wait to get home.

Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.

Pam, Matthew, Terry arrive home tonight

** Adoption countdown: Pam, Terry and Matthew are on their way home. **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

SOMEWHERE ABOARD NORTHWEST AIRLINES (Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008, 10 a.m. CDT) – Pam, Matthew and I should be approaching Detroit at this time, ready to land in the United States and make Matthew a U.S. citizen.

After an afternoon layover, we will board another plane for a trip to Jackson.

As I said in previous posts, we are scheduled to arrive on Northwest Flight 2978 at 9:21 p.m. on Thursday night, Dec. 18, 2008, at the Jackson-Evers International Airport.

If you can make it there, great – we’d love to see you. If not, that’s OK – you’ll have a lot of time to meet Matthew.

Pam, Matthew and I, however, want to let you know that we appreciate your thoughts and prayers and that we are glad you took time to follow this intimate and personal journey through our Web site.

God bless everyone – and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We will try our best to do the same.

Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.

Pirated, bootleg films still available in China

** Adoption countdown: Pam, Terry and Matthew are on their way home!**

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

GUANGZHOU, China (Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008, 9 a.m.) – Despite the best efforts of motion picture studios and law enforcement agencies, pirated movies remain widely available on DVD in parts of China.

In stores and kiosks in Beijing, Zhengzhou and Guangzhou – cities my wife and I have visited during our trip to adopt our son – you can easily buy the latest box office hits on DVD.

In Beijing, for example, you can find hordes of bootleg movies for less than $10 each. Among the titles available were “Max Payne,” “Mama Mia!” and the new James Bond thriller “Quantum of Silence” – films not yet available legally for home video.

In Zhengzhou, I saw racks of pirated movies at Lotus SuperCenter, a Thailand-based department store chain similar to Wal-Mart SuperCenters in China and the United States.

And across from the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, where a number of local merchants cater to parents waiting for their children’s U.S. visa, one merchant had boxes of pirated box office hits.

Pirated discs

“Top quality,” the gentleman told me as he proudly displayed boxes and boxes of recent films – including “Quantum of Solace” packaged in a clear plastic sleeve that indicated it was Blu-ray high definition disc.

“Is that Blu-ray?” I asked.

“High quality DVD,” he replied in simple, clipped English, clearly not understanding my question.

I tried again: “Is that Blu-ray? HD? A high definition disc? Or is it DVD?”

“High quality DVD,” he said, adding it cost just 15 Yuan – the equivalent of about $2 – and obviously unaware what a Blu-ray disc is.

Pirated movies aren’t the only bootleg discs in China. In Beijing, at the seven-story monstrosity known as the Silk Market, several vendors sold pirated Wii games for the equivalent of about $1.40 each.

But would the games actually work on Wii consoles in the United States, I asked the merchant at the Silk Market when we visited center about two weeks ago.

“Well, you can buy this Wii today, I’ll turn it on and we can see if the games work,” he said in perfect English and with a hearty laugh.

I declined: No new Wii system for me (I have one, thank you) and no bootleg games. The same went for the pirated videos I saw in Beijing, Zhengzhou and Guangzhou; besides being illegal, the quality likely is garbage.

Television series

Another vendor at the Silk Market in Beijing also sold elaborate, oversized box sets of complete television series including “Lost, “ “24” and “Band of Brothers.” One in Guangzhou sold “Lost, “ “24”and “The Sopranos.”

One set caught my eye in Beijing: “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” a profane and insanely funny comedy that Larry David developed for Home Box Office. David, you may recall, was a creative force behind “Seinfeld.”

For 340 Yuan, or about $50, I could buy the first five seasons.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the box said in large letters mimicking the font of the show’s on-screen opening credits. “The Complete Firstesth-Fivesth Seasons. Starring Larry Dvid,” the box read in a dead giveaway it was pirated.

The back of the box had a combination of English and Mandarin text with the official HBO logo at the bottom. But somehow, I just didn’t think HBO authorized the set.

Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.