A little about Mississippi, a little about Louisiana, a little about New Orleans and A LOT about our adoption story. This blog and our adoption story is dedicated to Camryn and Matthew Cassreino so that you both will know. Copyright 2021 by Terry R. Cassreino
BEIJING, China (Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008, 9:10 a.m.) – I just wanted to make sure you know how to operate the slide shows I have been been posting in the rail on the left-hand side of this page.
After the slide shows load onto the page, place your mouse over the photo to control which picture you see next. If you want to see a larger version of a photo complete with captions – or a larger version of the slideshow itself – click the photo and you will immediately go to a full-size version.
I am unable to keep every slideshow on my blog at once. So, if a slideshow you saw earlier has been replaced, simply click any slideshow on my page to go to my Picasa Web album page. There, you can access any and all photos we have snapped and uploaded during our trip.
While I will continue to post a photo galleries in this space, slideshows in the left-hand side of the page also give you a glimpse into our trip.
Copyright 2008 by Terry R.Cassreino. All rights reserved.
BEIJING, China (Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008, 8:55 a.m.) – When Pam and I packed for China, we took our own advice based on our trip in March-April 2006: Bring enough clothes for a week and have a laundry service do your wash.
Sounds good, right?
Well, after touring the Forbidden City in Beijing on Saturday, my wife and I hopped into our tour guide’s taxi when I heard the unmistakable sound of my pants ripping. I was right – they split completely in half and down my right leg.
A cold day suddenly became colder. And then I faced the tricky part of walking through the Novotel Peace Hotel lobby toward the elevator and our 12th-floor room without anyone knowing or seeing what happened.
Once in the room, I quickly changed clothes.
For a moment, I was worried that the airplane food I ate during our 24-hour flight added another 25 pounds to my body. But the food wasn’t that good.
Then I thought it might have been my slick moves at the hotel Friday night trying to imitate the actions of the performers at the acrobatics show Pam and I attended. But I’m not that good of an acrobat.
Actually, the blame rested solely with my Old Navy slacks. I have had them for nearly three years and they simply started to wear. These slacks were bound to die sooner than later (unfortunately the timing came while I was overseas).
Today, I’m wearing a fresh pair of pants. And, wouldn’t you know it, I can see a tear starting to form in the same, exact location. That would be just my luck to lose another pair while in China.
Now I have to go back up to the room, make sure I still have a few wearable pairs of slacks in my luggage and, if not, try to find some I can buy in China (where most men are considerably smaller in size than most Americans).
Copyright 2008 by Terry R.Cassreino. All rights reserved.
BEIJING, China (Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008, 7:10 a.m.) – As Pam and I move closer to Tuesday, Dec. 9, commonly called “Gotcha Day” – the day we get Matthew – the anxiety and excitement slowly builds.
We will attend an orientation meeting Monday morning at the Beijing office of Holt International Children’s Services. There, we expect to learn more about the legal proceedings we’ll take care of in Zhengzhou.
We also expect to receive new, updated photographs and information about Matthew. Even though he has been in Beijing in foster care, he will have returned to his home province of Henan for the adoption process.
Pam and I will meet Matthew in Henan. As of today, that’s expected to take place at about 3 p.m. China time (about Tuesday 1 a.m. CDT) at the Civil Affairs office in the Capital city of Zhengzhou. We should have the time and place confirmed Monday.
How will he react – that’s tops on our mind.
Pam and I prepared a small child’s photo album for Matthew a couple of months ago featuring pictures of us, Camryn and our home. Holt told us the album would help his caregivers introduce him to his new family.
I hope Matthew has looked at the album and that my bald head doesn’t frighten him.
Our day Tuesday begins early. We’ll eat breakfast at the Novotel Peace Hotel, pack our room and then meet our guide in the lobby for the trip to the Beijing airport.
From there, we will take a 10:30 a.m. China Southern flight (CZ3116) to Zhengzhou. We are set to arrive at 11:50 a.m. and then head for the Crowne Plaza, where we’ll stay during our time in the city.
We don’t know much else. And with Pam and I the only Holt families here, we probably won’t know a heck of a lot more until Monday’s orientation.
Copyright 2008 by Terry R.Cassreino. All rights reserved.
BEIJING, China (Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, 11:45 p.m.) – Fish balls, sheep kidneys, pork stomach, fried roaches, squid on a stick and other exotic food sold briskly Saturday night along Dong Hua Men Avenue here in Beijing.
Some looked interesting, others looked questionable.
But locals didn’t care as they visited booths that lined one side of two city blocks. Vendors eager for a sale constantly yelled loudly at customers in thickly accented Mandarin, urging them to buy a meal.
The scene repeats every night in the historic Wangfujing shopping district – a quick, five-minute walk down from the Novotel Peace Hotel where Pam and I are staying during the Beijing leg of our adoption trip.
While the weather was brisk Saturday night, it was noticeably warmer than our first three nights in Beijing when the temperature fell to near 10 degrees. And that made it perfect for a two-hour walk to explore the nearby night life.
Let me state up front: Pam and I didn’t try the strange foods. We didn’t want to do so, we had no desire to do so and we didn’t plan to do so. Why would I want to eat roaches when I suffer from a bad case of roachaphobia?
Food at the night market is served on wooden skewers, in small soup bowls and even in half a pineapple. Some looked pretty darn good – from the fried ice cream and candied fruit on a stick to the fried dumplings and noodles.
But we still couldn’t bring ourselves to try any of it.
The closest we will come to that while in Beijing is buying and eating those grilled breakfast wraps we found at Wal-Mart SuperCenter on Friday. In fact, Pam wants to go back there Sunday to buy and eat the same thing one more time for lunch.
For many people in Beijing and across China, folks who have lived here their entire lives and are used to eating unusual and exotic foods, the night food market is perfectly fine and offers an inexpensive way to buy dinner.
That’s not for Pam and me. We just aren’t used to that kind of food. Sure, we love the roasted duck in Beijing and plan to try roasted pigeon when we travel to Guangzhou in about a week.
But we draw the line at unusual foods, including some you often find at good Chinese restaurants – eel, sand worms and water bugs to name a few. That’s just not us.
So it really wasn’t a surprise when Pam turned to me after about 30 minutes of exploring the food booths and asked if I was ready. The pungent odor of old fish, raw squid and other things started to upset her stomach.
If that wasn’t enough, the visuals were just as striking. Who could forget the starfish, squid, roaches, sheep kidneys and small snakes skewered on wooden sticks ready to be fried.
So we turned around and started back to the hotel.
Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.
BEIJING, China (Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, 6:20 p.m.) – A busy day today took us to the Forbidden City, a tea house and a late lunch at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant.
I have posted a new photo slide show to the left, where you can click the photos for a expanded version. You also can view more photos at my Picassa Web site by clicking the slide show.
Here is a quick photo gallery you can see here and now:
Photo 1: Pam stands outside the entrance to the Forbidden City bundled to protect her from the sub-freezing cold. We are fast getting tired of having to bundle and layer clothing to go anywhere in town. The weather must warm soon. We hope it will be warmer in Zhengzhou and Guangzhou.
Photo 2: This is an interesting shot of classical Chinese architecture. Actually, everywhere you looked inside the Forbidden City you saw some incredible images. Absolutely beautiful.
Photo 3: I love this close-up of the detail found on the eaves of the buildings throughout the Forbidden City. Notice the animals on the edge. You have to see it to appreciate it.
Photo 4: These vast drums once held water that was used to extinguish dangerous fires that threatened the wood buildings throughout the Forbidden City.
Photo 5: As Pam will tell you any day, I am not particularly fond of taking photos. But I thought I needed some proof that I was actually here in Beijing and Pam was not doing this alone. And I,for once, think this isn't a half-bad picture of the two of us. By the way, I'm the bald-headed guy on the right. And we are both standing in front of some beautifully restored buildings in the background.
Photo 6: Here is an interesting photo of buildings framed by large rocks in the gardens at the rear of the Forbidden City. I just kind of like the framing of this shot.
Photo 7: Here is another view of the rear gardens.
Photo 8: After the tour, our guide took us to lunch at what she called the Old Beijing Restaurant. There, among a crowd of locals and with no tourists in sight, we dined on Kung Pow Chicken, Iron Beef, Pork and Rice and Beijing Noodles. This was the best food we have eaten since arriving. Pam is standing outside the restaurant.
Photo 9: As I said, I am not fond of taking pictures. But I also like this one of me and Pam in front of a tree in the back of the Forbidden City.
Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.
