Thoughts and observations from Guangzhou

** Adoption countdown: 4 days until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

GUANGZHOU, China (Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, 11:15 a.m.) – This is one huge city.

And Pam, Matthew and I are about to go explore the town on our own, hoping to begin shopping for Christmas gifts before we head back to the States on Thursday.

We also will need a new suitcase. A small shop across from the hotel is selling a nice sized Polo suitcase for the equivalent of about $14, so I think we’ll probably head over there.

Until we return, I thought I’d share a few observations about Matthew, Guangzhou and China in general.

Matthew: He’s nothing but energy as he runs around our room at the White Swan Hotel. He continues to adjust well, sleeping through the entire night without waking. And he continues to eat well, devouring a full bowl of oatmeal at breakfast.

Christmas decorations: Most businesses here decorate for Christmas just like they did in Beijing and Zhengzhou. Some include elaborate decorations, some are simple like the accompanying photo with this post. All of the displays we have seen focus on Santa and have no religious reference.

Amazing Hands: Amy Pu, founder of Amazing Hands, the foster home in Beijing that cared for Matthew, wrote us a nice e-mail. It’s obvious that Amy and others at Amazing Hands dd a wonderful job working with Matthew – and we are incredibly appreciative.

Breakfast: Speaking of breakfast, which is included as part of our daily room rate, the hotel buffet includes the usual assortment of dishes: eggs, bacon, ham, pastries, waffles. A few what we would consider unusual breakfast dishes include fried noodles, steamed dumplings, fried shrimp, meatballs and sushi.

River view: Our hotel is directly on the banks of the Pearl River, which is filled freight traffic. At night, the river is lit by bright neon signs from businesses and restaurants that line the banks.

Language: The Chinese have as many problems with the English language as we do with the Chinese language. The photo I included with this post was at a park near the hotel and is a good example.

Store clerks: I have never seen so many store clerks anywhere as I have in China. Everywhere you go there must be one clerk or salesperson for every shopper. You won’t see that in the United State.

Basketball: Professional basketball is all over the airwaves here in China. In particular, it’s common to see an NBA game, live or tape delayed, on Chinese TV during the day (it corresponds to night games at home).

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

Matthew continues to adjust amazingly well

** Adoption countdown: 7 days until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

ZHENGZHOU, China (Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008, 6:30 a.m.) – Matthew continues to adjust well nearly two days after he joined our family and one day after our adoption became legal under Chinese law.

After playing for several hours on our hotel room bed with a horde of Matchbox-style cars (and talking feverishly in Mandarin I couldn’t understand), a tired Matthew went to bed around 10 p.m. Wednesday night.

I snuck out of the room for the hotel lobby and the Internet at a little after 6 p.m., and he was still sound asleep.

Matthew’s progress so far is in stark contrast to our daughter, Camryn, who had sleeping problems and wouldn’t even look at me for the first week we were together as a family.

In fact, Camryn didn’t warm up to me until after we arrived in Guangzhou to complete U.S. paperwork (which also can be lengthy and involved).

The first real test for Matthew will be Friday, Dec. 12, when we fly from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou, about a three-hour trip in the morning.

How will he handle the flight? His behavior might give us a clue of what we can expect during the 12-hour flight from Tokyo to Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 18.

Getting philosophical

As I looked at Pam in our room with Matthew cradled in her arms on the bed, you can’t help but wonder about the delicate nature of life and children – our most precious resource.

With the risk of sounding pompous, I believe we all are here for a reason. And what better one than to help preserve the future of our families, our world and our God than to raise, nurture, protect and educate our children?

I remember hearing former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus speak while he served in office and in the years since then. Gov. Mabus has long been a fervent, outspoken supporter of public education in Mississippi and nationwide.

The one thing I remember hearing Gov . Mabus say over and over and over, the one thing that has stayed with me throughout the years, was his passion for protecting our most important “natural resource” – our children.

He’s right. How much more vulnerable, defenseless and impressionable can a child be than Camryn was when we took her in our arms on that fateful afternoon of Monday, April 3, 2006?

Or how much more vulnerable, defenseless and impressionable can a child be than Matthew was when we held him in our arms for the first time on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008?

We’ve met several U.S. families in Beijing and Zhengzhou who are doing the same thing we are. Many are here to adopt children with special needs: club feet, cleft palate, congenital heart disease.

Couple that with the love and support our son received from the Amazing Hands Children’s Home in Beijing and you can’t help but be moved by the commitment and dedication demonstrated by the Chinese people to give their children a “forever family” and a chance at a good life, something they might not otherwise have had.

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

A letter to Wu Di from his caregiver

** Adoption countdown: 8 days until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

ZHENGZHOU, China (Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008, 9:30 a.m.) – As Pam and I rode from the Zhengzhou airport to our hotel on Tuesday, a couple of hours before we met our son, our adoption escort handed us a gift bag.

Inside was a book, a thick diary that detailed Matthew Wu Di’s life the past year at Amazing Hands Children’s Home in Beijing where he had been living since receiving treatment for his club foot.

The diary is packed with stories written in Mandarin and translated in English. It includes photos of his days at the orphanage, of Christmas 2007 and of trips to the park.

We looked through the diary before we met our son. It gave us a better idea about who he is and how he ended up in Beijing; he obviously received a lot of love, care and attention at the home.

One thing got to me in particular – and I want to share it with everyone following our blog and adoption journey. I hope you take a minute to read the complete text of a letter the ayis (aunts) at Amazing Hands wrote to Matthew and included near the end of the diary.

Dear Wudi,

Knowing that you will soon be united with your family, all of the ayis are so happy for you! Even though we are reluctant to let you go, we know that you belong with your forever family. You have a mom, dad and sister. They love you very much and will take wonderful care of you and cherish you. You are an adorable, kind, gentle, upright, determined child. We are all so proud of you! Even though you are leaving a familiar surrounding, you may not feel secure right away, but you will soon adjust because your mom and dad love you. You can trust and rely on them. They will be with you forever.

Indeed we love you and will miss you very much. We will miss your hearty laughter and your big bright eyes. We will miss your simple and gentle demeanor, and will also remember the strong, unyielding expression on your face! We will miss listening to your “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and watching you try to make a “diamond” with your little hands. You are so wonderful and cute! The ayis will pray for you. We pray that our true, benevolent, loving God will keep you and guide you all the days of your life. We hope that you will grow up to be a righteous, kind, Godly and compassionate person. Share your love with those around you. Wudi, thank you for letting the ayis be by your side during this precious time of your life. It has been our blessing and privilege. Blessings to you and your family!

We love you …

All of the ayis at Amazing Hands

December 5, 2008

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