'Unconditional Love' commemorates Gotcha Day for our daughter

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

PEARL RIVER, La. (Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009, 5:30 a.m.) - I have been wanting to post this video for a while, but have never been able to find a good program to convert my video file tyo a flash video.

Tonight, however, I downloaded the free Riva FLV Encoder 2.0 and successfully converted my video to flash and then uploaded it to my channel at You Tube. Then I posted it here at my blog.

A little background: I made this video slide show in April 2007, in time to mark the first anniversary of the day we got Camryn, our daughter, in China. Since we got her two days before she turned 1, this also commemorates her second birthday.

I haven't yet created a similar video for our son, Matthew. I plan to start work on something similar in the next few weeks and have it ready in time for the first anniversary of his Gotcha Day in December 2009.

At any rate, I hope you enjoy this video. Let me know what you think.

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.

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.

Experimenting with Shanghai food and other miscellaneous observations

** Adoption countdown: 2 days until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

GUANGZHOU, China (Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008, 11 a.m.) – I thought Shanghai food was supposed to be sweet.

Well, one dish Pam and I ordered at a restaurant that specialized in Shanghai food was very spicy. Good, but spicy despite what I thought was the waitress’ assurance it was mild.

The joy and challenge of communicating with people using broken, minimal, elementary Chinese; seemingly goofy sign language; and smiles. Sometimes it works, more often it doesn’t.

On Monday night, it worked to a degree.

Even though the shredded pork dish was spicy, it was very good – As was the chicken won ton soup (a huge bowl that would work as meal in itself), the fried rice and the fried dumplings.

Matthew, however, didn’t much care for it.

Instead, he was interested in throwing things to the floor – first his chop sticks, then my chop sticks, then Pam’s chop sticks, then a few crackers, then his sippy cup filled with watermelon juice and then some fried rice.

Smoking remains popular

Everyone smokes here – or it seems that way.

No matter where you go or eat, everyone smokes. And they don’t smoke a single cigarette now and then; many Chinese and foreign visitors chain smoke cigarette after cigarette after cigarette.

In Beijing, for example, one American family we met told us they could smell the heavy smokers who were staying in the room on the floor just below them. Smoke from cigarettes in the room below leaked into theirs.

On our final night at the same hotel, the Novotel Peace Hotel, I could have sworn I smelled cigarette smoke entering our room even though it was clearly designated a non-smoking room.

International and in-country flights are about the only place you won’t find smokers.

Chinese apartment buildings

One of the more interesting things you notice as you travel along the elevated roadways in Guangzhou is how close apartment buildings are to the street.

They are so close it looks like you could touch them from the window of your car. And the high-rise apartment buildings are all over the place – probably more popular than traditional homes in the United States.

Consulate appointment

We head to the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou for a swearing-in ceremony with Matthew. We will meet at the tour desk in the White Swan at 2:45 p.m. for a quick bus trip to the consulate.

After that, the next step is returning home.

We hoped to return Wednesday, Dec. 17. But our travel agent couldn’t get us a flight home until Thursday, Dec. 18 – probably because we pulled this trip together at the last minute.

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

Weather improves for Cassreinos – Guangzhou warmer than Beijing, Zhengzhou

** Adoption countdown: 5 days until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

GUANGZHOU, China (Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008, 10:45 a.m.) – With overnight temperatures in the low 60s and an afternoon in the upper 70s here in Guangzhou, it finally feels like home.

I know South Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana had a blast on winter weather while we’ve been gone, but Pam and I just aren’t used to sub-freezing weather every day like we experienced in Beijing and Zhengzhou.

I doubt I could ever live up north.

Today, I begin completing mounds of paperwork to obtain Matthew’s visa for entry in the United States. That task begins at 10 a.m. in a meeting at the Holt International Children’s Services office here at the White Swan.

After that, I’m not sure what we’ll do. We might take Matthew in town to shop for supplies. Or we might just stay around the hotel to relax after an emotional and stressful few days.

I know Pam and I are ready to come home now.

We love to travel, but are tired of living out of suitcases s long as we have and are ready for home-cooked meals. Plus, we need to get Matthew home and we STILL have to decorate the house for Christmas.

And did I mention Christmas shopping?

With the extremely short notice for this trip to China, Pam and I have had no time to do advance Christmas shopping to avoid the last-minute rush. We hope to do some shopping here in China.

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

New photo slideshow, reader poll in left column

** Countdown to our adoption: Only 20 hours left before we get Matthew. **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

BEIJING, China (Monday, Dec. 8, 2008, 6:30 p.m.) – At the end of this blog post, you will find a new photo slide show from today’s activities in Beijing.

If you click the photo, a larger version of the pictures and slideshow will appear in a new window.

You’ll also find a new poll in the left-hand column. Help decide which exotic food Pam should try before we leave China.

And don’t forget: If you want to look at previous photo slideshows, simply click a current one – that will take you to my Picasa Photo Web page in a separate window.

There you will find links to all photos we’ve posted on this Blog since we arrived in China on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

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

DIRECTIONS: Click photo to enlarge. Toggle photo captions with button in left-hand corner of photo gallery slide show.