'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.

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.

View photo gallery from last day in Guangzhou

** Adoption countdown: 1 day until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

GUANGZHOU, China (Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008, 9:25 p.m.) – A long, tiring day of walking found Pam, Matthew and I trudging through neighborhoods few visitors probably venture to see – and we had an enjoyable time.

Tonight, however, we were so tired that we decided to eat at the White Swan Hotel restaurant for a horribly overpriced dinner that wasn’t very good. Don’t ask what I paid – I’m too embarrassed to admit it.

Now it’s time to pack and get ready for our long, long, long trip home. After more than two weeks away from home, Pam and I are more than ready to return.

DON’T FORGET: As I said previously, 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.

Until then, enjoy a new photo gallery I posted below in this blog entry. The photos are from our last day in Guangzhou. And to see all of my photos from our adoption trip to China, click here to go to my Picasa Web Albums.

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.

Text of Matthew's adbandonment newspaper ad

** Adoption countdown: 1 day until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

GUANGZHOU, China (Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008, 4:50 p.m.) – Thanks to the Holt International Children’s Services office in Guangzhou, Pam and I obtained a photo copy of Matthew’s abandonment newspaper ad.

These ads appear in local newspapers and are necessary before a child can be considered officially abandoned and an orphan available for adoption.

Matthew’s ad features a small mug shot and the following text:

“He Wu Di, male, was born on March 16, 2007. He was found abandoned on March 18, 2007, at the gate of Civil Affairs of HuoJia County, Xinxiang City, was sent to the Xinxiang Social Welfare Institute by HuoJia Police Station the next day. He Wu Di is round face, dark skin, congenital club foot of the right foot. He was with a bottle and a bag of formula.”

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

Hitting the streets of Guangzhou

** Adoption countdown: 1 day until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

GUANGZHOU, China (Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008, 4:30 p.m.) – Chickens and pigeons sat in cramped cages while residents sifted through buckets of live scorpions along a street in an open-air market about a 15-minute walk from our Guangzhou hotel.

A little farther down, the market opened into a wide street closed to vehicle traffic but open to pedestrians. There, department stores and fast-food restaurants were the rage.

Pam, Matthew and I eagerly took it in on our last full day in Guangzhou – the second-to-last day of the 17-day oversea excursion by Pam and me to adopt our son, Matthew Wu Di Cassreino.

Our trip officially ends when we arrive at the Jackson-Evers International Airport at 9:21 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18. But our journey as parents is only beginning with a 1-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter in our care.

Camryn, our daughter whom we adopted from China in April 2006, is incredibly excited about having a little brother. And thanks to the magic of Microsoft Messenger Live, Camryn, Pam’s family and my family have had a chance to see us in live steaming Internet video during video phone calls. They can’t wait to see Matthew in person.

But before that happens, Pam, Matthew and I took one last adventure in Chinese culture with a long, six-hour walk into town by ourselves. And it was more than enjoyable.

We began our trip passing by store after store selling traditional Chinese pharmaceuticals, ancient herbal remedies to solve everything from a fever to a cough.

Some bins sold dry sea horses, others dry starfish. I’m not exactly sure what they help solve.

Immediately following the medicinal remedies, some Guangzhou residents sold live animals and live seafood for people to prepare in meals: Live chickens, ducks, pigeons and several types of fish to name a few.

On one side of the street, Guangzhou residents on sifted through large buckets and bins of live scorpions. Others sold long bunches of dried snake skin.

Pam, Matthew and I ultimately wound up in a large pedestrian mall featuring store after store after store.

One two-story Kentucky Fried Chicken and two McDonald’s gave shoppers a chance to eat American food – it also gave us as chance to buy Matthew his first Happy Meal, although he was interested solely in french fries.

If you were a little more adventurous, a food court of sorts offered shoppers a taste of local cuisine – everything from fried dumplings and bowls of noodles to fried squid on a stick and deep-fried water bugs.

The local food vendors kind of reminded Pam and me of the night food market we saw in Beijing. Like that experience, we steered clear of the food – except for Pam, who had to try the frozen fruit-on-a-stick (which she pronounced as not as good as Beijing).

We ended our day at the Pearl and Jade Market, where we spent as good bit of time looking at jewelry and then a brief few minutes visiting a small Buddhist temple.

Now, it’s back to the hotel to ready for dinner and begin packing for the long trip home.

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