China Tech

I see many families about to travel to China struggle with how to navigate the technology challenges and thought I would try to help from some things I've learned. Thankfully, I have built in tech support with my amazing IT husband.  I've learned a lot from him and hopefully this will keep you in touch with everyone back home.

First of all, we should discuss why technology is an issue. China does not have the freedom to use the internet the same way we do in America. Many sites are blocked and that list seems to grow each year. Google, Facebook, Blogspot, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube jump to mind but many email systems (including Gmail because it is part of Google) are also not accessible.

The way around this is to use a VPN. VPNs are Virtual Private Networks and basically tunnel underneath a firewall and make it seem like you are using the internet by wherever you connect to. China obviously knows about these loopholes and has blocked many of these so check with people who have recently traveled to see which VPNs are currently working. You also must have these installed before you leave. You can usually pay a monthly fee to use this service and then cancel it as soon as you come home (I post a date on my calendar to remind myself). VPNs are also important because of security. I would not connect to the internet at all without one. I know of someone who logged on to the hotel's WiFi in China without a VPN and had their PayPal account hacked. This is definitely not something you want to deal with while adopting.

I've seen many people debate how many and which devices to bring with them when they adopt their child. That depends on each family and how much they plan on using them. We took 2 laptops, an iPad and 2 phones. The iPad was mostly for our new child to play on and I pre-installed some games that I thought he would enjoy. He was 7 at adoption and really liked PBS Kids and a game called Grandpa's Workshop. My husband took his laptop to work on the days we had some down time. I took my laptop so we could upload pictures and blog our journey. Many people would be fine with just taking a phone and either a tablet or laptop. Just make sure you have a VPN on each device loaded before you head to China or you will not be able to access the sites I mention above.

The only tech purchase I recommend is a portable/travel router.  We chose the HooToo Nano from Amazon because of price and reviews. These devices are great because the hotels we stayed at had both wired and wireless internet. The WiFi was very weak depending on where your room was within the hotel. Using a travel router allows you to plug in to the hotel's wired internet and have a stronger signal. It makes a little WiFi hotspot with the hotel's internet in your room so you can connect all of your devices to that with a more reliable signal. I believe that we were also able to run the VPN through the HooToo so that we could connect as many devices as we wanted. Usually, VPNs limit the number of connections depending on the provider.

There are a variety of options you can choose with your phone. I kept my phone in airplane mode the entire time we were in China and only used it on WiFi at the hotel. This does limit your ability to communicate so check with your phone provider on their international plan options. Most of them will allow you to buy a temporary international plan with a certain number of minutes, internet data and texts. There is also the option of getting a Panda phone where you rent a Chinese cell phone. You can have it shipped to your home or delivered to your hotel in China.

To call or text on WiFi, you also have a host of options. WeChat is China's instant messaging app that isn't blocked by their firewall. You can set up a WeChat app profile and be able to text anyone in the US or China with an account without connecting first through the VPN. You can usually also use FaceTime without a VPN. I like to use my VPN and text or call through either Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp (another WiFi based texting app). It appears that with Android's recent update, you now have the ability to call or video chat on WiFi like Apple's Facetime.

Another debate I've seen is about how large or expensive of a camera to take. As photographers, this was a debate we also had because we didn't want to lose a large, expensive camera we need for weddings due to breakage, etc. Thankfully, we kept it with us the whole time and had no major issues. I'm glad we had a quality camera with us because of the importance of the trip but you can definitely make it with a smartphone with a decent camera if you are worried about it.

In regards to plugging devices in, there seems to be a great variation of power sources depending on the hotel. Some have American style outlets and even USB ports but I wouldn't count on that.  I would plan on taking some converters/adapters. This website does a great job of explaining why you need one. I really only needed one for my flat iron but since that was very important to me, I'm definitely glad we had it.

Finally, the laws about flying with external battery chargers in China can be tricky. I had one in my carry on the first time and had it confiscated. I tried to keep it in my checked bag the second time and it set off an alarm and they told me to keep it in my carry on. My advice is to only take a cheap one you can afford to lose. I took one from Five Below (discount store) the first time and I didn't cry over losing a $5 item. The second time we took some we got as a giveaway at a baseball game so no big loss if we had it taken. I do like having one in case I'm out all day and my phone is drained.

Let's talk streaming. Netflix has blocked VPNs so I was in the Middle East this Spring and could not use a VPN to get into my Netflix account. Amazon Prime worked great with my VPN. The reality is though that many hotels will not have strong enough signals for streaming but it may be worth a shot depending on your hotel. Most airlines with WiFi (which will cost you) will tell you up front that they cannot stream but you can surf the web. They may have certain movies though that you can watch from their site or on your seatback. I would not count on being able to stream a lot during your flights or while you are in China. It looks like China is easing up on their in-flight rules about using electronic devices finally so you should be able to use a tablet or phone for the entire flight. Just listen to the instructions and always remember you are a guest in their country and be respectful of their rules.

Hopefully, this helps you be prepared for the technology challenges in China and stay connected. We took one resealable bag with all of our chargers, routers, adapters, etc in it and stayed very organized. Happy travels!

The Ups and Downs of our Trip to China

Everyone is going to have different experiences in China and I'm going to share what worked and what didn't for our family.  Our group was me and my husband, our 11 year old daughter and our 7 year old that we were adopting. I had been to China in 2014 for a mission trip and learned a lot of lessons then so based on that and what I learned from adoption Facebook groups, this was our packing list:

Overall, I think we packed very well. There's not much more I wished we would have brought. We had 2 large rolling suitcases that we checked and each of us had a backpack as a carry-on. That's it. It was great only worrying about one item after we made it through security.  We packed our oldest daughter and husband's items in one suitcase and Liam's and mine in the other.  We used packing cubes for all of Liam's items but if I had more money, I would buy them for everyone in different colors. We brought 11 outfits each and did one small load of laundry in Guangzhou (cost about $17) and washed as much as we could in the sink.  We were there in Summer so the benefit is that we were wearing lighter clothes but we couldn't rewear a lot without washing because we were sweating a lot! 

Things I wouldn't bring: umbrella (there was one in each hotel room) and travel pillows (airline provided and I don't sleep much on planes)

Technology related: we brought 2 laptops, an iPad and our cellphones and left everything in airplane mode the whole time with wifi on. We set up VPNs before we left and brought a HooToo nano. Check them out on Amazon. It is a pretty cheap device but great. Basically, you plug it into the wired internet in the room and it gives off it's own wifi signal. You have your own hotspot and you aren't limited by how many devices you have or the strength of the hotel's wifi. We were able to easily access every website we needed in all three cities.

Money wise: We took about $2800 over our orphanage donation and came home with $500. We did not buy many souvenirs and we are cheap eaters. We spent about $16 for the 4 of us for many meals. The big ticket items were the safari park and some of the meals on travel days. It was over 2 weeks in 3 cities for 4 people so $2300 seems reasonable for activities, meals, souvenirs, some transportation, tips, etc. I think we spent $9 on a Gatorade at the top of the Great Wall and we bought 2. That was stupid but we were really thirsty and not thinking about the exchange rate. 

We each took 2 pairs of shoes: 1 pair of sneakers and 1 pair of slip on, closed toe comfortable shoes.

What I would do differently next time: 

-I would skip Beijing. I did it last year and now my husband and daughter have seen it and I'm not really keen on going again.

-I would try to take the train to Hong Kong. The van ride from Guangzhou to Hong Kong was not good for us.

-I would stay at the Marriott in Hong Kong. The airport hotel was too small and very limited in food options.

-I would upgrade our room at the China Hotel in Guangzhou. We didn't make a fuss out of it this time but our standard room was very small. 

-I would make sure I saved one totally fresh (un-sinkwashed) outfit for the flight home. We did okay at this but you don't want that long journey home to be in funky clothes.

-I would skip the safari park in Guangzhou. It was fine but I got dehydrated and it made the day miserable. I'm not used to that much humidity and I didn't drink enough water. Overall, this is an emotionally exhausting trip on a totally different time zone and I would have rested more and passed on more activities.

-I would try not to fly American Airlines unless we were on the 787 direct from DFW to China. We did that on our way there and it was great. Cathay Pacific was amazing for the first leg but the second AA flight on the 777 was difficult.

What I'm glad we did:

-I really liked having fanny packs. I know they are unattractive but I have a bad back and I was able to keep wipes, my phone, snacks, water, etc around my waist and be hands free.

-I'm glad we immediately took Liam to their bigger Wal-mart like stores so that he could pick out toys he liked. We got him a gun set that shot suction cup darts that stuck to the hotel window glass and he had fun for hours.

-I'm glad I had a list of souvenirs and only shopped for those. It kept it easy and I wasn't tempted to look at other things.

-Try to go to the Mutianyu part of the Great Wall. Take the chair lift (NOT the gondola) up the wall and then you can take the alpine slide down. The gondola will take you to an area over an hour away from the slide and that long of a walk on the wall can be exhausting unless you really love a big hike.

-We brought 1 power converter and it actually worked for my flat iron! Yay for not scaring Liam with a scary looking mommy.

-The games we had on the iPad for Liam were a big hit. He fell in love with Daniel Tiger and the Grandpa's Workshop app. 

-We managed to balance Chinese and Western foods so I wasn't so sick of Chinese food. We had Subway, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and managed to have about one western meal a day.  I need that for my sanity.  We loaded up on the free breakfast at each hotel and ate lighter lunches.

-I'm thankful that I heard Rick Steves say something on a show about how to travel Europe. He said that he packs light because he figures that he can buy it there and if he can't, then millions of people are living without it so it probably isn't a NEED.  Obviously, this isn't true for medications, etc. but for the most part, the stores in China have most things you are looking for. I bought a deodorant there that is identical to Degree (same container, just Chinese words).  

-Language was not as big of a deal as I expected. Either our guide was able to tell Liam what was going on or our translator apps filled in the rest. He picked up some basic things quickly.
-I'm glad we bought paper plates, forks, and cups in China. We could easily have some cheaper meals in our room and we bought the big jugs of water and just used our paper cups and only used water bottles while we were out.
-Expect your child to get carsick. I did because my bio kids are easily carsick so we came prepared. Most won't be but they don't ride in cars much at the orphanages/foster families and the method of driving and traffic in China can exacerbate the problem.
-The biggest thing I'm glad we did is travel with both spouses and an older kid. I cannot imagine not taking my husband on this trip. I know there are situations where this is difficult but emotionally to me this would be like delivering a baby alone.  Our daughter was a huge help just having someone for Liam to connect with as another kid and another set of eyes and hands.

Tips for those going to Xian:
-If you stay at the Days Hotel: there is a Chinese hamburger stand right outside the hotel. They are delicious and cheap, like $1US cheap! Get chips at the big store down the street and have some easy lunches.
-The restaurant attached to the Chinese hamburger stand is good. The sweet and sour pork is very delicious and their prices are good. For our family, a full meal was around $16US
-There is a park down the street and it has a big play area that we stayed at for hours.  It is like a screened in playroom (for a small fee) with a trampoline, ride on toys and a kind of sand pit. There are also some kid's rides.
-There is a new tea mall across the street from the hotel (directly opposite KFC) where they are opening a McDonald's with McCafe. I wish it had been open when we were there.  On the top floor there are also a TON of nice, newer looking restaurants. We didn't find this until the last day but it all looked really good.
-Try to get your guide to take you to the Bell Tower area when you go to the City Wall. There is a cool Starbucks and other nice restaurants and you can do some shopping in the Muslim Quarter. We got a pizza from Pizza Hut to bring back to the hotel with us.
-When we went to the Terra Cotta warriors, we got Subway sandwiches and ate them on the way back.


I hope this helps those preparing to go to China! My biggest tip is to just go with the flow. Be in the moment and realize that before you know it you will be home!

Getting to know him

So it has been over a week that Liam has been an official Stevenson. International adoption is a crazy process because it combines adding a member to your family with going on a stressful vacation.  We spent 3 days in Beijing sightseeing, then a week in Liam's province, then almost another week in Guangzhou where the U.S. Consulate is.  You are crammed in hotels, shuttled through airports and train stations surrounded by a language you don't understand and you days are filled with new experiences.  In the midst of all of this, you are trying to get to know a special needs child and help them understand you are their new parents.

I know, I'm probably selling it well.  There are actually a wide variety of experiences. Some are very difficult. Our son's province was a larger city with lots to see and do in a few days. People from around the world choose to visit Xi'an because of its historical significance. We had Subway, Pizza Hut and KFC mixed in with all the Chinese food.  Our hotel was larger and the breakfast buffet had some western options. Some families go to provinces with harsher weather, not much to see or do and no American food. Some families have children with very significant needs or that go through significant grieving as they transition to their adoptive families. We have been incredibly blessed so far that Liam has had the energy to go on sightseeing trips and hasn't shown us much in the way of grieving.

He is a sharp little guy. He knows a few letters of the alphabet, numbers 1-10, colors, shapes, is amazing at puzzles and I feel he is on track with some help to have a good year in 1st grade. As for his heart, we will have to wait and see what doctors say.  He is a well behaved little boy but behaviorally like a 4-5 year old.  We are working on him not touching everything in a store and not having to touch the face of every kid in our group. He hasn't had a ton of boundaries because in an orphanage, there wasn't much he couldn't touch.  We are working on that but mostly we are just playing with him, wrestling, tickling, and learning all about him.

There have been families here who have had a much harder time and I ask that we all continue to pray for them. People have said that Liam (and all these kids) are so lucky.  I know that those who say that mean well but they aren't lucky.  They were born with a major physical disability that led to them being abandoned by parents who most likely loved them deeply but could not afford to keep them. Many of them (some go to foster families) were raised in an institution where they never knew the love of a family. They never had anyone to call "Mama" or "Baba".  Many of them had surgeries and laid in hospital beds alone with no parents to hold their hand or pray over them.  Then kids like Liam watched their friends one by one get adopted and leave while they waited.  Now, he leaves the country, language, culture and everything he knows for the great unknown of life with us in America. Yes, now Liam is blessed that he was chosen off the waiting child list and he has a family but it was not a lucky road to get here.

So we are taking home an amazing little boy.  But we are leaving so many behind.  I pray every night that all of them find a home.  This process wasn't easy but I don't want to live in a world where I have seen orphans and done nothing. Will we do this again? Hopefully.  I know we will keep advocating and helping others adopt. In the meantime, we will be loving this little guy as best we can.

Here are more pictures from our trip.

Almost there

I have updated our timeline blog about where we are in our adoption process and what future dates look like. We now have plane tickets purchased and a vague itinerary of when we are going to China and how that trip will look.  We are waiting to pay for our in country travel package so that we can see how things are looking financially.

Right now though we are focusing on spending time as a family of 5 and thinking about packing for a 2 week trip to China.

People sometimes don't realize what a tremendous thing this is for Liam. He isn't winning the lottery. This isn't Little Orphan Annie. He's a real kid that has been well taken care of around friends and nannies who have loved him for the past 7 years.  He's about to leave all that he knows and have to learn a new family, culture and language.  Is it better for him in a family? Absolutely or we wouldn't be doing this.  Is it going to be easy? For him and for us, the answer is no.

We ask for you to understand if you don't see us around that much this Summer.  We will come home and be working on the hard battle of attachment and bonding.  We won't be attending church right away. We will be going to lots of doctors and trying to get him ready to start the 1st grade.  We love our friends and family and want you to meet him but the reality is that he needs to get used to just us first.  Hopefully, the transition will go well and we will be able to introduce him to our lives quickly but we just don't know what it is going to look like right now.

Many people have asked if he knows English or how our Mandarin is.  He does not speak any English that we know of.  We have been working on basic Mandarin phrases but we are not fluent.

And then the question comes, "How's that going to work?"

It is going to work through love.  We are going to do our best.  We are going to use technology and hand gestures.  We will figure it out and children learn quickly when fully immersed.

We need your prayers. We need peace.  We need safety for our trip.  We need Liam's physical and spiritual heart to stay strong.

Thank you to each one of you that is part of this story.  We will not be putting much publicly on social media during our trip so if you want to follow along, please follow our Facebook group.

My biggest regret

Each day gets us a little closer and today our Article 5 was picked up and now we wait for Travel Approval! We are praying it comes in the next few days and we can begin buying airfare and planning our trip.

I have the app "TimeHop" on my phone and I can look back over what I posted on social media over the last 5-6 years every day in a snapshot.  I keep seeing posts I made 5 years ago about all the changes that were going on in our life as I was pregnant with our youngest and moving from Missouri to Texas. As I watch each day of that journey come up on the app, I keep seeing the same thing over and over. I was constantly worried about things that never happened. I was worried we wouldn't sell our house and we did. I was worried our youngest at the time wouldn't do well with the move and she did.

The same is true over the last year of my life and I'm determined to stop.

I've been worried about so many things so far that haven't happened on this journey. I was worried we wouldn't be able to be matched with Liam and we were.  The paperwork seemed too big to overcome but we did it. I fretted that we would never be approved and of course we were. I spent days in agony afraid we wouldn't have the money and it looks like we have it thanks to all those who gave and God's grace.  I regret spending so much time worrying about all of these things that never were an issue.

So here we are waiting to travel and bring our son home. There are a million questions in my mind like about what is about to happen like:

How will we communicate with him?
Will he like our food?
Will he love us or even like us?
Will he be overcome with grief leaving everything he knows?
What is his medical diagnosis going to look like?

I'm determined to not let those worries and questions overwhelm me as we move forward. It may be hard. It may not look how we expect. But God has had this whole process in His hand from the beginning and I believe He did not bring us or Liam this far to leave us now.

I believe Psalm 27 has been the song of this adoption. Take a minute. Quiet your heart. Trust in Him.

You, LORD, are the light

that keeps me safe.

I am not afraid of anyone.

You protect me,

and I have no fears.

²Brutal people may attack

and try to kill me,

but they will stumble.

Fierce enemies may attack,

but they will fall.

³Armies may surround me,

but I won't be afraid;

war may break out,

but I will trust you.

⁴I ask only one thing, LORD:

Let me live in your house

every day of my life

to see how wonderful you are

and to pray in your temple.

⁵In times of trouble,

you will protect me.

You will hide me in your tent

and keep me safe

on top of a mighty rock.

⁶You will let me defeat

all of my enemies.

Then I will celebrate,

as I enter your tent

with animal sacrifices

and songs of praise.

⁷Please listen when I pray!

Have pity. Answer my prayer.

⁸My heart tells me to pray.

I am eager to see your face,

⁹so don't hide from me.

I am your servant,

and you have helped me.

Don't turn from me in anger.

You alone keep me safe.

Don't reject or desert me.

¹⁰Even if my father and mother

should desert me,

you will take care of me.

¹¹Teach me to follow, LORD,

and lead me on the right path

because of my enemies.

¹²Don't let them do to me

what they want.

People tell lies about me

and make terrible threats,

¹³but I know I will live

to see how kind you are.

¹⁴Trust the LORD!

Be brave and strong

and trust the LORD.

Closer

Every day is getting us closer to holding Liam in our arms.  We are so thankful for all of your support and the pancake breakfast was a great success.  This was thanks to all those who came, donated to the silent auction, generously bid, and volunteered.  We now think we are very close to being fully funded. We are very blessed to announce that we received a grant from Sowing Roots and a very generous gift from a friend that will help us greatly with our travel costs.  We still don't know exactly how much our travel costs will be but we pray that God will continue to provide as He has done so faithfully. We are also still waiting to hear from two other grant organizations so we leave it all in His hands.

We are currently waiting for some steps to take place between the CCCWA (government agency in China that oversees the children) and the US consulate. I honestly don't understand all that has to happen even when it is explained to me by my agency but so far things have been going very smoothly.  We have been provisionally approved for his immigration to the United States and we are just waiting for TA (travel approval) to book tickets. As it stands right now, we are hoping to be in China the first 2 weeks of June.

As we have been waiting, we have received some beautiful pictures and updates on how Liam is doing. He is growing well and they say he has been very healthy.  We sent a care package with pictures, etc and the orphanage says that he knows he is being adopted. We pray that our hearts will be ready for him and that he will be prepared for us.  We don't know how he feels about that but he looks happy in the pictures. We know this will be a big adjustment and we will spend much of this summer quietly at home so that he can learn his new surroundings.

China Travel Tips

I was so thankful for all of the information on our conference calls leading up to our ACT trip to China because they did an amazing job letting us know what to pack and what to expect. I've only been to China once and it wasn't even very long of a trip but I thought it would be good to blog what I learned and what I would try to remember for when we return!

-All hotels are different in the amount of outlets they offer but ours did not have many. I'm going to remember to bring a small power strip so that I only need one adapter to plug in several things. I also assumed that there would be a hairdryer and there wasn't so next time, I'm going to bring my own. I will be buying several small outlet adapters just to be on the safe side.

-I'm so thankful for my cousin advising me to get a VPN service before we left. I used it both on my phone and computer so I could access Facebook, Twitter, etc that are blocked in China. I didn't make any voice calls while I'm there but I was able to use Facetime over wifi at the hotel on my iPhone.

-Our hotel did not have Western breakfast options on the buffet and my stomach just can't do noodles and broccoli at 8am so I'm very thankful I brought protein bars and peanut butter crackers. We only had Chinese food except for one McDonalds break (something I very grateful for even though I don't eat there at home) and I was glad I had some other options in my luggage. I also brought some energy/vitamin drink packets that they sell at Costco so I could add to my water bottle to keep up my energy and have a different flavored drink.

-The security while flying domestically in China is different than in the US and other international airports. They do not allow any liquids in carry on luggage. Not just less than a certain number of ounces...none from what I could tell. So I packed all of my toiletries in my checked bag. They also do not allow batteries. I had the little battery that is supposed to be a back up charger for my iPhone taken from me. Thankfully, it was just $5 at Five Below and hopefully it is bringing the "Chinese TSA" agent that took it from me much joy!

-Be prepared for any medical situation. Bring a first aid kit and any medications you could possibly need. When we go back to adopt our child, I will also bring children's ibuprofen because you do not want a low grade fever to keep you from leaving the country. I brought ibuprofen, Imodium, Themocare heat patches and Benadryl this time. I had a little stomach discomfort one day, took one Imodium and felt all better. Its better to have more medication, then to be in China and not have something you need. Chinese pharmacies are very different than ours.

-Next time I'm bringing a fanny pack.  Yes, I know how they look but when I have a larger camera around my neck, I don't need another bag hanging off of me. Fanny packs are a great way to have money, your passport, and other small items handy. They even have some with water bottle holders so everything you need would be right where you need it. It also is easier to keep safe in places where you might encounter pickpockets like the Great Wall.

-Instant coffee is a must if you are a coffee drinker. Our hotel did not have coffee but it did have a hot pot in our room. Once I got a mug, and make sure you read the mug story, I was able to boil water from my water bottle, mix in a packet of Starbucks instant cafe mocha mix and have a wonderful treat in my room.

A small list of my must bring items for next time:

• small umbrella
• snacks
• hanging toiletry bag
• comfortable shoes
• socks
• light rain jacket
• fanny pack
• Instant coffee
• powdered creamer
• mug

The best thing is just to be flexible and prepared. Our hotel's air conditioning wasn't as cool as we were used to so we bought a $7 fan and it was much more comfortable. Most things you can find at a nearby market if there was no way to bring it there but just don't expect the same offerings as your local Wal-Mart.