CATINA LEE's China Story

Back to Home Page (See current pictures of Catina)

(lots of pictures below)

My REFERRAL pictures (Click to see larger):


Very first picture my parents saw of me, via email from CCAI on 8/4/2000!! (I'm 3 months old). My parents said I had wild hair!!	The next day, they received these next 2 pictures (I'm 3 months old in both of them). Who could tell how big I am with all those clothes on ??	Look at those shoulders!!


Then my parents received these 2 pictures in the mail (I'm 7 months old in them).	I think I am sitting on the grounds of the Yunmeng Orphanage (which my parents never got to see).

STATISTICS:

	Born 12/24/99 (Year of the Rabbit).
	Adopted from Yunmeng Orphanage, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
	I lived with a Foster Family for 7 months, and they took very good care of me. (See pictures of them below).
	Adopted 10/09/2000 in Wuhan, Hubei. I was 9 1/2 months old when I met my family.
	My parents spent 3 weeks in China sightseeing and doing various adoption paperwork.
	On 10/20/2000, traveled from China to USA, with my Mommy, Daddy, and my older sister, Jenna. I now live in New Jersey.
	At 9 1/2 months old was 15 pounds, 28 inches long and had 4 teeth. My parents said I looked like "Uncle Fester" from the Adams family, and they sang the Theme song all the time in China (Jenna was "Cousin It", because her hair was always in her face).

Chinese Name: Meng Zhi Ying - (Pronounced "Mone Zhuh Ying")

Chinese Characters for my name:

My new American name: Catina Lee Meng Zhi Ying

What my name means:

	Meng = Dream
	Zhi = Of
	Ying = Cherry
	So my name means "Dream of a Cherry" or "Cherry of a Dream".

ADOPTION TIMELINE (17 months total):

	INS paperwork submitted on 05/11/99 (I600A - no fingerprints yet).
	CCAI initial application sent on 06/02/99.
	INS Fingerprints done on 06/04/99, in Newark, NJ.
	Homestudy visit on 07/17/99.
	Homestudy completed on 08/23/99.
	INS approval received on 10/26/99 (took over 5 months) - NJ is bad.
	Dossier sent to CCAI, 11/12/99.
	Dossier to China on 12/01/99.
	Received Referral on 08/04/2000 (8 months).
	Travel dates were 10/01/2000 through 10/20/2000 (20 Days, because we added 5 additional days to our trip for early sightseeing).
	Adoption date was 10/09/2000.

ADOPTION AGENCIES:

Homestudy done by Better Living Services, Westfield, New Jersey.

Adoption agency was CCAI (Chinese Children's Adoption International), in Colorado. Their staff was the best, both in Colorado and in China!! The Colorado staff was great with all their Dossier/Travel help (Jeri, Kat) and Deniece (who called us with our referral news)!! The CCAI China staff was just wonderful, which included Kevin (Shanghai), Yisha and Marian (Wuhan, Hubei), and Raymond, Alice, Maggie (Guangzhou). We think of them often. They are the best agency and we recommend them highly!!

MY PHOTO GALLERY (click to see larger):


Here's my Foster Family (my parents sent them a camera and they took these pictures of me). I'm on the left.	I had roommates in my Foster Home. The girl in the middle is my friend Kayle, who was also adopted at the same time. I'm on the left.


I know my Foster Family really loved me very much. I think the building behind us is Yunmeng Orphanage.	I first met my big sister, Jenna. She gave me a toy. She was the first one to make me smile.


Mommy was very happy and excited to meet me. I liked her too!!	I think they are crazy about me!!


Mommy is very funny.	Daddy, stop tickling me.


I'm having a good time meeting my family.	Mommy's favorite picture of Daddy and me.


Posing with Mommy and Jenna.	Our First family portrait.


Good thing I have cute ears, especially since I have hardly any hair.	I am a little cutey, aren't I??


Daddy and I hanging out.	Daddy & I making some friends.


Me (on the right) and my friend, Danielle, playing in the hallways.	Me (on the right) and my roommate, Kayle. We were in the same Foster Family.


Me and my silly big sister, Jenna.	Jenna loves to make funny faces.


Jenna loves when Daddy holds her upside down. (I'm in lower left corner looking at Mommy).	Jenna and Anna playing in the hallways of the Tai Hai Hotel in Wuhan.


Jenna and I playing on the swing at the Department Store play area.	Jenna and I playing at the Department Store play area. We liked this car.


The people were so interested in Catina and Jenna.	Our favorite part of our trip was walking around and meeting the people. They loved the kids. That's Dave and Catina and Jenna behind that crowd.


Mommy and Jenna and I hanging out.	There was a wedding at our hotel in Wuhan and Jenna really liked the Bride. So Florrie, from our hotel, carried her out to the Bride and Groom and they took a picture with her.


I'm with Mommy and Jenna.	This little boy shared his bike with Jenna. Everyone enjoyed watching them play together.


We're both exhausted from all this sightseeing.	This lady in the department store really liked me and I liked her.


Group picture of all 16 babies. I'm on couch 2nd from left.	That's me on the right. I don't like this "group picture" stuff. I want my Mommy!!


CCAI group #230 and #229 families. There were a total of 16 families (36 people traveling, not including the babies).	A group picture at Tai Hua Hotel in Wuhan. The staff really loved us and were sad to see us leave. All 16 families, with our new daughters.


With Yisha Ma, our CCAI rep in Wuhan, Hubei. She was the best. Jenna was giving her a kiss and thanking her for all her help.	With Marian Li in Wuhan (Beijing Rep), who was helping Yisha with our large group. She was very nice and so helpful. I wanted to be in my Mommy's arms and that's why I look upset.


The Tai Hua Hotel staff in Wuhan, Hubei. They were the nicest group of people and we will miss them all. From left, Alex, Janet, Florrie.	Everyone knows Raymond Shang, the CCAI Guangzhou rep. He makes sure we all breeze through the US Consulate interview in Guangzhou.


I'm with Jennifer, owner of "Jennifer's" in Guanzhou. My Mommy did a lot of shopping here.	Jenna with Jennifer, from "Jennifer's" in Guangzhou, a great store to shop in. They have everything, and Jennifer is so very nice.

CHINA TRIP HIGHLIGHTS (Mommy wrote this):

We brought our 3 1/2 year old daughter, Jenna, who was adopted from Zhanjiang, Guangdong, in March 1998. Although the trip for her (and us), was sometimes difficult and challenging, we are still glad that we brought her. She did have some days of very bad behavior, after meeting her sister, plus she was also very tired from lots of sightseeing. But overall, we would do it again.

Our 3 week itinerary (18 nights):

3 days in Beijing.

3 days in Shanghai.

8 days in Wuhan, Hubei.

3 days in Guangzhou, Guangdong.

1 night in Hong Kong.

Number of flights we were on:

Flight #1 - Newark,NJ to SanFrancisco,CA

Flight #2 - SanFrancisco,CA to Beijing

Flight #3 - Beijing to Shanghai

Flight #4 - Shanghai to Wuhan,Hubei

Flight #5 - Wuhan,Hubei to Guangzhou,Guangdong (with Catina)

Flight #6 - Guangzhou,Guangdong to HongKong     (with Catina)

Flight #7 - HongKong to SanFrancisco,CA                (with Catina)

Flight #8 - SanFrancisco,CA to Newark,NJ               (with Catina)

Beijing:

	We spent 3 nights in Beijing, on our own.
	We stayed at the Dynasty Hotel, which was really nice.
	We toured Great Wall of China, Ming's Tomb (don't bother), Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace.
	We also went to Tiananmen Square on our own one evening and really enjoyed it. It was all lit up and heavily decorated with lots of colorful plants & gardens, mostly because of the Chinese National Holiday (10/1 - 10/7). We met some Chinese families whose children were blowing bubbles, and they gave their bubbles to Jenna to enjoy. We had a crowd of onlookers watching Jenna blowing bubbles. It was hysterical. She was like a celebrity.
	It was very crowded in Beijing because of the 10/1-10/7 holiday, so all the places we visited were so crowded.
	We had Peking Duck, one evening, and it was delicious.
	Jenna really loved Beijing, she liked the "decorated buses", the Chinese writing on the buildings, the "Chinese squat toilets", all the stairs (and there were lots of them), and the "Great Wall". She kept wanting to know "when are we going to meet my sister?". She was very well-behaved in Beijing on all the tours and sightseeing. She loved riding on the tour buses and looking at the sights.

Shanghai:

	We spent 3 nights in Shanghai.
	We stayed at the Rainbow Hotel, which was nice.
	We arrived a day earlier than our CCAI Adoption group.
	We went to the Shanghai Zoo, and Jenna got to feed a panda bear, which she loved. The zoo wasn't that great, and the animals didn't look healthy, so we wouldn't recommend touring this zoo. The Beijing Zoo would have probably been better, but we didn't have enough time in Beijing to do that this trip.
	We met our Adoption group the next day, which was a very large group. A total of 16 families, consisting of 36 people. There were a few children that came with their families:

one 3-yr-old (Jenna)

one 4-yr-old

one 9-yr-old and 20-yr-old

one 13-yr-old

two 16-yr-olds

	Everyone was very nice, and traveling with a large group was not bad. It was a lot of fun.
	Kevin, our CCAI Tour Guide in Shanghai, took our Adoption group on a tour to a nearby city, Suzhou, which was really nice. We went to 2 parks, one of them was "Tiger Hill" and they had this great Chinese Parade (I think for the Chinese Holiday). Jenna just loved this parade and we have it on video. It's one of Jenna's favorite things to watch from our trip.
	We walked around the Bund and saw the Pearl Tower.
	We went to Yu Garden and met this 82-year-old man, Mr. Bao, who spoke English. He helped us tour Yu Garden, and we enjoyed talking to him.
	Our Adoption group also traveled to the Shanghai Museum, which we missed that day, but heard that it was really nice, also.
	We really loved shopping in Shanghai. They seemed to have the best bargains and lots of things to buy.

Wuhan, Hubei:

	We spent 8 nights in Wuhan, Hubei.
	We stayed at the Tai Hua Hotel, which was very nice.
	We met our daughters the morning after we arrived. The babies were brought to a nearby hotel, Chumin Hotel, and that's where we met them. We were led into this large conference room, and all 16 babies were in the back of the room, either on the couch or in various nannys' arms. It was so exciting and unbelievable!! We were told to go to the front of the conference room and take a seat. Yea, right!! Not when our daughter was right there. At first, we couldn't tell which one was Catina. They were all around the same age, and it was hard to tell them apart. But then we spotted this unbelievable happy baby, smiling, looking so content. Could this be our child??!! Yes, it was. Jenna was the first to make contact with Catina. She gave her a toy rattle to hold, and Catina smiled at her. It was all so emotional. Catina was so happy when we picked her up, and had lots of smiles for us. It was not formal, and when our paperwork was filled in, we just went to meet our daughter.
	Catina was so adorable. She was so content, happy, and easy going. She hardly cried. She was very tiny (15 pounds), and we had to buy more clothes and diapers. She didn't have much hair, and the hair she did have was brown. What an easy baby. How did we get so lucky?? Jenna was just the opposite.
	We had 2 great CCAI reps in Wuhan, Yisha Ma (who is from Anhui Province) and Marian Li (who is CCAI Beijing rep, but helped out in Wuhan).
	Yisha and Marian took us on some great tours. We toured the Wuhan Museum (had a short chime bell show), the Yellow Crane Tower (great little shops nearby), bus tour of East Lake River, and we toured the Wuhan Orphanage (one of the nicest orphanages).
	Stayed at the Tai Hai Hotel. The staff was super (Alex, Florrie, Janet, Nancy). And the service was great. They all went out of their way to make our stay wonderful. Our group was all on one floor and often we would hang out in the hallways, and the babies would crawl/walk all over.
	We went to a few large Department stores, and they had this little play/gym area right next to the children's department. Both Jenna and Catina really enjoyed playing in there.
	We mostly ate at the hotel, breakfast was included in our hotel room, but did eat at McDonalds one day. It was so crowded.
	We did a lot of walking around on our own. That was the best part. Everyone was so interested in the girls, and we had translated notes in Chinese that explained about the girls, said where we were from, how much fun we were having in China, etc. The people just loved to read our notes and gaze at the girls. Jenna, by this time, was getting sick of all the attention, and didn't like people touching her. We would hold her tight, and she would hide her head, and this seemed to help. But Catina just loved all the attention.

Guangzhou, Guangdong:

	We spent 3 nights here.
	We stayed at the Globalink Hotel, which was nice. We didn't stay at the White Swan or the China Hotel, because we were here during the Trade Show, and all the hotels were booked up.
	Our CCAI reps were Raymond, Maggie and Alice.
	CCAI is so organized. The first night, we all met with Raymond and he helped us fill out our US Consulate paperwork.
	Our interview at the US Consulate went very smoothly.
	We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe.
	We shopped on Shamian Island, and enjoyed shopping at "Jennifers". We bought lots of stuff there. We bought one of those etched granite pictures, where they take a picture and then they etch the picture right onto the black granite. We would definitely recommend getting one of these. You can either bring a picture from home, or have them take pictures while you are there (that's what we did and have this with both Jenna and Catina). Well worth it.

Hong Kong:

	We only stayed 1 night here, which was right at the Airport, at the Regal Airport Hotel. What a chaotic hotel. We wouldn't recommend it.
	We left the very next morning for our flight home.
	We almost missed our flight home. We figured that since we were right at the hotel, we didn't need to hurry to check in. I mean how long would it take to check-in?? Well, as it turned out, we should have been there a minimum of 2 hours before our flight left. The line was long, we had to fill out several cards for Immigration and Customs, and the gate was a train ride away. Fortunately, there were a few of us families all in the same boat (Marla and Doug, Toni and Devon, Sylvia and Jose), so we weren't alone and we helped each other stay calm. I don't think I ever ran so fast. As we were running toward the gate, we heard them say "Last call for our flight". By the time we got on our flight, we were exhausted, sweating and thirsty. What a way to start an 11 hour flight home. But at least we made it!!

We had a fantastic trip and hope to someday return when the girls are both older. China is a wonderful place, adopting our little girls was such an exhilarating experience, and CCAI is wonderful agency.

Last Updated: 01/15/01

You can email my Mommy at: koliveri@worldnet.att.net

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