Testimonials
         
         
         
         
 

This morning we all woke up to our last day in the orphanage. We went to breakfast as usual, and then went back to our rooms before we had work. We all went to our respective stations, my group was with the babies :) It was very sad to leave them. My group played with the babies for about 3 hours, and then fed them lunch before putting them down for their afternoon nap. After our lunch, we had about 3 hours of downtime, and I went to the local grocery store and stocked up on potato chips and oreos. After our downtime, we went to the Song Dynasty dance performance. It was absolutely stunning! There were a lot of acrobatics and beautiful costumes. After the performance, there was a huge water fight in the square outside the theater! Almost everyone went in and got absolutely soaked! It was very refreshing after a long day in very dry heat. A lot of people had bowls and filled them with water and dumped them on our heads. Water spouted out from the ground, and shot up 25 feet into the air! It was so much fun! After our water fight, we all went to another area to celebrate the 4th with the rest of the group. We had silly headbands, and chips, and coke. It was a bunch of fun. Everyone is enjoying everyone else, and it's been a wonderful experience so far. I've personally enjoyed my new friends Kira, Emily, and Kate. Of course, Jess and I are still loving every moment we spend together.

Now to touch a little bit on the Jiande girls' trip to Jiande. This group included myself, Jess, Kira, Emily, Kate D., Kate W., and Grace. It was a very emotional, but amazing experience. I think I speak for all of us when I say that going to visit our orphanage with a group of girls (around the same age) made the experience so much better. It was a great feeling to go back and see where we came from. We also got to see the babies who were in the orphanage and it was a little sad to see all of them there. We were so fortunate to be adopted, and I wish people could accept these babies for who they are and adopt them. I just want to thank all of the parents (who are reading this) for adopting us. We may not say it all the time, but we are all very thankful that you all adopted us. While we were at the orphanage and in Jiande, we all agreed that we wouldn't want to make the trip with anyone else. It wouldn't be the same.

And now, I would like to go back to working in the orphanage. By working with all of those children, I learned that one has to become patient and learn to love someone for their personality, not by the way they look, or by how they are. One has to learn to judge after getting to know someone instead of basing their observations on physical aspects. The children and babies that I worked with all had some sort of disability, but after seeing their faces light up when I walked in the room, and playing with them for four and a half hours, you learn to love their personalities, and their disability seems non-existent. It was an honor to work with those little children because they opened my eyes up to a whole knew level of love. I was so sure I was going to bug my parents to adopt three of those children. One of them was a 10-year-old boy. He was abandoned only because his head was a bit too small for his body. I met him while washing shoes for the orphanage. He was very productive, for he washed four shoes for every one shoe I washed. He was a very hard worker, but he also talked a lot. I named him Austin. Another one was a four-year-old boy who was given up because he had another thumb on his thumb. He is a very bright boy and loves to learn new things. He took many pictures with my camera. I named him Tristan. The third one was a baby, about two and a half years old. He was given up because he has fragile leg bones. He is very strong though. Whenever he crawls, he does an army crawl and looks like he should join the U.S. Army soon (just kidding). He has very strong arm muscles and likes to throw things a lot, and I mean A LOT. I think he hit a few babies and a few of us in the process. He loves to be tickled, and he learned how to pull my shirt up to expose my stomach and tickle me. He's a quick learner and is very active. I named him Derek. I fell in love with these three kids, and I hope that one day they'll all be adopted.

  
 

That's it for now. I hope you all are keeping up with us. We're constantly doing something. We miss you all very much and can't wait until we come home. We all want to stay on this trip forever, but I know inside we're all a little homesick. I can't believe how many new friends I've made on this trip. I'm very glad I chose to be a part of this trip. Keep checking this blog!!! :)

Lots of love, Anna

Blog Excerpt - Teenager Service Trip Summer 2011

    
 
 
 

From the moment I saw her in my mother’s arms, emerging from the airplane in a Seattle T-shirt and red silk shoes, I was not the same. There was a grief in her eyes that I had never known, a fragility to her twelve-pound body as I dragged my fingers across her skin. I imagined her parents, tiny people with narrow limbs like hers. Arms hanging still, eyes straight ahead.

My mother said from the start that we would go back, but Hangzhou seemed a million miles away. It was a word written beneath photographs in a baby book, not a real place where a plane could actually land or people could stand and look out over the water and shield their eyes from the pulsing sun. But we did go, led by a tour-guide named Bing who popped the collar of his polo shirt and flirted with my father. Bing and I gossiped and listened to music, and when I looked out the bus window there was blue sky.

The rest of the country had been grey, but here the air was clean and, as we soon discovered, thirty-percent of the population were millionaires. The Starbucks on the lake sold thirty-dollar cups of coffee. “I can’t believe how much it’s changed,” my mother kept saying.

Our hotel was dark and humid, though, and clothes washed in the sink wouldn’t dry for days. I wore my last clean shirt and my best skirt on the morning we left for the orphanage. The day was bright and hot, and soon our hair was curling at the backs of our necks. We rode through the countryside, our senses quieted by Dramamine and apprehension.

When we arrived, the merry-go-round in the courtyard was still. A swimming pool decorated with multi-colored tile and a central fountain like a toadstool had been drained. We stepped inside the main building and were greeted by a woman who spoke to our tour-guide. A chalkboard stood in the entryway, and on it had been written in brilliant Technicolor, “Welcome Xu Rong Rong to Come Back.” Xu Rong Rong was my sister’s name before she came to us. ‘Xu’ stood for all of the children at the orphanage, but Rong Rong was her own. It is difficult to translate, but we have been told that it is the feeling you get when you touch a hibiscus petal.

We were lead into another room then, and inside were all of the children, waiting. We sat in child-sized chairs that had been set up for us and watched a performance they had planned. They invited my sister to play musical chairs, but she shook her head without looking up.

We went to the room where she had been as an infant and smiled down at the babies lying on a mat on the floor. One little girl, who had brittle bones and had to be sedated, sat alone on a cushion. I cupped her face in my hands, I touched her arms and the tips of her fingers. She did not blink, and in her eyes was the sadness I had tried so long to forget.

My sister was left in a garden, with a prayer in her pocket that someone with a loving heart might find her. When we returned, she stood very still and would not look at my father when he placed his arm around her. The sun writhed down at us, at this quiet place. I tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear, and she glanced fleetingly at me before turning away. 

Summer 2010

 
 
 
   

“My family had a wonderful experience traveling to China with Red Thread Tours last summer. Not only was the sightseeing fascinating and well-paced; Danling’s work with the orphanage directors through the years resulted in orphanage visits that were meaningful and very positive. I was impressed at her attunement to the needs of both younger children and easily disenchanted teenagers. My daughters, who were reluctant travelers at first, came back proud of China’s rich history and current urban prosperity, and with the sense that they had been cared for during their earliest months of life. My older daughter is planning to travel back to China this summer on the teen service trip sponsored by Red Thread Tours.”

Virginia Taylor - Summer 2010

 
 
 
 

When we adopted our daughter, we knew we wanted to travel back to China someday so she could understand something of her beginnings. 

However, this Heritage Tour was as much for us as her.  We wanted to reconnect to her beginnings, share China with our family and capture the excitement we had when we first went to adopt.  How could that be possible?  How could a second trip to China ever be as special as when we went to meet our oldest daughter for the first time? 

It turned out that this Heritage Tour was a new experience; one the whole family could share including our biological daughter born 3 months after our first trip.  Even though we went to many of the same places we had visited on our previous trip, it was exciting to see the sites with our children.  What made this trip as special and also similar to the adoption experience was sharing it with others who were traveling for the same purpose.

Seeing the incredible change in the places we had visited 10 years before in China surprised us.    The Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors sites seemed much more visitor friendly.  All the signage was updated in almost all the tourist spots with easy to read English.


We were allowed to take pictures at the Terra Cotta Warriors!  More people seemed to know a little English.  There seemed to be fewer bicycles and more car/bus/motorcycle traffic than we had remembered.

There were many highlights.  However the orphanage visit was really “top of the list”.   Red Thread could reach over the cultural gap and build relationships with the people we needed to interact with before we traveled.  Without Red Thread’s foot work and help, we would not have had the access or the warm welcome we received at the orphanage.  Red Thread’s format for the orphanage visit is a good outline, but each visit turns out to be unique and valuable in its own way. 

These exciting two weeks passed too quickly.  It broadened our children’s horizons and made real to them all the talking, reading and studying Chinese we have done over the years.  We hope this trip will inspire them to continue learning about China.

Larry and Rozlynn Schack - Spring 2009
 
 
 

The trip to China with Red Thread was a journey of discovery for everyone in our family.

Hannah’s experience was incredibly uplifting.  Mr. Li, the retired orphanage director, spoke highly of how Hannah had matured into a beautiful young woman.  Her retired caregiver joined us for lunch and wanted to feed her.  Hannah discovered that every effort had been made to keep her in her village, but it was just not possible.  Her fears of being abandoned and not wanted, were replaced with delight in knowing that she had been cherished and well cared for!  She is still on cloud nine.

Khia, our birth daughter, had multiple requests to have her picture taken by Chinese teenage boys.  She couldn’t figure out what was going on.  I explained that to these boys she looked exotic and different than their friends at school.  She commented that she finally understood how Hannah has felt at school in the U.S.

Every effort was made to accommodate my mom’s mobility limitations. It made the trip enjoyable for all of us. The graciousness and patience of everyone employed by Red Thread was excellent. All over China, people made accommodations and assisted my mom so she could be a part of everything we did.

    
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
   

Attending the Olympics was a dream come true for all of us. I had to pinch myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream! Every detail was carefully addressed by the game organizers. The care given to the effort to welcome athletes and spectators was exemplary! The sense of national pride that these games brought to individual Chinese was evident everywhere. We even observed this sense of pride and accomplishment from the 80 year old grandma of a rural family we had lunch with outside of Xi’an. 

Our family’s trip to China was incredible in every aspect. Our needs were challenging, but the Red Thread staff met every challenge and guided us along beautifully as we rediscovered Hannah’s birthplace. We have been provided with a wealth of stories and memories to share with friends, relatives, and future generations.

Terry and Kristie Kurtenbach - Summer 2008

 
 
 
 

"In summer 2007 my family and I took an amazing trip to China. One of my highlights was going to my orphanage. My caregiver was able to come back and share lunch with my family and staff. My favorite activity was going into the infant room where I was able to hold a baby and see how bonded the babies and nannies were. It made me feel reassured that I had a loving beginning, too.

I also enjoyed meeting all of the RTTS staff. We were able to personalize relationships by singing on the bus, learning Chinese, having contests, and a party. We learned information about what we were seeing in a fun way. Cathy, who traveled with us the entire trip, was especially important because she shared all of our experiences, and became much loved because of her warmth and kindness.

I know I will cherish my memories for China forever."

Grace - Age 13

  
 
 
 
 

"Our family was part of Red Thread’s March 2007 Travel group to China. We had an amazing experience, in fact I describe it as life-changing.

We knew we wanted to return to China with our daughter ever since we adopted. We wanted this trip back to be successful, not only in the quality of the agenda, but for our daughter to have a meaningful, positive experience visiting her birth city and orphanage.

Red Thread Tours stands out from other heritage tours, or a private trip we might have taken. Danling’s perspective on and knowledge of both adoption and China makes it truly unique. That, and her marvelous team with their warmth and energy made our hopes come true. Even the idea of going with a group--not always our way to explore a new land--was a plus. For our daughter, it was a way to make that trip her own, hanging with other kids who had the same reason for going to China. We found the group enriching too. We made new friends, and even had the added bonus of a reunion with 2 of the families we traveled with 9 years earlier!"

  
 
 

"Red Thread’s tour planning and facilitation gave us a more personal, close-up view of both the country and the people that I doubt most travelers get. Because Danling grew up there and has worked continuously in China, people who work with Danling are not just tour industry professionals, they’re friends and family. Their attention to detail and thoughtfulness every step of the way made parents and kids so comfortable. Also, Danling’s passion and caring for children ensures that kids get sensitive preparation for the challenges of traveling, and feelings aroused encountering orphanage kids, caregivers, and finding-places. In fact, the orphanage visit day was the highlight of our daughter’s trip. We could not have asked for a better, more eye-opening and compassionate experience."

 
 

"Oh, and did I mention it was fun? My daughter did not want to come home. We have so many great memories. It was a wonderful success as a pilgrimage and a vacation. We have had a couple reunions with our travel group since then. Some of us are currently brainstorming how we can help kids in China and when/how we can return....!

So, I recommend Red Thread heartily for people considering a trip to explore China and connect their children to their birth country."

Terrell Daniels

 
 
 
 
 

"Our family had talked for several years about returning to China for a heritage trip. When we learned that Danling had started Red Thread Tours, we knew that would be the way for us to go. We finally were able to travel in July of 2007, and it was a journey that touched each of us deeply and that will be talked about and remembered for the rest of our lives. For our daughter, it was the opportunity to build a bridge between two worlds and two parts of her identity that are very important to her. For us, it was the chance to retrace many of the steps in her adoption ten years ago and see those people and places come alive in our daughter's eyes. We were made welcome by everyone and best of all, we were able to see the woman who had been her nanny and thank her for the loving care she had given."

  
 

"We chose Red Thread tours because we knew that Danling's work with families who have adopted from China, her roots there and understanding of both Chinese and American cultures, and her abiding love and commitment to children would ensure a trip that went beyond seeing beautiful and interesting places. Her staff , both here and in China, were knowledgeable and caring, and kept everything running smoothly. Danling's personal involvement in preparing us for the visit to the orphanage was invaluable in helping us be flexible and open. We can't speak highly enough of the trip itself or of the many people who made it such a wonderful experience for us!"

Carol Klukaczewski and Jim Newton