11-20-09 | News from ASIA

Dear ASIA Friends and Families,

The following email contains information about:

*Hope's Journey Update
*JCICS's Photo Contest
*Donating via Facebook
*A little bit of Chinese Culture...

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Hope's Journey Update

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ASIA has great news! We have placed 20 out of 30 Hope's Journey Children! This is SPECTACULAR and we would like to thank all our new families and Waiting Child Advocates. We wish we could be there when these beautiful children hear the news! Most recently, Skyler, a 13 year old boy, has found his forever family. We definitely need the stars to align so everything can be completed before he turns 14, but we've done it before and plan to do it again with the help of our government and China!

We also have 10 children still waiting and hoping for their forever families. ASIA believes every child deserves a family. View the faces of the children that keep us motivated at http://asiahope.blogspot.com/. They each want a family of their own and we're trying not to disappoint. Do you see a child that could be yours in one of these pictures? Please help us find these older children their forever family.

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JCICS's Photo Contest

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Beginning on National Adoption Day, November 21, 2009, and running through the end of the year, Joint Council will conduct its second annual photo contest: Yesterday's Hope, Today's Family. The photo contest is designed to show the many facets of families. Anyone can enter the contest, so start snapping photos! Prizes for top entries may include gift cards and/or items from the following companies: Toys R Us, the Disney Store, Best Buy, Subway, Starbucks, American Society of Professional Photographers and Apple. Some of the winning photos will also be displayed on the Joint Council website and at Joint Council's Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland from March 17-20, 2010.

For more information about our contest, please visit the website at www.jcics.org/photocontest.htm

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Donate to ASIA through Facebook

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You can now donate to ASIA through Facebook! By donating on Facebook, you inspire your friends to donate too; you can track how much you've donated; and you promote your cause! Click (or copy and paste) the link below to help ASIA continue its work in making a difference in the lives of children in need.

https://www.causes.com/fb/donations/new?cause_id=396384&fundraiser_id=40242089&m=3658e3a9

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A little bit of Chinese Culture...

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In the interest of keeping ASIA's mission of providing cultural support for adopted children and their families, the staff has decided to add "A little bit of Chinese Culture..." to our updates and announcements. If you have any cultural facts you would like to add to our list, please feel free to send them to Toni as This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Gift-giving is a customary formality and an expression of appreciation in Chinese culture. Below are some tips for gift-giving in China and Taiwan:

*Always present wrapped gifts- consider wrapping in colors fortuitous to the Chinese: red, gold, yellow or pink.

*Avoid wrapping in white or black as they are associated with funerals. Also reconsider green (the color of separation) and blue (the color of mourning)

*Never give a clock because Chinese associate it with death- the word for clock, "jung", sounds like the Cantonese word for funeral

*Watches, on the other hand, are popular

*Knives or scissors are inappropriate gifts as they represent severing ties

*Taiwanese don't give umbrellas because the word sounds like the word for separation

*Always present and accept a gift with two hands as a sign of respect, reverence and sincerity

*It is not customary for the Chinese to open gifts in front of the giver. They will graciously accept the gift and put it aside for opening after the guests have departed. The purpose of this custom is twofold. First the Chinese consider impatience and selfishness taboo. Second, it spares embarrassment to the giver and receiver should the gift not be pleasing, thus "saving face" for all involved.

*Chinese typically do not send thank-you notes because the gratitude has been expressed in person at the time of receiving the gift and another written formality is redundant.

-Good Luck Life by Rosemary Gong (2005)

Happy Holidays from all of us at ASIA!

Toni Flitcraft
Office Coordinator
Associated Services for International Adoption (ASIA)

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