Friday, January 17, 2014

Is anyone talking about it?

One of the main reasons we picked Ethiopia was the likelihood of contact with our children's family. Starting out, we understood that we were expected to work through our adoption agency. We planned and fretted about how we could get around that. It turned out to be easy - we just learned to ask for phone numbers in Amharic and got the kebele chief's number at our meeting with the family.

It wasn't until much later that we realized just how many families have ongoing contact, including phone calls and visits. Online groups are full of talk of packages and searchers and trips. As I write this, two families I know - one in real life, one online - are in Ethiopia visiting family. Two more families I know will be there in April, when we go. Five others have recently made this trip. Continued contact is not only possible, it's common.

But so far I haven't found anyone who has blogged about it. Obviously there would be many parts of the trip that would be very personal and that anyone concerned with their children's privacy would be reluctant to share. But there would be other parts that would be about logistics and normal family time, not that different from organizing a trip to visit a relative in another state. I would love to find a blog that tells the story of a trip back.

Does anyone know any?

8 comments:

  1. I think there is talk on FB, in small groups? I'm not in one but I know they exist.

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    1. Thanks, Julie! Do you know the names of any of these group?

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    2. 2 active, closed Facebook groups are Ethiopia Mamas and Ethiopian Adoptive Parent Support Group. By "closed," I mean you request to join. There is also a Yahoo group on Ethiopian Birth Family Search/Reunions. These sites can connect you with many bloggers, who write at length about trips back. Powerful stuff. Your point about privacy and the sacredness of a child's story's is especially important. The children grow up, and their stories lsat forever on the searchable Internet.

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    3. Hi,
      I am a member of Ethiopia Mamas, Ethiopian Birth Family Search and Homeland Travel (the last 2 on yahoo). I have gotten some great information and advice from these groups. I posted a question asking about blogs on the yahoo groups, but so far no one knows of any. I'll try asking on facebook. Thanks!

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    4. http://adventuresofthewondertwins.wordpress.com/

      Scroll down the blog to the 2012 entries.

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  2. I don't think I've seen any blogs, either, but then again, most of the blogs I follow are from people who adopted around the same time as me, so they haven't been back. Perhaps you can start a new trend? I would love to hear whatever you are willing to share about your trip back!

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    1. Thanks, Kelly! I plan to post all about it, focusing on the logistics of the trip.

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    2. I would love a logistics of the trip post, I'm dreaming/planning for summer of 2015 or 2016, finances and child readiness dependent

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