Midterm review

Recently, we are doing a midterm review for our project. Thinking back, it has really been a great experience.

 

Back to the very beginning, the idea of choosing international adoption as my topic was inspired by my friend. They are an American couple, and adopted a little girl from China. I was curious. What a commitment it takes to make the decision of raising a child from another country, put great amount of money and effort, wait for years, go through piles of paperwork, and travel all the way to China to bring the child back? A topic that I’m interested in makes the work enjoyable.

Then I learned two lessons. First, Persistence is the key. Second, Be flexible. U.A.B. International Adoption Clinic was my first choice. It didn’t work out after all the communications because of schedule problem. I’ve contacted several agencies, and finally found my perfect match – Villa Hope Adoption. Have to say that, the process of looking for an agency was frustrating, but the encouragement from our instructor Dr. McGuinness did help—“Persistence is the key.” And interestingly, sometimes an alternative choice works out perfectly.

Original plan was just doing research, and generating a booklet. But once I got started to do it, opportunities just naturally came, such as all the communications with U.A.B. International Adoption Clinic, and the friendship I have built with some adoptive families.

There is a family that I knew from an organization called Central Alabama Families with Children from China. They got their daughter Lilie from China when she was 6 months old. Now she is 4 years old, cute, smart, interested in anatomy, and wants to be a nurse in the future. Lilie is the only child. She made this family complete. I was invited to their house, and we cooked Chinese food together. I can feel the joy Lilie brings to this family. And at the same time, this child’s life is changed.

 My friend asked how long will I be doing this project. Well, the booklet will be done at the end of this semester, but I don’t think the connections I have made with the adoptive families will stop from there. I really enjoyed the friendship with these families, and will be happy to contribute in many other ways in the future.

Some links

Friendship Partner Program: http://www.villahope.org/chinese-friendship-partner/
Villa Hope Home Page: http://www.villahope.org/
U.A.B. International Adoption Clinic: http://adoption.childrensal.org/
Association for Research in International Adoption: http://www.adoption-research.org/
China Center of Adoption Affairs: http://www.adoption-research.org/

What an event --- 15 delegates of C.C.C.W.A visited U.A.B.IAC

Yesterday I had an exciting experience in U.A.B. International Adoption Clinic (IAC). 15 delegates from China Center of Children's Welfare and Adoption (C.C.C.W.A) was visiting the IAC. I have talked with most of the delegates, and also helped with translating.

Communication is key. It was a great opportunity to me that I got to ask a lot of questions, such as the average nanny to children ratio, sources and main usage of donations, new polices for the benefit of street kids. And they even brought up the issue of human trafficking, which I longed to ask but thought it might be too sensitive. A program they have talked about in some orphanages is called "bao bao tuan", which means "hug hug group". There are a group of  retired grandpa and grandma regularly visiting the orphanages to hold the children, and play with them. The children in orphanages are in need to one to one communications. I think this program is a very smart idea, and I can see the mutual benefits in it.

On my side, I shared with them my shadowing experience in IAC, my project with Villa Hope, and what I have observed through all the contacts with different adoptive families.

Here are some pictures:

10 minutes and you know about China

so far, so good

So, let’s talk about what I have been doing recently. Like what I have mentioned before, I’m generating a brief introduction of common medical conditions Identified among children available for adoption in China, hoping that the prospective parents will have a better understanding about what to expect before they make the decision to adopt. We have chosen 12 common conditions: Cerebral palsy, Albinism, Congenital spinal bifida, Thalassemia, Hepatitis, Congenital heart disease, Hemophilia, Anal atresia, Glaucoma, Esotropia, Epilepsy and Hydrocephaly. The content of each condition includes: description, signs & symptoms, expectations, complications, treatment and homecare. I meet my mentor Anne Baldwin in Villa Hope, and turn in my weekly “homework” every Friday, then come home with her questions and suggestions. The process of doing research on these medical conditions has been great learning experience to me, especially when I was trying to find answers to Anne’s questions.

Another exciting experience was attending the “Preparing for the Joys and Challenges of International Adoption” seminar, which is hosted by the U.A.B. International Adoption Clinic on Sep.24^th, 2011. It was a whole day class series from 8:30am till 5:00pm. I helped with administration, and then sat through the class with all the prospective adoptive families. The class covers 4 main parts:
1) Medical Issues for Internationally Adopted Children
2) Trauma, Attachment Disruptions and the Emotional Needs of Internationally Adopted Young Children
3) Growing Up Different: Identity Issues in Adoption
4) Development and the Internationally Adopted Child

Handout and extra reading materials were provided, so the attenders can take notes and digest what they’ve learned in class when they go home. It was nice to see what information the families can get before adoption. I was impressed by Kelly’s speech. She is a social worker in the International Adoption Clinic, and she is an adoptee from Korea. She tells her own adoptive story, the great experience of being different, and the struggling of uncertain identity, which is totally a new perspective to me.

So what’s next? There will be 22 delegates from China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption visiting U.A.B International Adoption Clinic on Oct. 14^th. I will be there, maybe help with translating. Wait for my update. ^^