In a previous post, I wrote about meshing the China my mind imagined and the real China I’ve come to know and love. I struggled with the poverty I witnessed in our daughter’s home province, but determined that I would do something to help.

When the time came for us to visit Haiti, I found nothing could have adequately prepared me. As I had done while waiting to travel to China, I read books about Haiti’s history and culture, studied the language, familiarized myself with the art and music, and studied up on the political situation. I went from having only a vague idea of where Haiti was to... more

Adopting internationally has changed me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. When we first decided to adopt from China, I had a very limited understanding of how everything would work and how I would be affected. Understandably, I suppose, I thought only about the child we would be adopting and how blessed our family would be with her presence. What I didn’t think about is how China would get under my skin and become a part of my life in so many ways. During the wait, I began to educate myself about China’s history and government, in particular, and started to dapple with learning Mandarin. Over time, I came to know much more about China’s politics, culture, government and history than the average... more

Did you happen to catch tonight’s “Late Show with Jay Leno?” If you did, then you probably caught guest Chelsea Handler’s comments about Angelina Jolie and her adoptions, not to mention her [obnoxious] racist innuendo about Asians being bad drivers and Vietnamese being good at doing nails.

If you didn’t see it, I’ll summarize and give you my take, ‘cause that’s what I get paid to do. ;)

First, Chelsea criticized Angelina for “going overseas” to adopt when there are so many kids in American who need to be adopted. She asked what was wrong with the kids in America that so many felt they need to look for children elsewhere.

Second, she criticized Angelina for changing... more

I-600A – Advance Processing for Orphan Petition

If you’re in the middle of an international adoption paperchase and haven’t yet filed your I-600A, now is the time to get that puppy sent in! On July 30th, fees will increase from $545 to a whopping $750, and biometrics fees will increase by $10 per person from $70 to $80.

The silver lining in all of this is that the new fees will allow for one free extension of your I-600A. If you’re adopting from China for example,... more

Book Review: Fine Haitian Cuisine: A Broad Collection of Haitian Recipes, by Mona Cassion Ménager

I’ve been pining away for this book for quite some time, but given its hefty price tag of nearly fifty bucks and the fact that I own three other Haitian cookbooks, I felt I couldn’t justify it. Thankfully, a dear friend of mine bought it for me as a gift and I thus eluded purchase guilt. ;)

The book begins with a brief history of Haiti and an explanation about the culinary influences (Arawak, African, French and Spanish) that came... more

Looking for something fun and interesting to do with your family this summer? If you have adopted children or are considering adoption, an adoption “culture camp” or “heritage camp” may be just the thing! Here’s a list of some 2007 camp dates and locations. Be aware that many are accepting registrations now, so if you find one that’s of interest, don’t delay!

AFRICA

African/Caribbean Heritage Camp June 28-July 1 Snow Mountain Ranch, Fraser, CO

CAMBODIA

Cambodia Heritage Camp July 19-July... more

If you read the other parts of this series, you know that I consider homeschooling to be a great option for older, internationally adopted children, but I thought you might like to hear the perspective of some other moms. It’s significant to note that while many of these families were already homeschoolers at the time they adopted, for some, as was the case in our family, the adoption was the catalyst for choosing homeschooling.

Sharee, a homeschooling mom of four, including Sarah, who was adopted from China at nearly six years of age, had this to say:

“During... more

First, wipe out your expectations. Assume you’re starting with a blank slate, and think of any skills you identify right away in your child as bonuses. This is not to say you should expect your child will be unintelligent, but chances are that he will be behind, will have learned things differently, and in the case of international adoption, will have limited English skills.

Second, don’t worry too much about doing formal “school” for the first few months. Just play! Read together, sing, dance, go for walks, plant flowers, go shopping, visit the park, go on picnics, cook, do art projects, play games, draw pictures, watch movies and just get to know your new child. In our case,... more

As I wrote in part one, I believe that homeschooling can be a great option for older adopted children, particularly when they come from an orphanage environment in another country. I think it deserves real consideration when parents begin to contemplate what their child’s education will be like once they arrive in their new home.

My very favorite reason for homeschooling our new 8 year old daughter is that it has given her the chance to do myriad things as part of “school”... more

When we adopted our daugher, Lulu, she was nearly eight years old but had had very little formal education in her birth country of Haiti. We knew from prior visits with her that she couldn’t write (and didn’t draw well), and that she couldn’t do basic math or even recognize letters and numbers. We also knew that on top of her limited academic experience, the language barrier would be an issue. During our adoption wait, we began to give some thought to homeschooling her as a way to help her catch up. I worried a little about how she’d feel being the only “big kid” not going to school, but over time, we started giving heavy consideration to homeschooling all our kids.

About this... more