Sunday 25 March 2012

Home stretch on the work front! Cut throat adoption process? A walk in the park and a horrific newspaper article!

Well spring break is over!  Back to school tomorrow and 14 weeks until the end of the year and then it is three weeks of summer school.  I am looking forward to summer school as it is a different pace and there isn't the same pressure as there is during the year.  There is a one week break between the two this year which will allow us to pack and move our necessary supplies. To those outside of BC, this year and the past month have been particularly stressful for teachers as our provincial government has passed a bill which affects many of our rights (seniority, post and fill) while doing nothing for working and learning conditions.  I wish I could say the adoption process was on the home stretch as school but NO SUCH LUCK!  

In going through papers I found the contact information for the people that were in my adoption education program last July.  I emailed them a few days ago asking if anybody had  news to share. I am desperate to hear that somebody is making progress.  Not a single reply yet.  My friend CC and my sister say to give them time.  Meanwhile I try to interpret the lack of response and what it might mean.  Are other people are on waiting lists for countries?  Have they made little to no progress?  Have people have been successful and are reluctant to share for fear of upsetting those of us that haven't, even though it would give the rest of us hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel?   Are people just so busy with life they haven't had time to respond?  Or are people are so despondent about the process, as am I, that they just don't feel like sharing?  Would you respond to a friendly email asking how things were going for you?  I am curious because out of about 15 families I'd like to think that in nine months one family had been successful in one way or an other.  Perhaps one family has at least received a referral.

I am wanting to post something else I've written but am delayaing doing so.  It is thoughts on the whole  process.  Hopefully, I'll get the courage to post it this week.  I wish I had Lisa's honesty and openess (see blog: Are we there yet Len?) To those of you at the beginning of the journey, your home study is the easy part, a walk in the park, compared to the rest of the process.  I had wonderfuul sessions with my social worker in my apartment and felt very comfortable talking to her.   I felt supported and encouraged in this part of the process. 

Meanwhile this weekend the Vancouver Sun had an informative but very disturbing article on the sexual abuse of young children in Cambodia by so called "sex-tourists".  I read it and was very upset and angry. The  children's families, most often girls, will sell them to this horrific industry and meanwhile do-gooders (often people that aren't at all interested in the adoption process or that have any experience with it) squawk about child trafficking from other countries and more!  You only have to read the comments these people leave on adoption related articles online!  Where are these same do-gooders for the children of Cambodia?  Neither selling of children is right.  Both are worng, heart breaking and devastating but to be sold to the sex trade is just horrific!  All I could ask myself as I read the article was if this problem exists why aren't there more adoptions from Cambodia before these children are sold to the sex-tourism industry?

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the shout-out! It can be discouraging not to hear from people during the wait. I've actually been surprised that I've not heard back from anyone in our travel group in China. There can be so many variables affecting the lack of communication so try not to take it as bad news...even though I totally get why you would!

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  2. Thank you Lisa for your comment. It is interesting you haven't heard back from your China travel group. I had heard that often families stay connected in some way or form so their children have a connection. A friend that adopted from Georgia (Russia) 17 years ago still has get togethers several times a year with her group.

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