A word from Rachel

Happy National Adoption Month:  To promote awareness for children in foster care in the United States. It began  as National Adoption Week in 1976 by Governor Michael Dukakis and it was declared by President Reagan in 1984. Then it was expanded to a whole month by President Clinton. 

The Adoption Series will feature those in the adoption triad: The Birth Family, Adoptee, Adoptive Family. There may be differing opinions among those in the adoption community and that is ok. It is important to respect other's opinions and sometimes one can learn from someone's different opinions. 

This week in The Adoption Series: The Adoptee.

My name is Rachel Nas, and I was adopted from Changsha, Hunan, China when I was nine months old. I have lived in central Virginia all of my life, and I am currently a sophomore at Liberty University, pursuing a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  

Please Remember that this post doesn't represent the opinions or experiences of all adoptees. This post only represents Rachel's experiences and opinions. 

So, it's National Adoption Month. This is one of my favorite times of year, because it opens the floor for all of those in the adoption triad (adoptees, adoptive families, and first families) to share their stories and their opinions. As most of us know, adoption isn't easy. There are so many components to adoption: love and loss, grief and joy, anger and peace. I have come to realize that such is life. There is no easy answer. There will always be hard, unanswered questions and grief so deep that it sometimes feels as if you're drowning. 

There are many things about my adoption story that fill me with unspeakable, unnameable emotion. When I was abandoned on that street corner so many years ago, I lost the chance to know my birth family. I lost a true connection to a beautiful culture and language. I don't know my actual birth date. I don't know what time I was born or how much I weighed. I truly don't know if my birth parents loved me. 

However, I am so thankful for the life and opportunities I have been given. I was placed into a loving home with two doting parents who have sacrificed so much for me. I have access to clean water, all the food I could ever dream of eating, a home to come back to, and the ability to pursue my dreams. 

So the only thing I ask is that you listen. Everyone has opinions, and each person is entitled to them. However, I ask that you listen to what we as adoptees have to say. These are our stories, and these are real things that have happened in our lives. You might not be able to understand, but I ask that you listen. I ask you to at least try to look at things from our perspective. All that we have gained from our adoption will never fill the holes in our lives and stories that adoption has caused us. These stories of ours have so much beauty mixed with pain and grief, and that's what makes them so important. May we never lose sight of that.

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