Anastasia L and I in New York City, 10/21/09
So, why adopt from Russia of all places? Well, as I have mentioned, I have a deep affinity to mother Russia, her land, her people, the language. The time I spent there in 1988, just before the falling of the iron curtain, was life changing. The people I met, traveling from Odessa to Kiev, were amazing. I recall meeting one old women who told me that she had not seen Americans since the ending of World War II. She was frail and humped over, using two twisted canes like sticks to stand. People treated us like rock stars there, when our tour buses would pull into a town or place, we would be swarmed for autographs and pictures. People gave us their worldly goods. As an African-American, I got even more special treatment (the good kind of course). People were curious as to what life was like for me in the United States as a minority. The International Peace Walk, or IPW, from Odessa to Kiev in August of 1988 most certainly informs my wishes to adopt from Russia. I would love to see the country many, many more times, and bring my children along too. I would love for me and Ari and "hope" to all speak Russian and English in our home and I plan to keep my new child's cultural ties strong with education in the Russian language, as well as trips to Russian cultural venues here in the US.
On October 21st of this year, I was truly blessed to be able to travel to New York City to meet with my beloved friend from the IPW, Anastasia L. We had not seen each other in 22 years! She looked the same, and all the more a picture of her mother. We were able to spend about 12 hours together, walking and riding the bus around the city. We ate and talked and laughed, her life since we were 16 and 18 years old has been nothing short of a true life movie! Seeing her really made me want to travel to Moscow again. My next trip there MUST be my first trip on the last steps of my adoption journey.
Other stuff
From what I understand, you travel to Russia to an orphanage and "choose" your child. Choose your child? I am fearful that I will get there and want them all! How do you choose a child? What makes one child more deserving than another to escape life in an orphanage? How do you look into a child's eyes and another and another and make a choice? I can't imagine "debating" with myself, or anyone else, over what child to choose. I am sure there will be many mixed feelings on that visit. I look forward to it but I am also fearful that my heart will break, for a long time, over those I had to leave behind.
This morning I woke up before Ari did (a rare thing indeed!) and I could not fall back asleep so I got my computer and turned it on. I felt the need to check on the children I follow. I checked on Will, a five year old boy from Virginia who has a very aggressive brain cancer - but no new news as of late, which makes me worry for him; checked on Jonah, his blue eyes are so beautiful! For this child, God do I ache. I wish I could take even a little bit of his pain away. I would do it gladly. Still, he amazes me with his smiles; I checked on Noah B., the little child in Michigan who won't live to see Christmas this year to due to cancer. I sent Noah a Christmas card, and I was so overjoyed by the news report from the South Lyon, MI post office that they have received 30,000 cards and 1200 packages for this child of God! What a blessing! I hope Noah can hang on so that he can enjoy opening some of his cards.
Update on PHASE 1:
Well, I for went going somewhere this morning in order to get my "paper on!" I'm going to try to finish it this weekend.
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