Adoptees Apply for Certificate of Citizenship for Free
To my Chinese adoptee friends and kin who became United States citizens under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 and have not traveled outside of the U.S. with a passport […]
Tag Archives: Chinese Adoptee
Reflections on the End of 32 Years of Chinese International Adoption from a 30 Year Old Chinese Adoptee
I was adopted from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China on June 17, 1997. I was three years old at the time and unable to anticipate what dramatic life changes were in […]
Reclaiming November as National Adoptee Awareness Month
When we celebrate and honor the complex people in a community rather than a one-sided portrayal of an extremely complex practice, it enables a more holistic appreciation and acknowledgement of the impacted people. The expectation of thankfulness with Thanksgiving coupled with the celebration of National Adoption Awareness Month during November demands gratitude and compliance from me while smothering all of this complexity, which forces an opposite reaction and a desperation for everything suffocated to be seen and heard. National Adoptee Awareness Month allows me to express gratitude in a way that National Adoption Awareness Month does not.
Culture Keeping on the Christmas Tree
With Christmas just two weeks away, I’ve seen several adoptive parents asking where to find Chinese or culturally themed ornaments for stocking stuffers and small Christmas presents for their children. […]
Navigating the World: Heritage Travel and Tourism
I was recently asked to speak at the Ray Warren Symposium on Race and Ethnic Studies through Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. The panel I was on asked […]
ADAPTED Podcast, Season 4, Episode 5: Grace Newton
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kaomi Goetz over Zoom to talk about my personal experiences as a Chinese adoptee. Our conversation ranged from […]
Adoption/Searching Online Groups
A few weeks ago, I decided to restart my birth parent search that came to an almost immediate halt in China in 2015 (read about it here). I realize that time is going by – time that I will never get back – and feel confident that I am in an emotionally strong enough place to begin again. I decided to join a number of search groups on Facebook and on WeChat for information about searching, templates for language used on search posters, and camaraderie from others who are also going through this complicated process. Below, I’ve shared a list of potentially relevant searching groups for Chinese adoptees.
Help Wes Find His Orphanage Friend
During the 7 years I was in my orphanage in Shanghai, I remember this one boy who was my mentor/big brother. We hung out a lot, and I remember just admiring him a lot. He was also one of the only male figures in my life during my orphanage years. His name was Chen Yijie. Please help me find my friend.
Checking My Privilege
When I question how I could have both been helped and hurt by white privilege, it is the same type of reflection that I must conduct when I think about the ways in which I have both gained and lost so much through my adoption. The ability to not think in simple polarities has shaped and defined my maturation and has been a liberating discovery.
The Nine People You Meet on a Cruise
Unlike the five people you meet in heaven, the nine people you meet on a cruise are people you don’t want to meet. A couple of months ago, I went […]
Red Thread Broken 