Before I get on my soap box and you start reading, I would like you to know that none of the opinions I will share here are because I was adopted. Well, I guess that's not strictly true as I am who I am and a part of that is adopted, but I reckon that's a bit of a stretch. This is just a little pointed bluster I feel I must put out there.

Am now stepping on my soap box … and away we go …

Ex-pats all over Africa can often be heard complaining about how disorganized everything is. We rant about long waits, rage about bureaucracies... more

I am a hug-o-holic. OK, maybe it's not quite an addiction, but physical contact is important to me, whether it be hug or hand shake (unless it's one of those 'wet fish' kind of hand shakes ... if that is the only option, I can happily stick to contact of the eye variety.) Apparently, this might be an adoption related thing. There are plenty of studies that show how important 'bonding' is in those first hours of life, not to mention physical affection throughout a baby's first year … and I won’t even get INTO the whole impact of not being breast fed.... more