A 13 year old adoptee, Kia, returned to her birth country, China, for a visit. She was 2 years old the last time she was in China. She did not have many memories to recall since she was adopted at a young age. The only thing she talked about from China was a rainbow bird. Her adoptive parents made arrangements for their visit to China along with the agency they used for the adoption.

The agency gives adoptive families the opportunity to travel together to their children’s birth country. The adoptive families are responsible for their own expenses. Traveling with other adoptive families makes them not feel like tourists and they also have someone to share the experience with.

She discovered the rainbow bird she talked about was a real bird. During her stay in China the smells, foods, and sights brought memories back to her. Kia will be studying Mandarin Chinese language this school year.

Six families took this journey together back to the birth country of the children they adopted. The families went back to the orphanage where they adopted their beloved children. They did learn that the records of the birth parents are not kept well. Leaving children with a lost piece of their past.

What an experience for an adoptee to go to her birth country. To feel the culture, taste the foods, to hear the birth language and to see your beginning in life would be an amazing or powerful experience. All of emotions that the adoptee must be feeling can be overwhelming.

In China. if a mother has a multiple birth, she is only able to keep one of the infants. I knew the law was one child only, but I never thought about a multiple birth, and if that would change things. What a horrific decision for a mother to make.

Should adoptive parents plan on visiting the adoptee’s birth country with her? Should adoptive parents talk with the adoptee about emotions and feelings that she may feel while visiting her birth country?

More reading:

How to Help Adoptees Learn About Their Culture

Adoptees Looking Different From the Adoptive Family

Does Poverty Play a Role in Adoption?