Coming to America!

A little background on me (for those that don't know me) that will give you a sense of where I came from and how my opinions about being adopted were shaped at a very young age. 

I was adopted as an infant and came to the U.S. when I was only 7 months old.  I grew up in a small farming community in northeastern Iowa and then moved to the suburbs of Dallas, TX when I was 9 years old.  In Iowa, there were less than 2,000 people in the town that I grew up in and there was and still isn't a traffic light in town.  It was a small town of hard-working farmers and housewives that carried on life-long traditions from family to family.  Although I was probably one of the first, if not the first, internationally adopted child in the area, no one treated me any differently than anyone else.  I was accepted...and that's huge for anyone at anytime in their lives...just to be accepted.  I honestly don't remember an unkind word, being teased for looking different or feeling like I didn't belong because no one treated me any differently than any other child there growing up.  It was a blessing that would influence the rest of my life.  I don't know if it was just because everyone knew everyone in a small town and they were just open to my parents adopting internationally, or if it was because they all led such simple lives (compared to today and all the technology that has invaded our lives) that they didn't have as many or any prejudices toward an outsider...a foreigner like me.  Either way, I'm truly grateful for having grown up in such an open and accepting community.

I always knew I was adopted, but I didn't fully understand what that meant until I got older.  I just thought it meant I was "special."  And, in a general sense of the word "special" shouldn't we all make children feel special in their own little way....whatever makes them unique or different...that it's OK to be who you are and that they are "special" no matter what.  So, I always knew I was "special," but didn't fully realize why until later.

I lived on a dairy farm in Iowa near my dad's side of the family.  He is one of five children, so we were always getting together to celebrate cousins' birthdays or aunt and uncle's anniversaries or the holidays.  It was an ideal childhood with lots of love, lots of food and lots of laughter.  I was the youngest cousin for a long time (until I was 8), so you could probably say I got spoiled, not only by my aunts' and uncles', but also by all of my cousins.  I didn't know it at the time, but those were probably the happiest times of my life....surrounded by their love and acceptance.

I hold a very special place in my heart for the little town I grew up in, my family who always supported each other and my friends who were simply 'my friends'...that place, that time is very sentimental to me.  And, truly influenced who I have become today because of their open hearts and minds toward a young child that looked completely different than anyone else in town at the time.  So, I hope they all know how grateful I am for the part they played in shaping who I am today!