Monday, February 9, 2009

Please Join 'Ethiopian Adoption Stories'



If you have landed here, you have probably already learned that this blog has been created for adoptive parents of Ethiopian Children, or families in the process of adopting from Ethiopia- to take part in an effort to collect all of our thoughts, experiences and lessons learned during the roller coaster ride that is adoption. Once we have compiled a significant and varied collection of essays, we will publish them into a book that will be available for purchase, with proceeds going to a good cause.

 
It is our hope that Ethiopian adoption bloggers from across the US will submit their favorite posts that deal with a particular stage in their adoption process. We would like the book to follow the adoption journey by chapter chronologically. So we need blog posts that range from the very beginning stages (deciding to adopt and choosing Ethiopia), to the later stages- (attaching and bonding with our children)- and, of course, all the emotions and experiences that happen in between. We would also devote a chapter to Ethiopia- our children's birthplace seen through the eyes of us. Photographs are optional, but we would certainly LOVE to have as many photos as possible.

It is our hope that this compilation of blog posts and essays will serve as a valuable resource to adoptive parents who are in the midst of any stage in the process. This book will be one of the first of it's kind, as it will be written by all of us. It will be different because blog essays are generally posted at the time the writer is dealing with a particularly difficult or happy stage and the thoughts and emotions being laid out are happening at the time the post is being written. Making it very real and palpable.  It is our hope that this book will be informative as well as thoughtful, heartfelt and even funny at times. As we all know- it is difficult to go through this process without keeping our sense of humor. 

So please, we urge you to send in your posts, as many as you want to etadoptionstories at gmail dot com. You can sign your real name, or you can just write your city and state. If you prefer to be anonymous that is perfectly fine too. However you sign it in your email will be how we credit your essay in the book.

I invite you to join Family to Family in our efforts to reach out to adoptive parents of Ethiopian Children. After all we are the only ones who can tell the real story behind  our journeys.

~ Charlotte

8 comments:

  1. I am excited to hopefully be part of this project, as well as read and share it... Thanks!
    keithandshel from CHSFS

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  3. This is such a wonderful idea. I'm not actually adopting from ET, so I won't be contributing, but please sign me up to purchase one! Absolutely. What cause are the proceeds going to? Have fun with this project... I'll be following along. I haven't been to Ethiopia yet, but I can't wait to go.

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  4. As a family just getting started on the journey to adopt from Ethiopoa I am very excited to read these stories!

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  5. I'll be adding my own paltry posts to the effort, but I'm also going to beg you to consider funding one of EOR's partners, Be'Emnet school and orphanage. They are near and dear to my heart.

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  6. How is this going? What is your next step? Just curious...

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  7. Hi; I am excited to get to know all of you. I have ten children, four of whom are adopted from Ethiopia. Meron (20) and Tariku (17) have been home for a little over 12 years. Bethlehem (15) and Nardos (20) have been home for three and a half years. My work is in Addis and I travel there at least four times a year. I am the CEO of the Selamta Family Project and consider the 110 kids in my care as my children as well! We did find Meron's four siblings and have become there official "parents" although they are too old to formally adopt. Anyhoo, I have been working in Ethiopia for over 15 years and wondered if you would like a story or two about older child adoptions? Happy to find this great blog! Thanks, Carol

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