An Identity Liability

Looking at a mirror I often times, more so now than in the past am startled by my reflection. I almost don’t recognize myself. My face, it looks, well, different. I’m not the young undistinguishable American looking back at me. I’m…I’m Indian. I look Indian. I mean, well, I can tell, just by looking at […]

My Kids Are White

I spend a lot of time thinking about and talking about where I am going to live. You know, like where I’m going to settle down and have kids, raise a family and all that jazz. My ideas change constantly. One minute I am dead set on living Richmond, where I went to school, the […]

Adoption Blogger Interview Project 2013

Friends, acquaintances, web surfers and lurkers welcome to the Adoption Blogger Interview Project 2013. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Lisa Cook of Open to Life (and God’s plan for it). We had a great time exchanging questions and responses over the past few weeks. Before we get started don’t forget to check out all […]

“Remarkable, however, not exceptional”

I should admit I am not really following the whole Malala Yousafzai hype. I came across the article below because a friend shared it on the good old book of faces. The piece made me wish I had been following it a bit more carefully. I had been unaware of the attempts to uplift, appropriate, adopt […]

The Orphanage Part II: Meeting the Kids

This is the second part of a two-part series. If you haven’t read the first part check it out: The Orphanage Part I: Catholic? We had just decided it was time to head down from the office and see the children. As we descended Sister Karla began telling us about their new building. She explained […]

The Orphanage Part I: Catholic?

Lawrence, the faithful, charming and ever-so-kind driver, pulls our sleek silver SUV into the gates of the orphanage. “It looks like a church,” I thought to myself as I peered through the windshield. A statue of the Virgin Mary welcomed us from the middle of the entrance. I was surprised. I had totally forgotten that […]

Stuckout

The first few days of the trip were rough. I remember feeling frustrated, angry for much of it. I had great expectations of what this trip would do for me. Growing up whenever I was bad at something or when I realized I wasn’t gong to be tall (which I took as a great disappointment) […]

A Trip Back….Home?

“We arrived in Bangalore at 1:00 in the morning. After going through customs and then getting our baggage we met Gayan. He is the guy who is our escort while we are in India. We took a taxi back to the hotel. On the way we saw a lot of stray dogs and some men […]

Searching and Reunion: The First Step is Backwards

Nine years ago my sister and I fulfilled a wish of our late father. 13 years after being adopted and moving to southwest Ohio I would return to India with my older sister. It was my father’s wish that I return to India while he was still alive. December 25th, 2004 we set out for India. […]

An Uncertain Beginning: Shattering Childhood Fantasies

For as long as I can remember I have known my birthdate is an approximation, not fact. At some point, when I was very young, my parents told me that it was unlikely that the records from the orphanage were accurate. They explained that it was common for orphanages to make up information, identifying information, in […]