Identity is a complicated topic. When traveling in their birth country, many kids are anxious to walk a few steps ahead or a few steps behind whoever they are traveling with to see what it feels like to blend in, to be “like everyone else.” For most, it is the first time in their lives where they have had the … Read More
Belonging & Birth Country Travel
Belonging. It’s a basic human need. We all crave it, and many kids find it among their peers as they visit their birth country. Remember Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs theory? If you’re a little rusty on that, here are the Cliff Notes. Maslow held that people must have basic needs like food, water, safety, BELONGING and self esteem met … Read More
A Journey Home by David Lantz
“When you are eighteen and you graduate from high school, I promise we will visit Russia.” Hearing these words come out of my mother’s mouth, I was determined to graduate from high school. My name is Dave and I was adopted from Russia in 1994, just before my second birthday. My mom never hid the fact that I was adopted, … Read More
My Favorite Moment by Kathy Gallo
If “brevity is the soul of wit”, then my story at least fills that measure: After our 4 days in Bejiing, we flew to the province where Lina was born. As we walked off the plane and onto the gangway holding hands, my usually fairly demure, sweet, and softspoken daughter looked up at me and said with such confidence and … Read More