The Declassified Adoptee Essays of an Adoption Activist
My second trip, though, was a result of myself having being othered as a banana by the Vietnamese community. To them, as an adoptee, it felt that I could never live up to their expectations of being Vietnamese. In , I embarked on this journey to better get a handle on what is it to be Vietnamese and have a better grasp of Vietnamese culture and history.
ESSAYS OF AN ADOPTION ACTIVIST by THE DECLASSIFIED ADOPTEE
The exercise was purely academic. I was othered again, as Viet Kieu. I brought a tacky Viet tourist tee-shirt back then, and hung out at Vietnamese bia hoi cafes. Sometimes, I feel like I am a recovering crack addict. But I have this obsession to stay clean from self-destruction , to stay afloat from the darkness. Life itself remains my continuous rehab. Just when I think I have come so far and I feel really great about myself, something happens that throws me off the rehab wagon.
Whether it is that I am racially profiled on some level or someone says an off-handed comment that unexpectedly offends me, I immediately find myself front and center in that spotlight of insecurity. I am left, once again, to grapple with the question of who I am on that very core level of identity. Most often than not, moments like these sneak up on me, but leaves me spiraling out of control for a few days until I can find some emotional life ring to hang on to and get my confidence back in place again.
It is always emotionally draining.
ESSAYS OF AN ADOPTION ACTIVIST by THE DECLASSIFIED ADOPTEE | The Almost Daughter & More
But these moments are no longer the norm. I would say that, aside from an occasional thunder storm, most of the dark clouds have lifted. For the most part. I no longer hate who I am. I hated being Asian. I wanted nothing more than to be anyone but who I was.
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Now, at the end of the day, I like who I am. And on a superb day, I may even love who I am. I have worked really, really hard to get to this spot, and it still remains a work in progress. But overall, I am proud of who I have become and continue to become. Sometimes, it is still a struggle, and sometimes I still fall off my wagon. But I now know how to get back on and I am doing better at letting those who love me to help me when I struggle.
And that segues into the next chapter. Here is the profile, and here is the butt, and the legs. Continue reading Excerpts from the upcoming Vietnamese Adoptees 2. Sumeia Williams I was taken from Vietnam five years before the end of the war, but those images have become like memories. Dominic Golding My second trip, though, was a result of myself having being othered as a banana by the Vietnamese community.
Cara Wolfgang Sometimes, I feel like I am a recovering crack addict.
Prev Bridging false divides Next Can you hear me, Guatemala? I was so moved by the last couple of essays for many reasons. As Amanda is a Social Worker, she is acutely aware of all aspects of self disclosure. To listen, truly, completely listen is a gift as well as an honour and so greatly appreciated. To be heard, really heard and to be held in the hands of truth and love is where healing lives.
From the words in between this cover you will find your voice and you will be held with such compassion you will speak your truth. Reblogged this on The Life Of Von and commented: Claire Hitchon writes on activism and the declassified adoptee. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. The Declassified Adoptee came into being.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Email required Address never made public. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. We, as a society, are replicating the secrfets, lies and anonymity of adoption in new reproductive technolgies.
We are intentionally creating orphans! A must-read for adoptees, first parents, and anyone who cares about them. Those who don't care need to read it too. Maybe then they will care.
The Declassified Adoptee: Essays of an Adoption Activist
This book of Amanda's will I hope become a seminal text. It is the best book on adoption around and I have great hopes for more of the same as the years roll on. It is simplistic to view adoption as a situation in which one can be unhappy about laws but happy in adoption. The loss and trauma of adoption for us all have a profound cost and one we pay again and again as we live out the adopted life. I'm so thankful that people like you and her are examining these issues…all my life I thought there was something wrong with me that I didn't like adoption even though my adoptive parents were fine.
I really bought the lie that I should be thankful for having my whole ancestry ripped out from under me, and thought I must just be some ungrateful jerk when I couldn't muster it.
- Eaters of the Dead.
- Footnotes From His Life?
- Social Worker. Clinician. Speaker. Teacher. Policy Advocate. Cause Advocacy Organizer..
- Look Back, But Dont Stare!
- Post navigation!
- Kevin H. Vollmers;
- an unapologetic look at transracial and transnational adoption?
I think of myself as young, yet Amanda is younger than my oldest daughter. And she is much wiser than me. How she got the insight she has at such a tender age I will never understand. Instead I will simply be grateful. I can't wait till this comes out in print! I'm going to give a few of these out for Christmas presents this year. I have cast off my false self and found a true self that I really love…this after 46 years of the push and pull of embracing and denying what being adopted did to my soul. Clarity is a welcome friend even though she can be a harsh one sometimes.
- Entangled Thorns (Cedar Hollow Series Book 3).
- Kevin H. Vollmers!
- Search This Blog.
- Wanted Dead Or Alive: Wild West Story (Wild West Series).
- Featured Post.
- Infusing Fog-Free Air into the Adoption Vacuum.
- Ventimila leghe sotto i mari (Classici) (Italian Edition).
There is nothing like a friend who tells you the whole truth! I just want to thank you for sharing. As a mother of adoption loss it helps me to connect with the other side of the experience. Even though my son is only 12 and reunion still feels so far away hearing from other adoptees helps me understand what his perspective may be or issues that may come up for him and in this I feel more connected to him.