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Originally Posted By AnnPenni:Thanks so much for adding a positive thread and not criticizing. Hopefully you have finally added a thread that will turn this board around to something much more positive. And I agree with Marie that your son is beautiful beyond words!!I think why we adopt and why we choose a certain country or method is so important. One's satisfaction with the process depends on it.When we first adopted we had a friend tell us how to get started. We were living overseas in Ukraine with a hardship allowance and could well afford an agency to help us. In 1994 agencies were allowed to do much more in Ukraine and I thought that we would go that route. But, I wanted to find a child available in Ukraine and be in contact with those most involved in the process. I looked through books of photos with our homestudy agency and thought how beautiful the children were. But, FOR ME, this was not right. I would not have been comfortable with this, so FOR ME I would not have been satisfied with the referral process. Since I lived in Ukraine, I met a translator who had worked for adoption agencies and she, my husband and I completed the adoption of our 6 month old healthy son. The total process took 5 months from filing of the I600A form. The adoption costs were of incidentals: I600A, I600, trip to Moscow (not Warsaw in those days), etc. and translation fees. All the incidentals added to the translation services were just over $11,000.Since I had adopted in Ukraine the first time and felt great passion for Ukraine and its orphaned children I very much wanted to adopt from there again. In 1998 the laws had changed, but the process, once approved to have our meeting with the NAC, went very smoothly. We adopted our beautiful and very healthy 10 month old daughter in December 1998. (for the negative people on this board who know me, yes she had cleft palate, but this has been a very minor issue for such an incredible and physically beautiful child so please no flames about settling. I felt LUCKY to have found her and luckier every day since). Total incidentals and translation fees were just under $11,000.Then, my brother and sister in law decided to adopt from Ukraine and I traveled with them. Their process went very smoothly and they adopted a healthy 2.5 year old girl and a healthy 10 month old boy who are beautiful with such wonderfully happy personalities. Their total incidentals plus translation fees were just over $12,000 to complete the adoption of the two children. Ukraine has blessed our family in so many ways. The people, culture and wonderful hospitality will draw us back. Ukraine's gift to the foreign adoption community is so selfless in a country whose death rate exceeds its birthrate. My Ukrainian children are honored and cherished and hopefully that is thanks enough for the wonderful Nation of Ukraine.I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those translators in Ukraine who lose too much sleep, spend too much time traveling back and forth to cities on the cramped train, worry so much for the families they are assisting and who open their hearts and their country for us. I would also like to thank all advocates for Ukrainian adoptions including Cathy, Sonia, Ernie and the wonderful people who let us post here at Adoption.com. And finally, I would like to thank the National Adoption Center and all the people who work there for hanging in there to help foreigners adopt. After all adoption is one of the most emotionally charged events in anyone's life. Ann
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