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[URL="http://www.uoregon.edu/%7Epen/"]http://www.uoregon.edu/~pen/[/URL] My name is Penny Edwards. I am a graduate student at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Or. Below is an introduction of my personal history & some of what brought me to the topic of my thesis. 1.) My tie to adoption: In 1973, I was adopted from S. Korea to a lovely family in Wyoming. It has not been until the last 7yrs. that my own curiosities & heart allowed me to begin to understand my own adoption story. My academic research allowed me an avenue to investigate my own questions around intl. adoption while separating enough that I could actually conduct the research without internalizing it all so much. When I wrote my undergrad thesis on domestic adoption & the history of adoption in the U.S. in 2002 -- & its ties & influence on the intl. adoption arena, I was hooked. It was in that time that I began an internship w/ Holt Intl. Children's Services... as I was adopted through Holt way back when. 2.) Why Guatemala? In my Master's program, we are required to focus on a regional part of the world to center our research. As well, this has to coincide w/ three years of college-level language study. It was by default when I first started doing journal article searches (academic) that Guatemala kept coming up... the majority being quite negative. However, the patterns of adoption from Guatemala have shown dramatic increases. This posed a big question to me... is Guatemala so "corrupt?" If it is, what does this "corruption" look like? Who is reporting this "corruption"? Etc... Families continue to adopt from Guatemala, so perhaps this is an unfair profile of a country that has never quite recovered from political & economic devastation post 1950's. It is all part of my question... as I do not set out to "prove" anything... I would just like to hear from the people who have experience the process first-hand & see what their stories say/mean... So, I lived in Guatemala for 3mo in 2004, volunteering in orphanages, hospitals etc.. to get an idea of what the adoption scene looks like in Guate. It was a very eye-opening experience, and I can't imagine completing this project without having lived in Guatemala for a bit to understand more fully the many sides of intl. adoption in Guatemala. I have a daughter... my only known blood relative, & hope to return to Guatemala w/ her... to show her the work, and introduce her to the wonderful people I made friends with during my in-country stay. & of course, eventually take her back to S. Korea w/ me for an extended visit together.3.) Favor or against intl. adoption: I am neither abolitionist, nor advocate. I had an amazing childhood, feel very good about my adoptive family (as they are the family I know & love), and I understand that the choices birth mothers (families) have to make in countries around the world - are varied & oft times beyond their personal desires when considering culture, society, economy & politics. I believe that my goal as both academic & intl. adult adoptee -- is to simply present intl adoption as the complex process that it truly is. It isn't enough to call a country "corrupt" or to want to abolish or be extreme advocate... but within the process itself & post-process... it is all encompassing for those it touches. It involves personal values, societal trends, political influences, etc. to the entire adoption triad. & these aspects will be in-process for lifetimes... With each new phase in my life, I find that I address a new & varied part of my own adoption process. Childhood in Wyoming, in a town of 8,000... the only E. Asian child in school until 4th grade... high school... college... & marriage, having a child... each part still touches on my own adoption story. & I am sure that when my daughter has her own children years from now, this too will touch me... & we will both be looking for our biological ties in Korea. If only through the features on the face of my first grandchild. Intl. adoption shouldn't be abolished, but being a complete advocate as well is too basic. I believe that it is a delicate matter that takes the cooperation of all parties, nations & families in order to make each adoption for the benefit of the child. It is a slippery slope when matters of the heart (creating families w/ children) with money & politics. I have been to the orphanages in S. Korea & Guatemala, and I couldn't condemn all those children to live in institutions for the rest of their lives. No, but I do want their needs to be the number one motivation behind adoption professionals, governments and families for these babies and children. For now, I have taught Inlt media & communications courses @ the university, and simply present the different sides of intl adoption... the question of for or against - I pose to my students at the end of the lectures specific to adoption... & inevitably, their answer is... 'It's so complicated, it's hard to say now...." I hope you were able to participate in the survey, but either way, so very much appreciate your questions. Very best, Penny [URL="http://www.uoregon.edu/%7Epen/"]http://www.uoregon.edu/~pen/[/URL]
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