Is everyone's life on hold or is just ours

I have noticed this too. I'm also frequently in the African American and Transracial adoption forums, which are both pretty quiet too. If you are looking for some action check out the general adoptive parents support forum. Its bursting with activity! Sohmakun

We just got our LOI from Uralsk this Saturday. Very excited. It has been a battle keeping on top of info given the constant changes required by Kaz. But eventually it happens! Totally caught us off guard as we though we were delayed by paperwork. In our experience with agencies - we had some bad vibes off of the first two agencies we met and dealt with. 1 was too pushy, 1 was uninterested. The 3rd one we met just felt right and they were great. You may need to consider if your agency is slower and not as professional as it should be, then a change is required (but ensure you have researched how this might impact your timelines!). With regard to talking about the "bad ones" Never a good idea to post in forums anything bad or negative no matter how justified you feel about any one persion, group, firm or organization. We live in a very litigious environment and it's best to steer clear. Cheers, RW

We had a great agency for our first adoption, and are using them for our second. The big difference is the process for sure. I agree this is taking much more patience and if I hadn't been to Kaz already and known that everyone really does work hard there and they have such great children that are worth it, I'd freak out too. I have found that our agency is still the tops in letting us know if they have news, and really honest if they don't. But I never feel like they don't care. just that this paperwork will never end. FOr those of you starting out, this does take patience at every turn, but make sure you are with an agency who communicates well, gets back toyou and is honest. it's made all the difference for us. Mom to Max (from Almaty) Off to get his sis/bro

And how is someone supposed to find out which ones are the bad ones if no one ever talks about it? Fortunately, there is a yahoo group called adoption agency research where you can tell your story, the good and the bad. You can't be sued for speaking the truth.

Not sure a good or bad agency is making a difference. Things seem to be crawling at a snail's pace in general for many hoping to adopt from Kaz right now. We were supposed to travel in May, then June, then August, and now we are hoping for a miracle to travel by next week so that I have enough time to go to Kaz and get through court, waiting period, and sign the birth certificate before having to return to deploy to Iraq at the end of November. When we first started this process we thought we had loads of time before I had to deploy, and now we've burned through 6 months in the blink of an eye with nothing to show for it. :hissy: We were getting awesome communication from our agency when things were going well, of course, and now that its down to the wire when we need an honest assessment of our chances we get absolutely nothing. They never foresaw the wait being this bad, and have told us they've been doing everything they can, but they obviously don't want to have to deliver no news or bad news. At some point its inevitable though. "Kazbound08" is realistically going to become "Kazbound10" or "Kazbound11".

re - the never-ending delays As we went thru the process recently it became harder and harder to keep positive as time dragged on. Whether reading about new delays or another set of updated paperwork it seemed never ending... but then all of a sudden our LOI arrived, when in our minds "it was never gonna happen". It was quite hard to believe, and while it may seem stagnant, in many cases things are moving along over there in Kaz! Just keep asking your agency for updates (even if if seems like you are being a pain - asking once a mth I don't think is unreasonable...) re - "posting negative comments" oh yeah - for whomever is giving advice to go post "how you really feel" about certain agencies on other adoption/yahoo forums might want to take note of the following link. Not trying to start a flame war here - just trying to keep people who asked an innocent question out of trouble. [url=http://forum.freeadvice.com/libel-slander-defamation-88/can-i-sued-libel-someone-forum-427737.html]can i be sued for libel by someone in a forum?[/url] particularly - "Many people do not realize that what is posted on a site can be traced back to them. They believe, wrongly, that they can post whatever they want about whomever they want and there will be no repercussions because on these sites they are "anonymous." This false belief has cost many a poster a lot of money." and "If what you wrote is true, that would be a legitimate defense to any libel action brought against you, but it does not prevent a lawsuit from being filed in the first place. You would use "truth" as your defense in court - and to use truth as your defense, you would have to prove that what you wrote was, in fact, true, or was reasonably believed by you to be true." Cheers and good luck! RW

Yes, bad agencies have threatened people for years by suggesting that they could be sued for libel. As far as I know not a single case has ever been successfully brought. The administrator of the Yahoo Agency Research Group has some great research on this, if you join the group I'm sure he would share. And remember that repeating stories online you've heard from other people is not libel, even if you KNOW they're untrue. From Chicago Law Review:"Suppose a national magazine, like Time or Newsweek, were to run an article written by a freelancer falsely accusing you of a heinous crime, say murder. Further, suppose Time or Newsweek knew that the accusation was false, but decided to print it in their magazine anyway. If the magazine did so, you could sue (the magazine) for defamation for knowingly distributing an article that falsely accused you of a crime." However, if the same magazine posted the story on its Web site or e-mailed it to subscribers, "you would have no legal recourse against the magazine." This is why fake pictures, Sarah Palin's emails (although illegally obtained), and lies about celebrities are fine to post online while the National Enquirer can be sued for libel.

hey, I haven't been on the boards in a while due to moving and just life. But in the year plus that I have been home from Kaz, things seemed to have changed so much. I went through a very bad experience with an agency in a program for another country and then changed agnecies and countries. I do think it's important to get word out about the not so great agencies, even more so then the great ones. Sorry it's taken so long. OUr adoption from start to finish was two and a half years. Once our daughter came home, the long wait didn't matter any more, but it sure was torture going through it.

I am actually seeing movement picking up on the blogs I'm reading with PAPs from our agency. LOIs coming, regions, and families coming/going. I'm wondering if it just comes in bursts? Also noticed that the famileis who are traveling are pretty flex on gender. Top thing for us is baby ayap. Here's hoping to join this families soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mama to Max, waiting for #2. Paperwork in MFA

FRUA has a lot of agency info, good and bad - or, you can always use PM's here. Just ask people to PM you with their agency experiences, they will be glad to oblige.

Hi Perkinbaby2, Can you PM me to let me know what agency you are using for your Kaz adoption. It sounds like you are having a difficult time with them and since I'm in the process of choosing an agency, I would love to know which agency you are talking about. Thanks! Allybat

Our first adoption was four months from getting the paperwork to fill out to traveling to Kaz (2000). Our second adoption from Kaz in 2007 was 2 1/2 years. It is hard to wait, and some days you want to scream when someone asks about it. Learn to knit, begin a house project, anything to keep you busy. We understand how you feel, and it will all make sense when you meet your child (or at least the sting of the wait will fade a little bit). Best of luck, and we are here for you.

Just wanted to say hang in there. We also had a travel date earlier this year and was cancelled three days before travel. The good news is that we have been in country for 6 weeks now adopting an 11 month old girl. We still pinch ourselves to make sure we're not dreaming. You'll be here when the right child is matched to your family and you will understand why you had to wait so long. Good luck and keep faith.

I'm so sorry you're experiencing travel delays - they plagued me through my first adoption by a few months, and now again. My agency has been very supportive and forthright with me. If there is no child, you just cannot travel. I'd rather have a delay, then come home with no little one. This registry system is wierd, and makes no sense, but as long as you're getting honest answers as to why, you're in good shape. here's hoping to meet our little one at the end of August now!!!!!!