Colombia

Hi, Soon i will be living in Colombia. One of the things i want to start is tot accommodate people who once adopted from Colombia and who want to learn more about there (family)background. Or People traveling to Colombia for adoption. Take a look at my website: [URL=http://www.colomlanda.com]www.colomlanda.com[/URL] Some parts are already in English, the other English part is still under construction I wish you good. Greatings, Ton

Certain partes you have a risc, mosly traveling on land from city to city. But believe me.... you can go to Cali. You have the same risc in other cities in other Latin American countries. There are about 200 adoptions from Colombia to Holland every year, do you think the people are allowd to go there if it was that bat..... Please ask the people first who went to Colombia in steat putting link to the state department. I'm sorry but an opions of people who never went to this country, it's always negative.

I saw this conversation on the "active threads" and wanted to second the comment about the DOS. My husband and I traveled to Guatemala City in January (2003). We had concerns based solely upon the DOS website and what they had to say. Once we got there, however, we found that GC is just like every other major city in the world; you don't go to certain areas, especially after dark; you don't wander around looking like a tourist or waving around fistfuls of cash. I left my wedding band at home and wore a plain gold band instead. Absolutely no troubles whatsoever. I think the DOS can be a little alarmist, and they do so to protect US citizens. However, a more accurate portrayal of current situations might be found by going to any major news outlet (cnn.com or msnbc.com, for instance) and plugging in the country and city you're visiting. You'll get a better idea of what's going on in that corner of the world and can balance that against what the DOS says. Happy travels!

My wife and I adopted a wonderful baby boy from Cali, Colombia in 1998. We stayed in a small town south of Cali called Jamundi. Though we were concerned about safety, we decided to go to Cali anyway. My brother-in-law is from Cali, and he traveled with us. There were U.S. state deparment warnings in 1998, but not as severe as now. We had a terrific stay: the food is great, the people are awesome, and we felt safe the whole time. We did not do much sightseeing, and did not go out at night. I stayed for 10 days and my wife was there for another 20 days after that. Colombia has a special place in our hearts and we hope to return someday. Last year we decided to adopt again, but chose Guatemala instead. There were several factors that caused us to choose Guatemala: 1) two dozen of my brother-in-law's family members have moved to the U.S. because of the dangers in Colombia 2) Colombia's political problems had worsened since we went in 1998 3) Guatemala was much safer and the stay was only 4 days (we stayed longer to sightsee) 4) the guy we stayed with in Jamundi shut down his business of hosting adoptive families and moved to the U.S. because of the danger Bottom line: No one can guarantee your safety. Colombia leads the world in kidnapping and is dangerous. But, tons of couples from Europe and the U.S. go there to adopt every year and come home safely. Odds are that you can go there and adopt safely if you are smart and keep a low profile. It all depends on how willing you are to take some risk. Unfortunately, Guatemala is not an option right now or I would advise that program. Best of luck with whatever decision you make!

I would respectfully disagree with that. Without going into details (that's what the Guatemala board is for, after all)--the government has overturned the Hague Convention and it is anticipated that things will return to "normal" in Guatemala very shortly. Those who have been waiting for their children are extremely encouraged. I know of a handful myself who are currently waiting for their referrals. Please don't back away from Guatemala and its beautiful waiting children until you have carefully researched all angles and spoken with an agency--you may be pleasantly surprised!

Thanks for that information about Guatemala. I was under the impression that things were not sorted out with adoption there. We know several couples and singles who cannot go there to get their children right now. Our agency had stopped taking new applicants for Guatemalan adoption. The news that things will return to normal is great news indeed! Guatemala is a wonderful country with a terrific adoption program, and the children are beautiful.

Hi--I just wanted to get some recent feedback on travel to Guatemala City. My husband & I excitedly looked it up on google and got all kinds of negative information on the crime in the city--emphasis was on how unsafe it is for tourists. Any thoughts from someone who has recently gone? We have 3 children who we will be leaving at home when we pick up our baby & based on what we've read, we fear that we may not make it back to them. j

I haven't checked to see--did you also post this question on the Guatemala board? Many people there are traveling soon or have recently returned and should be able to give you a more detailed answer. The short answer is this: Guatemala City is like any other major metropolitan area in the world--don't go into certain neighborhoods, especially after dark; don't wander around with an expensive camera and expensive jewelry and *look* like a tourist, and don't flash large amounts of cash. For a more balanced look at GC/crime/safety, I would recommend also that you "google" for "Guatemala tourism" or, more specifically, "Guatemala City Tourism"--some sites, like the one the US State Dept offers, is in the business of keeping US citizens safe, and as a result, I sometimes think they tend to overreact (conversely, look up the same information for NYC, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Bombay/Calcutta, Moscow, etc, and see how they compare) I would not hesitate to return to GC and hope to do so within the next year, simply to spend more time in my son's birthcountry.

Not to worry, the US gov't has been putting these warnings out for years. My wife and I have adopted twice in Medellin and are working on a third. You cannot only read what appears in the news on the internet, would be similar to only reading the first 3 pages of the NY post to get a pulse on what is happening in Manhattan. The country is beautiful, very clean and the people are warm and very friendly, if you speak a little spanish that is a big help, however it is true that your guide takes care of everything, depending on the agency or attorney you have retained. Use your best judgement and you will be fine. Best of luck to you both, Ed