As some of you know, my wife and I have been seeking to adopt a sister for our son. We've spent almost two years waiting to work through Russia's new system, and have gotten nowhere.
(I blame President Bush for this, but its more a problem of Russian Nationalism, Oil revenues, and Putin's defense against NGO attacks on his dictatorship that have caused the delays).
Recently we were given an opportunity to try Thailand. I am totally unfamiliar with the area other than its hot, humid, and their food can melt the tiles off the space shuttle.
I also know that have thriving sweat shop and sex economies.
Can anyone out there enlighten me on more?
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
Perhaps you could try wikipedia, and go off of their links?
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Jake has lived there. I'm sure he'll see this and stop in. Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
I think Troubadour went there on his honeymoon this year.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
Dan, have you thought about China? I understand adopting a girl from there is relatively easy when compared with some countries. Sorry I don't have any more information than that.
Also, I'm curious as to the process you've been through already. You had to fly to Russia to get Sasha iirc- how old was he when you met him? Do you have to decide on a particular child and then work the process for years to get him/her, or do you work the process, and then get a very young child? When it's in the news every other week that Angelina Jolie is adopting another baby, you wonder how that's possible- is it just a matter of money and lawyers and paperwork?
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
I think the ease has changed.
Example:
quote: By far the biggest drop was for adoptions from China, which fell to 3,909 from 5,453 in 2007 and a peak of 7,906 in 2005. Among the factors: a rise in domestic adoptions as China prospers and tighter restrictions on foreign adoptions that exclude single people, older couples, the obese and those with financial or health problems.
As a result, waiting times to complete an adoption from China have increased in many cases to three or four years, a deterrent to many aspiring adoptive parents. China offers a faster timetable for foreigners willing to adopt children with physical or emotional disabilities.
...
Zhong said his agency — one of the largest in the U.S. that specializes in adoptions from China — expects to place 450 children by the end of the year, down from about 1,200 in 2005. The average waiting time for his clients has stretched from 12 months to three years, he said.
One byproduct of the decline in foreign adoptions is likely to be an intensified campaign to persuade adoptive parents to take children from the U.S. foster care system. Roughly 125,000 youths in the system are available for adoption, including a disproportionately large number of racial minorities.
Mucus is correct. They have even added a BMI requirement for Chinese adoptions that I don't quite meet.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by Darth_Mauve: Mucus is correct. They have even added a BMI requirement for Chinese adoptions that I don't quite meet.
:sputter:
"Well doctor, I'm trying to lose weight so that I can have a Chinese baby..."
Posted by Troubadour (Member # 83) on :
Valentine014's correct, I went there on my honeymoon.
I'm not sure what kind of info you're after, but I loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. The people are ridiculously friendly.
We were stuck at a remote beach one night with no cabs or tuk tuks in sight. Went to the only open bar and asked the bar guy if we could call a cab. Literally half a dozen people pulled out their mobiles and started checking with friends, then with each other until they found the one who was closest with their cab. They organised the whole thing for us, negotiated what I knew to be a good rate for a tourist and chatted with us over drinks while we waited. Didn't want a commission either.
Food's great, climate's hot, it's cheap to live there and the people are lovely.
Not sure how that helps with adoption tho...
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
Darth_Mauve = Dan Raven? Aargh. I can never keep up with the aliases.
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
Just googling Thai adoptions, the first hits seem to imply safe but slow. The Thai government is pretty careful about making sure the birth family has formally relinquished their parental rights. The wait time for boys is estimated at 12 to 18 months and 3 years for a girl.
The various sites also have interesting Thai requirements. Some type of spiritual belief though not necessarily a religious affiliation. Older than 25 with a 15 year gap between the younger paent and the child. Families in their forties and older have a hard time adopting non-special needs children. Small families are preferred. No more than two divorces is the non-official rule of thumb. Weight is starting to be noticed and heavier adoptees are encouraged to discuss the issue with the agency.
There's also a big note on one of the sites warning that with the restricted Chinese adoptions, Thailand has greatly increased in popularity. Wait times are stretching, and some agencies aren't taking applications for healthy babies. The Thai Red Cross seems to be the only option at the moment.
I don't see a site for the Children's Home directly. You'd probably have to go through an adoption agency who would go through the Red Cross if you went that route.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I asked my brother about Thailand - he spent some time there and has a great love for the southeast Asian people. He sent me a nice long email, so I forwarded it to you.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)