“Memories of my life prior to my adoption come in the form of familiarities…”

Twenty years ago today, at four years old, my Ukrainian adoption was finalized. With every adoption, there’s a story and an awaited journey…

“As an adoptee, I came from trauma that delayed me developmentally and little did I know how much it would impact me for the rest of my life. After years of unknowns regarding my past and unanswered questions, I’ve come to identify that these are a few factors that have contributed to my learning struggles and setbacks that I still face today: Prenatal trauma, premature birth, malnourishment, institutionalization, language barriers, and developmental delays…”

Calm. Peaceful. Untroubled.

What still seems like a fairy tale in my mere imagination, I attempt to convey this reality from my faded memory. I was initially guarded at the mention of you. Yet what was once the great divide of my own fear and love for you became the very thing that we shared in common whether you realized this or not. Chaos bore beauty in the making...

The age-old question of nature vs. nurture has been a prevalent question in my life as an adoptee. I grew up with very little connection to my roots and many unknowns about my history (biologically and environmentally). Despite my many questions and longing for answers, I have come to find that even answered questions can often lead to more unanswered questions…