Growing Up As An International Adoptee

I grew up as an international adoptee. My parents told me right away. It didn’t matter because I had family and friends that loved me.

I grew up in a small town in North Carolina called Roanoke Rapids. My family household consisted of my parents and my older brother, who is also an international adoptee. Many generations of my family have lived there. My parents have always supported me.  

I was raised in an American culture with white family and white friends. That did not bother me.

I had a normal childhood. I went to church, public school, played sports. My weekends consisted of me hanging out with friends and playing sports. Sports played a huge part of my life. I played soccer, basketball, volleyball, and golf. Although, I wasn’t the best at each sport. I had the athletic ability to compete in whatever I wanted to do. 

Questions About Being An International Adoptee

My adoption was known yet no one ever questioned. However, when I started high-school, that changed.

Looking back now, I definitely had an identity crisis. I had questions of “why this” and “why that” which was normal. I did know that I had a birth sister four years older than me.

Knowing this made it worse because why keep her and not me?

At the time, I didn’t know how to express my feelings. I would confide in friends instead of my family. In my mind, I figured it would hurt my family’s feelings since they sacrificed everything for me. It seemed like the best option at the time.  

I started college in the Fall of 2017 and focused heavily on my studies. My goal was to be accepted into the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Pitt Community College. The program would begin in January of 2019. 

My parents always had plans to take me back to my birth country.

A program called, “Adoptive Family Travel by The Ties Program” allows international adoptees and their families to visit their birth country. They offer additional resources for the international adoptee to meet their birth and foster family as well. The program had a trip planned to Guatemala for July of 2018.

After conversations, thoughts, and prayers, we decided to embark on the journey. Oh yeah, and we planned to do a birth family search.

XOXO,

Madison Archer

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