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first meeting
I'm new here, and apologize if i haven't posted this in the right place; actually I can't figure out where it belongs.
We are about to do an international adoption of an older (4.5 yo) girl. We have been living in the country nearly four years for work reasons, but will be returning home to Canada in July or August, after the adoption is completed. We have two older kids (7 and 11, by birth).
My question has to do with first meeting our little girl. I am not sure how or how well the people at the centre (orphanage) where she lives will prepare her, or what they'll tell her about us. She will have had some photos in advance, though. I just keep trying to imagine those first moments, what we'll say, what she might do, how we'll interact. I keep thinking of what my kids were like at that age, and trying to imagine the whole thing from her point of view. There is really no one available here to get support from--e.g. a social worker or psychologist--so I would really appreciate any help in the way of other people's stories, experiences, or advice.
Thankfully, we do speak the language she speaks quite fluently, so at least we won't have that barrier. On the other hand, once we have her home, language will be an issue, since our "family language" and the first language of both of us parents is, indeed, English. So any advice on dealing with language issues would also be gratefully received!
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