|
My husband and I were in the Peace Corps in Jamaica in 1990 when we adopted our son (now 14!) there as a newborn baby. It was a huge advantage to be living there during the process because, as others have said, there were lots of delays, lost documents, etc. that are easier to follow up on if you are there in person. Most of the trouble we had was with the US Embassy, though. We found a saint working for the Jamaica Adoption Board who was a huge help to us. He expedited everything and the costs were minimal in Jamaica. The process took about nine months. We knew several other Peace Corps volunteers who adopted there, too. Most of the infants available for adoption were male, as Jamaicans seem to favor baby girls. I think Jamaica has a more matriarchal culture, even compared to other Caribbean countries. Our Jamaican friends chided us for adopting a boy, saying, "You should have gotten a girl... they will work harder for you. A boy will just ton tief (become a thief or criminal) (!) It took some work to convince them that this baby was our SON and we felt incredibly blessed to have him!
|