[YasminYevette]

I’m 23 years old. I’m a full time college student and I work part time. I would like to adopt one day internationally. I don’t plan on adopting anytime soon at least not until I graduate college. I just want an early start and would like some information on international adoption. I would like to hear the good and the bad and hopefully gain all the knowledge I can. If anybody can enlighten me please get back to me.

[SomeBunniesMom]

Hi! How wonderful that you are planning an adoption so far in advance. It gives you plenty of time to learn as much as you possibly can about the process and what you will need to know. Unfortunately, your question is very broad and there would be no short or simple answer. I would suggest that you start gathering information by reading some of the great books that are devoted to the subject of international adoption, and then narrow down the countries or regions that you would like to focus on. Although there is a general process of adopting internationally, each country has it's own specific requirements. If you are planning to adopt as a single person, some coutries will not allow single parent adoptions, some have age restrictions. So you will first need to decide where you would like to adopt from and whether you will meet their requirements, or take it in the opposite direction and figure out which countries you meet the requirements of for the time that you will be hoping to pursue an adoption. Many times when people decide on a country to adopt from it's because they feel a special connection to the region. As you research your options, keep your mind and heart wide open and see if you feel a pull in any specific direction. When you really can't decide, many times your own heart will lead you to the right place.

[FamilyBound]

You may want to check out How to Adopt Internationally -- this was a great resource for us when we started looking into international adoption.

[YasminYevette]

thank you FamilyBound for the website I will be sure to check it out and I'm sure it has lots of information that I will need in the future.

SomeBunniesMom thank you also for your reply. I have already decided to look into adopting from Latin America or South America. Can I ask you where did you decide to adopt from? I have read some of the requirements for Latin America and South America and I believe I have met most of them. I have also been checking out lots of sites on international adoption and my heart tells me this is what I want to do. I'm sorry my question is so broad this is my first time posting in a forum. But once again thank you both.

[SomeBunniesMom]

It sounds like you have done a lot a homework already! great! The next thing to do would be to focus on the South and Latin American countries that allow adoptions. It's good to learn all you can about the people and lifestyles because one day you will want to be able to answer questions for your child about his or her birthplace. if it's possible you may even want to plan a visit to the area. It's an incredible learning experience and will give you a much closer look at those areas that interest you. My other suggestion is to engage in some conversations with families that have already adopted or are in the process of adopting from South America. Just to get some personal accounts of the experience. I learned more from talking to other adoptive families than I learned from any other source.

To answer your question of where I adopted from, our children are from Cambodia which is in Southeast Asia between Vietnam and Thailand.

And no need to apologize for the broad question! Your questions will become more specific as you go along, I'm sure. Best wishes to you in all your future endeavors.