[another2]

Not sure how many people are reading the Latvia forum these days but...

Yesterday we received our referral for the boy we hosted Christmas 2006. From what I understand, we should be travelling on Trip 1 in a few weeks.

YIPPPEEEE--SKIIPPPEEEE--CHOCOLATE BARS!!!!!!!

[Kama]

Congratulations! It does not look like too many people check this forum, I think Latvia adoptions are very rare. Do children live in orphanages in Latvia and is there a need to adopt? I am just curious.

[another2]

Kama, you are right -- Latvian adoptions are rare. There are only about 25 children adopted from Latvia into the U.S. each year. The country is small and compared to Russia, there are not that many children in the orphanages. But they do have orphanages and there are children needing adoption. Latvians adopt most of the babies, but if you are willing to wait 2-3 years, foreigners can get little ones too.

If you are looking for older children (10+), though, Latvia has plenty and the process for adopting compared to other EE countries is quick and VERY simple.

[another2]

And, talking about how quick and simple the process is...

We just accepted our referral last Monday (7/9) and we were given our travel dates on Thursday (7/12). Our first trip is 7/24 - 8/2. I'm so excited!

[crunkjules]

Congratulations! I still follow the board, although not much new lately! Please keep us posted on the trip!