Yikealo recently had to write an experience story for the writing composition portion of his Language Arts class. He chose to write about being adopted, and I thought I'd share his finished story....a look back at adoption through the eyes of a 2nd grader!
"I was born in Ethiopia to a poor mom in a northern village. My mom could not work because she has leprosy. My brother and I sold sticks for money. When I was around three my mom could not take care of me any more because I was too big to be nursed. She took me to the orphanage. I was terrified when she left me with strangers, and I sobbed when she walked away.
My Adoption
"I was born in Ethiopia to a poor mom in a northern village. My mom could not work because she has leprosy. My brother and I sold sticks for money. When I was around three my mom could not take care of me any more because I was too big to be nursed. She took me to the orphanage. I was terrified when she left me with strangers, and I sobbed when she walked away.
Some men from the orphanage moved me to Hannah's Hope, a transition home in Addis Ababa, about 500 miles away from where I had lived. I felt sad and scared, but the people there were nice. Almaz, the director, spoke my language of Tigrinya, which made me feel safer. She also gave me toy cars to play with.
One day a man and woman came to Hannah's Hope and played with me. They looked bizarre with their glasses and pale skin. Almaz said, "This is your new mom and dad. They are going to take you to America with them on a plane. Wwwweeeeee!"
I was frightened when I met the odd new people. Then they took me to a hotel. I missed the special mothers at Hannah's Hope, and I was afraid to go to bed in a strange place. Who were these people? Why wouldn't they take me back to my own bed?
A good night's sleep made all the difference though. The next morning I was happy to see them and kissed them all over their faces. Then a couple days later I got on a plane and went to America.
When I got there I was fearful of everything, but soon I got used to things. I learned to speak English, and before long I loved my new home and family. Being adopted was hard, but I learned that when things fall apart, God can turn it into something wonderful."
One note, lest any of you think my 7 year old is a budding genius....this bit of writing is the end result of two weeks of writing lessons, which included drafting, proofreading, using a thesaurus, and checking a dictionary for spelling errors. I don't mean to detract in any way from his finished product, however, because the thoughts are entirely his, and I was so pleased with him for taking on such a tough topic. I absolutely loved his conclusion and the way he is showing so much maturity in his thinking.
Along with that, one of his totally unprompted journal topics last week melted my heart: "My best freind is Jesus. He's the freind that everone needs. He forgives those who do evil and sin. All those who believe enter Heaven. He heals the sick and loves. He also died for our sins. What friend could do more?"
I'm in awe of how far we've come in the last five years. I really love this kid, and I am so proud of who he is becoming.
One day a man and woman came to Hannah's Hope and played with me. They looked bizarre with their glasses and pale skin. Almaz said, "This is your new mom and dad. They are going to take you to America with them on a plane. Wwwweeeeee!"
I was frightened when I met the odd new people. Then they took me to a hotel. I missed the special mothers at Hannah's Hope, and I was afraid to go to bed in a strange place. Who were these people? Why wouldn't they take me back to my own bed?
A good night's sleep made all the difference though. The next morning I was happy to see them and kissed them all over their faces. Then a couple days later I got on a plane and went to America.
When I got there I was fearful of everything, but soon I got used to things. I learned to speak English, and before long I loved my new home and family. Being adopted was hard, but I learned that when things fall apart, God can turn it into something wonderful."
This was one of the first looks that he gave us on the day he met us. In so many of those early photos, even the happy, smiley ones, I can see the frightened distrust in his eyes.
For weeks after we got home with him, we got looks like this.....and let's be honest....I got the glares far more often than David did!
One note, lest any of you think my 7 year old is a budding genius....this bit of writing is the end result of two weeks of writing lessons, which included drafting, proofreading, using a thesaurus, and checking a dictionary for spelling errors. I don't mean to detract in any way from his finished product, however, because the thoughts are entirely his, and I was so pleased with him for taking on such a tough topic. I absolutely loved his conclusion and the way he is showing so much maturity in his thinking.
Along with that, one of his totally unprompted journal topics last week melted my heart: "My best freind is Jesus. He's the freind that everone needs. He forgives those who do evil and sin. All those who believe enter Heaven. He heals the sick and loves. He also died for our sins. What friend could do more?"
I'm in awe of how far we've come in the last five years. I really love this kid, and I am so proud of who he is becoming.
