A Pleasant Surprise...!!!

Well...I have totally sucked at blogging these days...or maybe I should say these MONTHS. Ever since I hit that rocky road, I somewhat distanced myself from my reunion with my birth family. I tried to explain the way I was feeling to my family and they couldn't have been LESS understanding which completely turned me off. So I've been chilling and enjoying some exciting things going on in my personal life. I will save those for another day though.

My biological family rarely makes any effort to contact me. For the past 3 and a half years, I am almost always the one to contact them. I can probably count the amount of times they have called me using both hands. Which brings me to my surprise!!! My mother and her husband called me at work a few days ago!!! I loved that!!! When I answered the phone, I heard a long "Rachelllllllll"...and I got SO excited! It was the best day ever!

But even better than the phone call itself is my mothers LAUGH. I LOVE it when she laughs. She has this pretty, genuine, deep laugh that will make almost anyone smile. Its one of my favorite things about her :) When she told me that her Cat was pregnant AGAIN...I responded by saying that the kitty was "CALIENTE"!!! A word in my country that means sexually frisky or hot. I learned that the hard way when I was in Chile and tried to use the word to describe the extreme heat beating on my body. I immediately got dirty looks and chuckles from my family who then proceeded to tell me to NEVER use that word unless I was calling myself a slut or whore. OOPS!!! Anyways, when I called the family cat "caliente" my dear mother broke out in a ROARING laugh...and I LOVED every second of it.

That was my pleasant surprise that has pretty much washed the sour taste out of my mouth that I had developed about my familia. Happy days to come?!? Let's hope so!!!

Hope everyone is well in this blogging world...I plan to be posting a little more regularly :) Until next time, Peace Out my amigos!!!

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!!!

So, I've been wanting to blog about this for a while and I am finally getting around to it. There is an adoptee rights demonstration being held in Philadelphia, PA on July 21st of this year. I will be attending with some of my family and joining my friends who have introduced me to the event...(Hi JIM!!! THANK YOU Jim!!!)

For anyone who does not know, adopteed people do not have rights to their original birth certificates, often making our enterance to this world somewhat questionable. I should mention that FEW states DO allow adoptees to have a copy but still, just because you're adopted doesn't mean you should not have the REAL thing. While this may not seem like a big deal to some, I highly DOUBT you would dispose of YOUR childs birth certificate. If birth certificates weren't important, people wouldn't hold on to them.

SOOOO, a group of adopted people and their loved ones will be getting together to protest the laws that prevent adoptees from having access to their identity. While a change in law would not help me obtain my birth certificate (the international adoption system is FAR more jacked up) I am excited about participating so that my friends and fellow American people may one day have access to theirs.

I will be talking more about the demonstration and why it is important to me over the next few months. In the mean while, if you would like more information please click HERE and check it out.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.
PEACEEEEEE.

Gaby takes on NYC...

Remember a few months ago when I posted an entry about my girl Gabriella who helped make my adoption reunion possible? WELL, Gaby is coming to the US!!! She is taking on NYC and I will have the pleasure of meeting her there in early May...she's the beauty pictured above :)

I am leaving for Brooklyn in a couple weeks for my brothers NYU Graduation (YEAAAAHHH AARON!!!). I am so proud of him and so glad that I will get to finally meet Gaby in person during my trip to celebrate my bro.

It's ROASTING HOT here in D.C. this weekend. Excuse me while I step outside for the next couple days to soak up the sun...and maybe shed a few pounds that I have put on this winter?!?!

PEACEEEEEEEEEE.

White Mothers, Black Sons...

I am always on NPR fishing around for interesting casts. I am especially interested in listening to things regarding biracial families and transracial adoptions. Obviously I am interested in this stuff for a few reasons. #1- Because I was adopted transracially into a white family, making me a transracial adoptee and #2- Because I married an Ethiopian man, making my precious little family biracial.

I came across a cast the other day that is originally from May 15, 2007. It had a great quote in it from Audrey Lord that says "Difference is the dialectic that sparks the imagination." I loved that. While I used to feel embarassed of being "different", I have grown to appreciate my differences for they make me unique and they have made me who I am.

Care to listen? GO AHEAD...check it outttt...!!!

Isn't NPR radio GREAT?!?!

PEACE!!!

CHILE...I ADORE YOU!!!!

I absolutely adore my country!!! As a child, I would brag about being from Chile because I just loved the country so much (despite the fact I knew NOTHING about it). As I have grown older, my love for my country has grown fonder. I think every part about it is incredibly beautiful. The people...the places...the land...the PLANTS!!! Today is EARTH DAY!!! And because I think Chile is the most beautiful place on Earth, I have decided to post this simple picture of my countrys national flower. It is called the Copihue :) Isn't it beautiful?!?! Did I mention I am adding this beauty to my massive ever-expanding tattoo on my back?!?! I will post pictures when it is complete. LOVE THE EARTH. LOVE THIS FLOWER. LOVE IT ALL.

Happy Earth Day to all!!!
Peaceeeee.

DRAMA in Adoption Reunions...

Ahhh...I haven't been blogging these past few weeks because I've hit a rough patch in my reunion. But I figured I may as well share it.

My biological mother is a rather selfish woman. Since finding her over three years ago- she has constantly informed me she does not want me talking to ANY of my siblings, cousins or Aunts and Uncles. She always tells me that I "belong to HER and NOBODY else." While I've tried to explain to her that I have the right to know all of my family, she doesn't seem to care.

To make a long story short- she is VERY displeased that I found my brother on facebook. She's been having her friends write me nasty emails and she called my cousin to curse him out last night- telling him to "pass the message to Rachel." Why THANKS, Mom!!!

Life has speed bumps and road blocks and I seem to have hit the first major one in my adoption reunion. I hope it smoothes out sooner rather than later!

Peace.

4 outta 5 !!!

WHOA! It's been a little while since I last updated this thing. I've been thinking I need to work on it but I am rather...well...lazy. If only you all could see my "draft" section of this blog- a whole bunch of unfinished work. Typical Rachel style. I will get to it one day.


In the mean while, I can inform you all of some very exciting news...I found my one and only biological brother! Poor guy is sandwiched in age by his four sisters BUT he doesn't seem to mind.


When I went to Chile, I reunited with two of my sisters...the three of us are pictured above. It was one of those bittersweet feelings because I knew that there were still two of us missing...it didnt feel complete. It made me sad because I wanted so bad to meet my brother and other sister however, my mom has been estranged from them for their whole lives and she said she had no way of contacting them. In all reality, for whatever the reason, she doesn't WANT to contact them...they are easily accessable via facebook (gotta love the internet networking).


SOOO, after attempting various spellings of his surname, I hit the jackpot and located by bro! I've been so excited because 4 out of the 5 Sarria children are in contact now. SUCCESS! My brother is also in contact with the one sister that I have never met so chances are, I will know her shortly :)


The only odd thing is that I have been having these weirdo dreams where I picture all 5 of us standing arm in arm for a picture by the Ocean. When I awake, I find myself in my bedroom tens of thousands of miles away and cry uncontrollably :( It BLOWS!


Well regardless...4 outta 5 isn't bad and while being the ONLY sibling in America kinda stinks, I know that even the thinnest of connections is better than being alone.

Yall have a GOOD one.
PEACE.