Kidding, I have always known and never really questioned it. It was automatically part of my identity. It is now 2019 and I can’t believe that I’m about to leave on this Big Indochina Adventure in less than a month.
Let Me Fill You In
I was adopted from a small village in Northern Vietnam at 4 months into a loving, supportive, and a total blessing of a family. Now I am 22 years old and I finally feel like I’m emotionally ready.
My sister was adopted from China (hi Jenna!) and is 5.5 years older than I am. When my mom went to look to adopt a second child, long story short, she was redirected over to Vietnam and got me.
My family and I went on vacation to Vietnam back in 2006, but to be honest my 9 year old self barely remembers anything. Here are the few facts I do know (as of 09/2019):
My birth name is Bui Thi Ngoc, which means Baby Girl Jade… correct me if i’m wrong, I do not speak a drop of Vietnamese.
I am Muong. Which is the third largest minority group in Vietnam and are localized in the Hoa Binh Province of Northern Vietnam.
I was put up for adoption because my biological mother had an eye disease and was taking care of her elderly mother. Therefore, did not think she could raise me to adulthood or provide me with the life that she would have wanted me to have. (I find this very admirable - why don't you ask me why?)
My birth place: Chieng hamlet – Thung Nai – Ky Son – Hoa Binh
My mother was a 39 year old farmer.
I have a half-brother.
There is no known information about my father.
There was never a point in my life where I felt like I had that "oh my god" or identity crisis moment regarding my adoption. I looked different than my mom and the rest of my family, and I grew up with an adopted older sister. I just knew that was part of who I was, but never felt the need to dive into the depths of the unknown.
This is not going to be your typical adoption story. I have no expectations and I am not going back to look for answers. I am going back simply to learn more about my biological past and where I came from. If I get to meet my biological mother and/or half-brother that would be absolutely incredible, but I’m not looking to fulfill any void within me. I just want to meet and get to know my biological family. I can’t help that I’m a curious one.
I wish I were a film maker to document my journey, but my story will be told through my photos. I’m not a writer, but I’m going to try to keep up with blog posts when I have the WiFi to do so while abroad. I am excited to embark on this journey to discover my biological roots and I cannot wait to share it with all of you.
BONUS: I am so grateful that my mother (Margaret), uncle (Mack), god-parents (Carolyn and Ken), cousin (Aaron), and wonderful guide (Ananda) from South Africa will be joining me for the 10 additional days I am staying in Vietnam.
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