018 – What I Gained Through Reunion Is Context
Rebecca always knew she was adopted, but she also recognized that she didn’t quite fit with her adopted family. While she loved them a lot, she noticed physical and personality differences between them. She was taller with a different skin tone than them. She’s an extrovert raised by introverts and she calls herself a circuitous thinker that was raised by linear thinkers. When her own child was born, then got sick, Rebecca thought to herself “I’ve got to find these people” and began her reunion journey. But the laborious process to try to uncover identifying information in Washington, D.C. is closed adoption system seemed to be a daunting task, especially after her child got well. Rebecca says that she wasn’t really looking for her relatives at the time reunion found her. A friend of hers, who is also an adoptee, had extra DNA test that she was sending off to people as part of her own search, so she gave Rebecca a spare test. After reading through her biological connections on AncesteryDNA she was able to find her biological mother’s online identity. Her mother maintained a blog and social media which Rebecca read through feeling like she could have written the content herself. Rebecca has had several revelations about adoption and it’s impact on herself and her family. She says what she gained thru reunion is context about herself, her children, and her adopted family. The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/018-what-i-gained-through-reunion-is-context/ (018 – What I Gained Through Reunion Is Context) appeared first on http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com (Who Am I...Really? Podcast). Rebecca (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/poBMFXzRbsOGal0Vhsys4kyJ-5c4r4pI0ZZmSiQXOfA9hJF4O3G7nd1HcebOa6Nv2ETq69PBN9XV84w03yvfDNYzkZI?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkats=3.74 (00:03)): I don't begrudge her not telling her children either. I mean, how do you, how do you look at your kids and say to a child who's not gonna understand it? I gave away your sister. Voices (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/poBMFXzRbsOGal0Vhsys4kyJ-5c4r4pI0ZZmSiQXOfA9hJF4O3G7nd1HcebOa6Nv2ETq69PBN9XV84w03yvfDNYzkZI?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkats=20.36 (00:20)): Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Damon (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/poBMFXzRbsOGal0Vhsys4kyJ-5c4r4pI0ZZmSiQXOfA9hJF4O3G7nd1HcebOa6Nv2ETq69PBN9XV84w03yvfDNYzkZI?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkats=31.75 (00:31)): This is Who Am I Really, a podcast about adoptees that have located and connected with their biological family members. Damon (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/poBMFXzRbsOGal0Vhsys4kyJ-5c4r4pI0ZZmSiQXOfA9hJF4O3G7nd1HcebOa6Nv2ETq69PBN9XV84w03yvfDNYzkZI?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkats=46.65 (00:46)): Hey, I'm Damon Davis and on the show today I'm joined by Rebecca. She lives in Vermont, but grew up in Washington, D.C, completely comfortable with the fact that she was adopted. In her journey, Rebecca kind of searched here and there for clues about her biological identity, but the process seemed like it was going to be too challenging. But then reunion found her rather unexpectedly through DNA testing. On her journey, Rebecca gained a connection to her biological family and siblings who are just like her and a context for her life that she never had before. We pick up Rebecca's story when she was a child in the nation's Capitol. Rebecca says she always knew that she was adopted and she was given some non identifying information about her closed adoption that she clung to. She said that while she never felt stigmatized, she did notice differences between herself and her family. In some ways they're physically different, but she says she also noticed how they just kind of think differently too. Rebecca (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/poBMFXzRbsOGal0Vhsys4kyJ-5c4r4pI0ZZmSiQXOfA9hJF4O3G7nd1HcebOa6Nv2ETq69PBN9XV84w03yvfDNYzkZI?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkats=108.2 (01:48)): Well, I mean, I didn't look like anyone the most basic level, which, um, you know, people love... Support this podcast
