By Back in 2010 I had done an extensive story on adopting children from India. The story seemed to touch a raw nerve with readers. Over the years, people have accessed this story and scores of young couples have approached me to put them in touch with some of the families who were profiled in the story. In fact, as Shreya Patel, one of the women I interviewed, told me, “Over the nine years that story has run on Lassi with Lavina, we must have talked to at least 70 to 80 couples from your blog!”
So I thought I would re-visit the couples and see how they have done in the intervening decade. Have the adoptions been successful and what advice do they have for other couples who want to adopt from India.
Here I reintroduce you the family of baby Sanaya. She was adopted by Shreya and Apoorva Patel ten years ago.
“Sanaya was only eight months when we brought her back to the US – although we knew about her since she was four months old,” recalls Shreya. “Once we got her into the states it was a very smooth transition. Because both Apoorva and I were present at the US embassy in New Delhi when we went to get her visa, she got her citizenship the moment we landed in the US. If only one of us were present, she would have received the green card. She handled the flights pretty well — we were quite worried about this. Her integration into the family was very smooth, everyone that meet her adored her and she was a very easy going baby who played with everyone.”
“Everybody took to her in the family so that was not a problem,” says her father Apoorva. ““I think at the ashram they were cooking the same food for kids of all ages, so when Sanaya was a baby living at the ashram, she used to eat what every one else ate (usually pretty spicy). Since there are few employees taking care of many kids, they cannot cater to the needs and wants of each child. Once we brought her home and she started to get personalized attention, she realized that she did not have to put up with food she didn’t like, she started getting fussy about here food like all the babies are wont to do. It was an interesting transition to see in her attitude.”
Shreya and Apoorva Patel live in Atlanta, GA and as I got on the phone with them in New York, they told me Sanaya was sitting with them as they answered the questions.
The process has become easier and quicker as all the applications go into CARA – the process is more streamlined now. On the flip side, before CARA, you could choose orphanage in India that you wanted to register with. Also, if you are matched with a child and you do not accept the match, then your name goes back to end of the queue.
Read the rest @ https://www.lassiwithlavina.com/indian-american-stories/when-couples-adopt-from-india-meet-an-indian-american-family/html
