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By Jeffrey Mondloh, LICSW, Birthland Services Supervisor As we look back on the summertime travel season we realize the important part trips play in making childhood memories. Travel offers a chance to see a new environment and perhaps visit the relatives or friends we are close to, but don’t see very often. Travel also helps us take the time to explore a place, by enjoying sights and natural resources unique to the area we are visiting. If we are lucky, the trip is our connection to learn stories of long ago times. In recent years, a new travel experience called “birthland tours.” has evolved for families whose children have been adopted. They wish to learn about the countries and cultures in which their children were born, but have not personally toured. With age comes an unspoken imperative to learn of our roots and visit the countries of our ancestors. The quest to know one’s beginnings is not a new concept. Turn of the century migrations brought immigrants to America and created a desire to maintain connections with their cultural heritage. The term “dual heritage” recognizes their ability to celebrate cultural roots by incorporating them into the traditions of the country in which they have established citizenship. The celebration of two allegiances, one ancestral, the other geographical, allowed people to honor their connections without diminishing their feelings for either. International adoption has created this same duality for families and their children. Whether a family is built by adoption or birth, parents are given the responsibility of sharing the stories of their children’s beginnings and families of origin. “Where did I come from?” holds a significant message for children, especially those who were born in another country and traveled to America to join their family through adoption. For them, this story recognizes the importance of their past in building positive self-esteem, a strong identity and pride for who we are and where we come from. Children’s Home Society & Family Services has a long tradition in planning group tours bridging the language and knowledge gap for families visiting Korea and more recently China and India. Important to any trip, preparation is especially significant for a successful birthland travel experience. Research and communication is required to make sure that the people and places that played a role in a child’s early life are identified and located. Agencies that played a role in the initial adoption are often uniquely qualified to provide the support for this trip of a lifetime. As your family considers future life-changing trips, consider these details to make your trip memorable.
Your travel experience, whether with a group or as an individual family, will benefit from foresight and advance planning. Jeffrey Mondloh, LICSW
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Community Voices