Kyrgyzstan....where & why?

I have heard Kyrgyzstan referred to as the wild west. This was only after we decided to adopt from there but it kind of has that adventure ring to it. I think they meant that in relationship to Kazakhstan, which is considered the wealthiest of the Central Asian countries because of their natural resources. Kyrgyzstan is considered the Alps of Central Asia, being about 75% mountains. Well there it is on the map. The little blue country sandwiched between Kazakhstan and China, bordering Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It is a small country, I read it is the size of South Dakota. Central Asia is comprised of five independent republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. So the "stans", but not all of them. It is for many of us the other side of the world. It will take us around 23 hours with stopovers to get there from Californ-i-a.

I always said that if we could just adopt from Japan I'd do it in a heart beat. Our exploration of adopting from Japan was, it is very difficult and super pricey. We also did not find the folks except for two very nice women, Eryn and Nancy, very open about sharing their experiences. I know that adoption is not common in Japan and not talked about so maybe the extended community reflects their wishes? We did find one agency, thanks to Hope, who did have a new program. This was all towards the end when we had almost picked Kyrgyzstan. We were rejected after they examined our photo for a week ...was it personal or really my husband's age. (47) Or was it fate?

Asia was always CENTRAL on the adoption scope although for a brief time we entertained domestic. For me I was more interested in a connection to somewhere in Asia. So after we finally decided on Vietnam their government and ours started and continue to clash. I have heard actual stories of people that are having difficulties getting their baby back to the U.S. and that it is unstable for now. We were sad to leave our great Bay Area Adoptive Vietnamese families behind. They had all been so kind. So again, researching another country......we then were reminded about Kyrgyzstan.

I was at the bookstore getting some books on Vietnam when this beautiful book titled, Kyrgyzstan leapt off the shelf. Beautiful people and traditional costume in Kyrgyzstan. Wow I was intrigued and truly taken by the beauty. For those of you who know me you will know BEAUTY might just be near the top of the list of things that drive me. Also I would have to add community to be big on the list which includes family and friends. So later that night instead of reading my books on Vietnam I started researching Kyrgyzstan and also returned to my original thought of Kazakhstan too after meeting Madina, child of Hope & Andy, possibly one of the cutest little girls from Kazakhstan.

Let's just say the instability of Vietnam adoption, beautiful culture that it is and having to stay in Kazakhstan for 2 months, us both being self-employed. Seeing and reading about the people of Kyrgyzstan and well the The Tien Shan Mountains kind of sealed the deal for me. More beauty, I'm a Japanese-German- French American raised in Utah. The mountains called out to me. I am a mountain girl of mixed heritage. Suddenly my first pick of Japan seemed to rigid and pure. Kyrgyzstan it is.


For those of you who are just starting your adoption journey or folks that have not adopted.....International Adoption is not like a pick chart of selecting just ANY country that might catch your fancy. There are many guidelines, most strict, set by each country or the agency, from age, weight, number of years married, who will consider single women, etc. Age gets hard after 45 to adopt an infant, and for years married they like to see 3-5 years and well I can tell you that I did not meet Korea's weight requirements. And if you know me I'm TALL not fat.

So as some of my other adoptive community friends say.....once you pick your country you can't imagine adopting from anywhere else.....KYRGYZSTAN IT IS!!! I do have a backup plan in case this small country runs out of babies but let's not talk about that yet...I have my trip to the Tien Shan mountains and baby o waiting for me.