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Topic: Remember how I said I was going to Ethiopia? (Read 8981 times)
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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Well I'm back... Got me a baby!   |
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60350
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You stole a baby in Ethiopia?
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waffel
Terracotta Army
Posts: 711
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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You stole a baby in Ethiopia?
I wish... no... cost me more than a years pay to adopt him. Not to mention the trip was not pleasant. Don't ever go to Ethiopia if you don't have to. |
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Baldrake
Terracotta Army
Posts: 636
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Congrats, man, that's great news!
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Aez
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1369
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Gratz! Are you sure you're not confusing Ethiopia and Mars?  |
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Viin
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6159
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Awesome!
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- Viin
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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lol, he's a real ham. He likes to make crazy faces.
We drove about 600km out into the middle of nowhere to meet his birth mother. I promised her that he'd never know hunger, never be cold at night, and he could chose whatever he wanted to be if he put in the effort... Doctor, lawyer, etc... She didn't really care. She said that her family were all farmers and she wanted to be sure that I would keep him in touch with the land. After I explained that there are several farmers in my family and that's where we go on weekends she got really excited, jumped up and started hugging me like crazy. She apparently had this idea that everyone in America lived in the big city. In any event, she was very happy.
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Engels
Terracotta Army
Posts: 9029
inflicts shingles.
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Good on you, Mr. Mopps. He looks adorable.
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I should get back to nature, too. You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer. Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached. Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe
I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa
Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
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Lakov_Sanite
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7590
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How does an ethiopian baby cost a years salary? Grats and all...I just figured they'd be cheaper.
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~a horrific, dark simulacrum that glares balefully at us, with evil intent.
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Strazos
Greetings from the Slave Coast
Posts: 15542
The World's Worst Game: Curry or Covid
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I'm wondering how you arrived at the decision to adopt and ETHIOPIAN child, as opposed to any other.
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Fear the Backstab!
"Plato said the virtuous man is at all times ready for a grammar snake attack." - we are lesion
"Hell is other people." -Sartre
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Selby
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2963
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How does an ethiopian baby cost a years salary?
Adoption red tape costs a fortune, even in countries you wouldn't expect it to. |
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Paelos
Contributor
Posts: 27075
Error 404: Title not found.
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Damn, Ethiopia. Bravo to you for setting foot in a country most (including myself) would never venture. Still, good reward, no?
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CPA, CFO, Sports Fan, Game when I have the time
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BoatApe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 66
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Awesome lookin' little guy - I swear he'll grow into that hairline.
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19324
sentient yeast infection
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Congrats on getting the prize at the end of the adoption gauntlet!
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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It's really complicated but basically we're in our 30s and haven't been married that long so we didn't qualify for many programs. Only 3. One was closed, Russia is the most expensive international program there is. Also the kids come out with mental problems because they are so neglected. Ethiopia really takes care of their orphans. It's part of their culture. And the program is relatively cheap.
As far as how it could cost so much... In the states you are required to take classes, have a social worker visit your house several times (To inspect) you get licenses as a foster parent, etc... each of those things costs a couple hundred dollars. You have to file a bunch of paper work with the government and every time you do there's a fee of anywhere from $100 to $500. The plane tickets alone were $5000. The fee to Ethiopia was $12k Even now that we have him here we had to pay $500 to make him a resident and then have to pay for a social worker to visit every 2 weeks for 6 months, then we have to pay a fee to get his citizenship and pay to change his name and get a SSN. It adds up fast.
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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Awesome lookin' little guy - I swear he'll grow into that hairline.
Lack of hair has to do with the nutrition there. He's already growing more in. |
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Abagadro
Terracotta Army
Posts: 12227
Possibly the only user with more posts in the Den than PC/Console Gaming.
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Gratz. Cute kid. Sounds like you went through a lot of effort. My kid cost about that much but that is because we had to have him custom made in a tube. It's worth the dough. |
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
-H.L. Mencken
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60350
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How much of that money do his Ethiopian parents get?
I'm imagining little to none.
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Venkman
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11536
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That's aweseome Mopps.
Friend of mine is in the early stages himself. Already looking at potentially a second job due to the costs.
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Lakov_Sanite
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7590
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And people wonder why kids don't get adopted.
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~a horrific, dark simulacrum that glares balefully at us, with evil intent.
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Baldrake
Terracotta Army
Posts: 636
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How much of that money do his Ethiopian parents get?
I'm imagining little to none.
Not sure about the US, but in Canada it's illegal for the birth parents to be paid. Something to do with the idea that we shouldn't be able to purchase a human being. The ethics around this stuff get pretty hairy. |
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Hawkbit
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5531
Like a Klansman in the ghetto.
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Congrats! What an awesome looking little guy. We wish you all the best.
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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How much of that money do his Ethiopian parents get?
I'm imagining little to none.
Yes, it's illegal to pay the birth parents anything. That would quickly lead to women getting pregnant with the intent to sell the babies... Which actually does happen in some parts of the world. The part of the money we pay to the adoption agency however, does get used in her area. They provide womens services like birth control, prenatal care, delivery services, and provided medicines until the children are a certain age (not sure what that is.) They operate the ONLY medical facility within several hundred kilometers of the are our son was born and have the only Dr in the entire region on staff. While the facility is generally for womens services everyone goes there for any type of thing we would go to an emergency room for. While we were at the facility some guys showed up with a man in his 20s that was injured. They had him laying on a donkey cart. I'm pretty sure he had already died on the ride in though. The agency we went through is non-profit and one of the largest in the world (Holt international) there are many other agency that are rather shady. We actually met a few couples that went through other agencies while we were there and I definitely didn't like what I was hearing from them. Things like not being allowed to see the facility your child was kept in should be a huge red flag. |
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Merusk
Terracotta Army
Posts: 27449
Badge Whore
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Pretty sure if you do private adoption in the US you don't have to jump through any of the loopholes you previously mentioned, Charlie. A couple at my last place of employ did exactly that, as did a woman who I'm currently working with. One through a Catholic charity the other.. I'm not sure but it sounded like just a PA Agency. The entire process for both was only 9 months because they both found a birth mother who was newly pregnant. Of course, as I understand it, private adoption runs the risk of the parents wanting the kids back prior to the completion of all the legal stuff.
Still, grats, he's got a hell of a personality already I see.
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The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
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Flatfoot
Terracotta Army
Posts: 44
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I don't know you from Adam, but wanted to congratulate you nevertheless. He's quite handsome :)
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60350
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Pretty sure if you do private adoption in the US you don't have to jump through any of the loopholes you previously mentioned, Charlie. A couple at my last place of employ did exactly that, as did a woman who I'm currently working with. One through a Catholic charity the other.. I'm not sure but it sounded like just a PA Agency. The entire process for both was only 9 months because they both found a birth mother who was newly pregnant. Of course, as I understand it, private adoption runs the risk of the parents wanting the kids back prior to the completion of all the legal stuff. This is roughly how my adoption apparently went, except through a Temple (since, you know, Jews) rather than a Catholic charity. My adoptive parents got me on day 1. Like a new video game. |
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NiX
Wiki Admin
Posts: 7770
Locomotive Pandamonium
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And here I thought you were birthed by Awesome itself.
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60350
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And here I thought you were birthed by Awesome itself.
I might've been, no way to tell, really. |
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Lakov_Sanite
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7590
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I always like to imagine I was born of a jackal, makes being adopted interesting.
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~a horrific, dark simulacrum that glares balefully at us, with evil intent.
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K9
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7441
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What was/is/will be his name?
If you're stuck for ideas, Agamemnon is a good strong name.
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I love the smell of facepalm in the morning
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Ratman_tf
Terracotta Army
Posts: 3818
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What was/is/will be his name?
If you're stuck for ideas, Agamemnon is a good strong name.
 "Aggie? Aggie! Mesa so smilin to see you!" |
 "What I'm saying is you should make friends with a few catasses, they smell funny but they're very helpful." -Calantus makes the best of a smelly situation. |
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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Pretty sure if you do private adoption in the US you don't have to jump through any of the loopholes you previously mentioned, Charlie. A couple at my last place of employ did exactly that, as did a woman who I'm currently working with. One through a Catholic charity the other.. I'm not sure but it sounded like just a PA Agency. The entire process for both was only 9 months because they both found a birth mother who was newly pregnant. Of course, as I understand it, private adoption runs the risk of the parents wanting the kids back prior to the completion of all the legal stuff.
Still, grats, he's got a hell of a personality already I see.
yea, but then you have to find a kid to adopt. It's very hard unless you have promiscuous niece. |
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Fraeg
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1018
Mad skills with the rod.
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I doff my hat to you sir. That is wonderful that you guys adopted.
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"There is dignity and deep satisfaction in facing life and death without the comfort of heaven or the fear of hell and in sailing toward the great abyss with a smile."
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Righ
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6542
Teaching the world Google-fu one broken dream at a time.
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There's an absurdly long list of worse things you could have got in Ethiopia, so congratulations. ;)
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The camera adds a thousand barrels. - Steven Colbert
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