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Ming Foxweldon, a student at the University of Vermont, came to Yunnan University in Southwest China's Yunnan province in June to study Chinese and look for her birth parents. She had been abandoned by them at birth in 1990 because her feet were slightly deformed, and she was adopted by a US couple as a 3-year-old at Kunming Orphanage.
"According to my orphanage records, I was born on Feb 4, 1990. But my presumed parents in Yunnan province told me I was born on Oct 19, 1990. Who is right? I don't know," She told China Daily.
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"I have always wanted to know my past, my history, why I was given up, and how my parents are now," she said.
In June, she decided to come back to the land of her birth. Through a partnership between the University of Vermont and Yunnan University, she came to China, with the support of her US parents.
At first, she had difficulty getting information about her life in Yunnan. Kunming Orphanage could not give her any useful information about her life before she was adopted because of the lapse of time. She had nothing but some childhood photos and certificates of abandonment. And language also posed a barrier.
After a few months of fruitless effort, things took a turn in November when her teacher at Yunnan University told her story to Yunnan TV Station. Foxweldon was interviewed on Nov 23, and after the program was broadcast, villagers where she was supposedly born called the TV station, she said.
In late November, she went to Jiucheng village, Luxi county and met a couple who are likely to be her birth parents.
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"That day around 20 years ago, we put the baby (Foxweldon) into a paper box on the side of the road that links Luxi to Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province, and we hid at a distance. We didn't leave until we saw a vehicle with a plate registered in Kunming stop, a man get out, notice the baby in the box, and take it into the vehicle," He told the TV station. "We all prayed that the baby would have a good future."
9 comments:
As an adoptive parent to a child from China, I can only hope my daughter might some day find her birth parents, and that they too cared enough to pray for her happiness.
It seems odd that there would be so much of a difference between birthdays. My first thought is that I wonder if she has found the correct birth parents. Our daughter's records state that she was found as an infant only a couple of days old. So, it would be difficult to have that much of a variation in her case.
Where is the rest of the story? That is a big difference between the possible birthdays.
Would it be possible to set up a DNA registry to be accessed by parents who relinquished a child and children who are seeking family?
Jessica O'Dwyer
I pray for this young lady that it is the happily ever after scenario she is seeking. What an amazing story this will be if it turns out to be true.
For our daughters, we sought and found(non China adoption )their birthmother with the aid of an overseas detective.
And while we were able to share updates and photos with her, sadly she wishes no further contact with us or our shared daughters.
In time perhaps she will have a change of heart? I hope so.
In the meantime if feels like another significant loss for our daughters; something I hope the young lady in this article is spared.
Anon #2.
The lunar calendar could be part of the issue. Our daughter was born in April (for us), but born in Feb. to her parents.
I've also heard of the Miao calender. The Miao are one of the larger minority groups in China. So if they use their own calender, then who knows if the birth family is of some minority group which might use an even different calender. Adoptive parents, who adopted children from China, are so used to conflicting information from their official papers and SWI directors, that actually, this discrepancy seems fairly normal and routine.
Sharon, have I mentioned lately how much I appreaciate your tempered voice and that you actually use your NAME?!
THATS MY SISTER !!! proud of U!!!
For those of you that are confused, I'd like to write on this blog to clarify things, and hopefully provide more insight. As you know China Daily did a pretty good job talking about my search in Yunnan, China, for my birth family. I'd like to update you all who have been following, that I'm still doing this search, and committed to doing this even though I'm back in the US. As all of you know, I mentioned my "birth family" that claimed my birthday was Oct. 19, 1991. Here's the story....after the China Daily published my story, I chose to do the DNA test, and well it came out negative so that family many of you thought was my birth family are not mine. With that being said, the "father" was kind enough to give me a little gift from the family to be reminded. I hoped to hear from them, given I'd passed my contact information via the TV news station of Yunnan. I haven't heard anything from the family. I wonder from this experience whether they are looking for their daughter, and happened to see me on TV and think I was theirs. I will tell you all, it's very confusing, and I'm just glad I was able to do what I could while I was in China. This doesn't mean I'll give up, rather it's on a hiatus, per se, which saddens me, but those involved have their own opinions. As for the birthday clarification, I was told Oct. 19, 1990 was according to the Western calendar. Then again I can't be sure it's true, given all the other news that swirled around my story on national news. I will try and keep up with the blog, so that I can keep those of you interested in the loop. At the moment, I'm studying in New England, Chinese Major, Anthropology Minor, and am in my 3rd year. One more year, and hopefully I'll be back in China, working on my language skills and being more acquainted with the people and culture. My other hope is to possibly teach English or work in an orphanage near Kunming or directly in the city. Thanks to all that have cared enough to comment. There's so much to learn, and I'm eager to continue on this search.......=)
Until then, should anyone have information about Kunming or Yiliang Yunnan, please let me know, via my blog. Chinese name is 白宜民 according to the records! Thanks again! =)
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