An 11 year old seeks love and her new family.

First of all, the photo you see isn't me! She is cute and I hope someday I'll be able to meet her, but it isn't me. The Aunty who is writing this for me says I can't use my photo for this article. She said that there are people who wouldn't like that so she is using a photo of another girl about my age who came home to her new family a couple of years ago. She is lucky isn't she, she really looks very happy. The Aunty says I have a lovely name. She also says that I can't share my name with you because it isn't allowed. I'll use another name because I want you to get to know me. Let's call me Sienna. It is really important that you get to know me a bit because I really really want you to want to be my mother, or father, or sister or brother. Every since I came to this children's home, I've thought a lot about finding a family. One thing I know is that I want someone to love me and to care for me, to educate me and to be kind to me. Other things would be wonderful but those things are what are most important to me.

OK, let me tell you about me. I'm eleven years old. At least I think I am. I know that sounds very strange to you because I understand that people who are reading this celebrate their birthdays every year and that even very small children know how old they are. That isn't the way it goes for many of us in the country I live in. Of all the other children who live here, only one girl knows her real birthday. Anyway, they've given me a birth date now and I'm eleven! I'm the oldest of all the children here and although there is one other girl who is close to my age, and another one who is a couple of years younger, all the rest are babies or just not as big as I am. Well, actually I should explain that I'm not the biggest here. When people meet us they all think that my friend is older than I am because she is taller and looks older, but she isn't. I'm the oldest here (like a big sister) and I like that because I like younger children and helping others. When you are the oldest where I live, you get to help out a lot and you get a chance to show that you are responsible. I am a responsible girl.

The children's home I live in now is a wonderful place to be. Everyone here is friendly and kind and they care about me and my friends. They watch me pretty carefully here and they always know if I need help or if they need to advise me about something I need to do differently. Really, I'm not used to having people who are kind and who never treat me badly. My first family had lots of problems and they were often not very nice to me. This kind of care made me sad. I cried a lot then and wasn't really happy. Now I smile almost all the time and I'm really happy. I think we are lucky children to be here.

I think about my past and about how things used to be, and the Aunty who interviewed me and is writing this about me, said she was really proud of me because I was able to talk to her well and to answer her questions. I tried so very hard not to cry as we talked but thinking about my past sometimes makes me sad. I cried a bit but Aunty said that it is OK to have deep feelings and to show my emotions. One good thing about our interview was that I was able to understand some of her English. I'm learning English in school and although I needed help from the social worker who sat with us, I did understand her English part of the time. I was happy about that.

Speaking of school, I love learning here. Our teacher is very nice and we have lots of volunteers who come in to help all of us. Some of the volunteers are from this country and some are from other countries. This is why I am able to understand some English. Not only are we learning to read and write in English but we are able to hear it spoken well too. My teacher told the Aunty that I'm a good student who studies well, listens, tries hard and follows directions. She said she is pleased with my school work. She told her that at first I learned slowly as everything is so new and strange for me. At that time, the volunteers helped me and when things started making sense, learning became much easier. Aunty asked if I like to learn and I was happy to tell her that I do.

Another question Aunty asked was if I really wanted to leave my homeland and join a new family in another country. I really do. I want this so much that I went to the director of our children's home, on my own, and asked her to please find me a loving family. Usually when they are ready, they go to the children and ask if they want a family. I just didn't want to wait for them to come to me; I knew what I wanted so I went to them.

Note from this Aunty: I met this young girl earlier this month and she completely endeared herself to me. She is a quiet and shy child when you first meet her but I found that it didn't take long for her to feel at ease once she realized that those she trusted were comfortable with me. After being at her children's home for several days it was time for us to talk. She was able to answer some tough questions and to express herself well. Everyone I talked to about her had only positive things to say. They told me that she gets along well with the adults who are with her daily and with the volunteers. She is loving and kind with the younger children and she plays well with the girl who is close to her age. Actually, there is a bit of rivalry between the two girls as her friend is more adept in English and had a better education before coming to the children's home. This has encouraged her to try even harder to learn and to catch-up. Like most of the older children around the world who are available for adoption, her story is sad and many of her experiences are unhappy ones. Some children are more resilient than others and almost all of them just want to be loved, cared for and cared about. This wonderful girl is no exception. She has lost a lot of time and she needs a family NOW.

UPDATE March 6, 2007: AIAA wishes to thank RainbowKids for helping us find a family for this young lady. At this time she has been placed on HOLD for consideration by a specific family. Remember there are so many others that are still looking for their family to discover them.

To read even more about this child, she is RainbowKid AIAA 60 and her listing can be found at: http://www.rainbowkids.com/ChildInfo.aspx?id=1126

For more information on this child and many others who wait in her country, please contact Moti Irani at Americans for International Aid and Adoption (AIAA). Phone number: 248 362-1207 and email barb@aiaaadopt.org .

By Aunty,

Teri L. Bell, LSW , MA
Special Needs Coordinator
http://aiaaadopt.org
Americans for International Aid and Adoption

651 687-0345