We visited the Hope Center in India last Decemb
er. The children are remarkable singers, and full of joy! We were encoura
ged to see how well orphan care is working in this instance. :) The picture we of desperate poverty we had gotten from Slumdog Millionaire and other sources was not what we experienced (thankfully!). The 
kids were generous, kind, helpful, and confident. Global Action is building apartments and asking host parents to live with 7 children and make a commitment of at least 10 years. We are hopeful that enough couples will come. It truly is a beautiful place where your heart feels so full because the children are so rich in spirit. I miss them!
You can hear them sing a little at the end of this movie.
er. The children are remarkable singers, and full of joy! We were encoura
ged to see how well orphan care is working in this instance. :) The picture we of desperate poverty we had gotten from Slumdog Millionaire and other sources was not what we experienced (thankfully!). The 
kids were generous, kind, helpful, and confident. Global Action is building apartments and asking host parents to live with 7 children and make a commitment of at least 10 years. We are hopeful that enough couples will come. It truly is a beautiful place where your heart feels so full because the children are so rich in spirit. I miss them!
Anyway, there have been many days I've gotten tired of waiting to turn 28 so we can apply to wait some more (to turn 30 to be cleared for travel). In the meantime, we've talked at length about what makes sense for us. Logically, adopting from a Spanish-
speaking country makes the most sense. We speak (decent at least) Spanish. Our community has some Spanish-speakers, but we don't really know anyone who speaks Hindi. When reading about attachment as well as developing identity, language seems like a big bonus. I've read a number of vignettes about children acting out because they're afraid and by the time the parents bring in a translator, they find that the child isn't being disobedient but is afraid of something.
Mostly though, Spanish is fun. There's research about different personalities and frame (or viewpoint) switching when using 2nd (3rd...) languages. For me, when I speak in Spanish, I tend to be more free with compliments and terms of endearment. I think speaking Hindi would also be like that for me, but my vocabulary is about 20 words big right now (on a good day).
In other semi-random thoughts...it's good not to rush, I love reading books, I'm having fun training my dog, and I love teaching ESL. My students are super encouraging, hardworking, and good-natured!
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