February 2008:

I have just returned from a trip to Bogota where I was able to visit with my birth family for the second time. I was able to meet my half sister Mireya, my half brother John, my half brother Nelson's wife and their three children. I was also able to meet my grandmother Rosario this visit. I was unable to meet them the last time I visited in May of 2006. This visit was amazing due to the fact that I was able to finally meet all of my relatives with the exception of my older half brother Nelson because he was working. I was also blessed with the opportunity to travel 2 hours outside of Bogota to where my birthmother and grandmother live. I was able to spend time at my birth mothers house, and she prepared lunch for me, the first time in 31 years. The experience was truly surreal. Just a few short years ago I had no intenions of searching for my birth mother, and now I was sitting in her home. This visit was much different from the first reunion meeting. This visit Magdalena and I were able to spend some much more time together and we didnt have the shock/wierdness factor we had after our reunion in 2006. We still have the language barrier that we are working through, but I should be fluent in Spanish by the end of next year. This will truly expand our relationship. I will be able to call her and talk to her weekly. I can do this now but we need to have someone there to translate for us. I plan on returning to Bogota sometime this coming year with my half sister Julie, so she can have the opportunity to meet our birth family.

What a trip............................ More to come.......................

Peace <><

Risky

My birth mother Magdalena, my half brother Oscar, my birth Grandma Rosario.

October 2005:

I finally received the results of the DNA test conducted between my supposed birth mother Magdalena Gomez and myself. The test concluded that Magdalena Gomez is the woman who gave birth to me. The probability of Maternity is 99.59%, so we can call it 100%. I am very happy to finally have proof that Magdalena is truly my birth mother. Upon receiving this information, I found myself going through the same emotions I felt when I first heard that Alejandro had found her. I was happy, excited, scared, sad, nervous, all of these emotions in one. It is a very strange feeling but most assuredly a great one. I look forward to meeting Magdalena and the rest of my birth family as soon as possible, at our reunion in Bogotá. These DNA results also confirm that Julie is my ½ sister, but like I have already told her, I love her as if she was my full sister =).

I want to take this opportunity to thank Alejandro for finding my birth mother for me. This is something that I truly never thought would happen. He is truly very good at what he does, although he has an odd way of going about it sometimes =). I also need to thank Ana Colon for making the Colombian Adoption and Support group on Yahoo. Without this group, I would never have started my search or even had the courage to face my adoption issues and the depression that it caused me for so long. I also would like to thank Jessica Gibson, Kris Manzur, Luisa, Maria Luisa, Elvira, Annette Acevedo, Sarah Astrid, Julie Bingham, Kathleen, Susannah Campbell, Lee, and everyone else at C.A.S.A for your wonderful support. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I am now in the process of deciding when I will be returning to Colombia for my reunion with my birth family. I also have the opportunity to have the reunion in Miami on a Spanish language Television show. I may consider this because it would be easier to go to Florida, as compared to Colombia. But at this point I feel that I want to return to Bogotá for the reunion, so I can see my birth family in my homeland. I want to be able to see where and how they live and be able to spend time with them. I will keep you all posted on any further developments.

Late-September 2005:

I received my DNA kit from Colombia thanks to Jessica Gibson. Jessica was down in Bogotá for her own reunion with her birth family and got my DNA package from Alejandro and brought it back to the US for me. This saved me another $100 which it would of cost to have it Fed-Ex back to me in New York and also expedited the process for me for a number of reasons. I am very thankful for all the help Jessica has provided me over the past few months. Jessica also brought back 2 letters from my birth mother, one for me and the other for Julie. It was a great to finally have a letter from my birth mother, it was the first contact we have had since she gave me up 29+ years ago. I have sent my DNA sample along with my birth mothers sample to the testing laboratory and I am currently awaiting the results. =)

September 2005:

I sent my DNA kit down to Bogotá early this month. Alejandro will have my birth mother into the office as soon as possible to have her DNA sample taken and then Alejandro will send the test back to me in New York.

August 2005:

I recently spoke with Alejandro my investigator on the phone, with the aid of my translator Lee. We spoke at length for about 2 hours mostly concerning my Sister Julies case. He explained that my birth mother Magdalena Gomez finally admitted to being Julie's mother and admitted to giving her up for adoption to FANA. He explained that Magdalena put the memory of Julie's birth and of the time when she gave her up into her subconscious. She did this because she had a tough time with the birth and a very hard time after she gave her up. It took about 2 months of coming in to his office and talking it out and finally with the help of a psychologist she was able to let the emotions come out and was able to come to terms with it all. She explained that she gave Julie up and that she has keep the memory buried for 20+ years because giving her up was so painful. She told Alejandro that she is looking forward to meeting both of us and is so happy that Alejandro has connected all of us together. This confirms that Julie is actually my sister but it was explained by our birth mother that we have different birth fathers, so we are actually ½ siblings. But I consider her a full sister =). I had the opportunity to visit Julie again in Vermont this month and we were able to discuss all this new information together.

July 2005:

I had the great opportunity to visit my supposed birth sister Julie in Brattleboro, Vermont this month. It was an amazing experience and I felt that we had a special connection from the first moments that we were together. I am looking forward to seeing her a lot in the coming future. I am still in the process of getting my DNA kit from the Company and working out the logistics of getting to my birth mother in Bogotá and back to me in New York. I will mostly like have the kit mailed down with the next month.

Late-May 2005:

I have decided that I will be requesting that my birth mother submit to a DNA test to confirm that she is indeed my true birth mother. I will be sending a DNA test kit to Alejandro in the near future, in this kit is proper equipment needed to secure a DNA sample from my birth mother. The sample with be sent back to me here in the US, and I will then add my sample to the kit. The kit will then be sent out to be analyzed by 1-800-DNA-TEST. The kit and the test cost around 400-500 dollars, which I am currently saving the money up for =).
This decision in no way questions Alejandro's integrity or the validity of his findings. I have supreme confidence in his talents and feel he is a very honest and hard working investigator. But this is a very important juncture in my life and I feel that I will need to be 100% sure that this person is my birth mother before I get emotionally involved in the situation. I hope to have the kit ready to be sent to Alejandro's office sometime in June.

MAY 2005:

I received an email from Alejandro which included a few photos of my birth mother and some of my siblings. The email is as follows:

Hello Chris:

I have attached 3 photographs of your biological family, located by the foundation for the reunion. In the first photo appears your brother Alexander (with the glasses), in the center your sister Mireya, who is 28 years old and your minor brother Oscar was is 13 years old.

In the Second photo is your brother John Jairo who is 21 years old, and your birth mother Magdalena Gomez.

In the third photo is your birth mother Magdalena Gomez, I wish you the best and hope to reunited you all soon. We await news , we greet you as a friend.

ALEJANDRO MUÑOZ GARZON
Fundador y Director Reencuentros.

Above is a photo of Magdalena Gomez, the woman believed to my birth mother. I can kind of see some resemblance, especially in the big ears =). Some people think we look alike but others don't see any connections. Before receiving a photo of my birth mother, I pondered what she would look like and thought to myself " I wonder if my mom looks like me?" then upon receiving a photo of her, the first thought that came to my mind was, that is not my mom. Not meaning that I didn't believe this person to be my true birth mother, but meaning that in my heart I felt that my mom is the person that raised me from a baby, my adoptive mother. I always knew this to be true but after seeing the picture, it really drove the point home. The person in this picture is very possibly the person that gave birth to me, and is my birth mother. But she is not my mom. My mother is Jeannine DePierro.
This is not to say that I have no feelings for my birth mother I do, and I truly can not wait to have a reunion with her and meet my family in Colombia. I hope that I can begin a relationship with my birth mother and in time be able to say that I am one of the very lucky people in the world to have two moms =). I would love to be able to spend time with her in Colombia and be able to learn about my relatives and my culture. I am also very excited to be able to meet my other siblings and my 90 year old grandmother.
As for the photos, that I received the rest of them are in the gallery section of this website. One thing that I find to be interesting about them is that most of my siblings look very white almost European. But they have a different father then I and Colombians come in all colors and shades =) . The one photo with my sister in it, looks more like me. I wonder if she is possibly from the same father. I feel that I look a lot like Julie, her photos are also including in the gallery section of the website. At this point, I will continue to gather more information about my birth mother and family. If all goes well and I find the concrete proof that this is my true birth mother, I will then start planning my return trip to Bogotá for my Reunion with her.

MID-APRIL 2005:

After the initial excitement and shock of hearing the news from Alejandro, I began to question a few things. I am curious as to how Alejandro went about finding my birth mother and what documents or information she gave him as proof that she is indeed the person that gave birth to me. I received a second email from Alejandro giving a few basic details, the email is as follows:

Greetings Christopher Gabriel DePierro:

We have found your birth mother Magdalena Gomez, born July 5th 1957 with the certificate of citizenship # of 35403949 of Zipaquira. She lives in Bogota, her mother is also alive and her name is Rosary Montano. Your mother has 5 children they are Mireya, Jhon Jairo, Oscar Alexander, Alexander, and Nelson Vincheri. They are between 13 and 28 years of age. The total cost of your investigation is $847, minus the $200 already paid. That leave $647 dollars left and you can pay 40% of that which would be $388 or the full amount. It is up to you what you think it was worth to you for all my work.

Thanks, Hug of Congratulations!!!

Founding ALEXANDER MUÑOZ GARZON and Funreencuentros Director.

From this email, the information that my birth mother provided to Alejandro matches 100% to the information in Julie's documents from FANA. The name, birth date, birth place, and Cedula # are exact matches. So this would lead to the fact that my birth mother is also the person that gave Julie up for adoption in 1979. I emailed Alejandro back asking about this and questioning what my birth mother said in reference to Julie's documents. I was told that when she was confronted with the information about Julie, she said has did not give another child up in 1979. So either the information in Julie's file from FANA is false or my supposed birth mother is not willing to admit to giving Julie up at this time. I could understand or believe that maybe my adoption information was falsified and added into Julie's file if we were both from the same adoption agency, but with Julie from FANA and me from La Casa, it seems far fetched. When looking at my files from La Casa 95% of the information was incorrect or falsified. Only the birth mothers name and her possible home town were correct. But in Julie's case all her information is there, with the most important piece the Cedula # matching my supposed birth mother. So, it would seem to me that there is more proof that this woman is Julie's birth mother, then there is proof that she is mine. This is why I email Alejandro again asking exactly how he went about finding my birth mother and what proof he had to link us. I also asked a number of other questions regarding my case. Here is a copy of the email I received back:

Hello Chris,

Her are the answers to the questions you have asked concerning your case. I do not understand English so well so Kristin Manzur handled the translations for me.

1. How did I locate your birth mother, did I use the name or the Cedula number?

We located your mother thanks to equipment, experts in tracking, identities and networks/nets of specialized searches, some of them using the official Colombian State files.

2. How can you be sure this you're my birth mother, what proof have you found?

From meeting her I am 100% sure she is your birth mother. She initially thought that I had found her brother who had been lost in the jungle for many years, and when I confronted her about you, she broke down and began to cry. She explained that she delivered you to La Casa because of pressure from her mother and from the boss of where she was working. The boss did not employ women with children. I do not think you need to have a DNA test done to prove that she is your mother; once I send you a picture of her you will see that she is your birth mother. I am an expert in this field and I am sure she is your mama.

3. Did you speak to her on the phone or did you meet her in person?

After we located her using our technical team, she was invited to come to the office. The first time she came she almost fainted when I told her about you and she cried greatly.
She returned a few days later with 2 of your minor brothers and she explained that she has been so sick thinking about what you must think of her, we had to calm her down. We then took some photos of her and her children, which I will email you in the future. She has called be about 10 times since the last meeting always asking about you and hoping to meet you soon. She explained that she keep you a secret and it was eating her up inside and now she has felt a little better about the situation.

4. Is the information Julie provided about her correct? And if so has she admitted to have given Julie up also into adoption?

I am sure she is your birth mother and the information in Julie's case file from FANA matches your Birth Mothers information 100%. When I asked her about Julie she said that she never gave up a girl baby. It could be that she is not ready to admit to Julie or it is possible that FANA got a hold of your file form La Casa and used it to fluff Julie's case. Have Julie contact me so we can start her case, so I can investigate it thoroughly.

5. Do any of my brothers or sisters share the same biological father?

Your brothers are the product of 3 different relations. You come from a relation between your mother and a merchant in the Department of Santander. She was employed at the restaurant and your birth father was the owner. Once she was pregnant he didn't want her working there no more. One of your brothers is from a relation with one gentleman and the three minor brothers are the product of the relation with the current husband.

6. Did my birth mother give you any information about my birth father?

The truth of your birth father is a painful topic for your mother and she needs time before speaking about it. We know a possible name and that he is currently living in Boyaca or Santander and possible continues to be a merchant. He was a man of certain prestige and social position, economically distinguished.

7. What does my mother do for work? Does she live in Bogotá?

Your mother continues to work as a domestic employee and also does kitchen work for a company. She lives in a humble village that is connected to the urban part of Bogotá, for the surrounding of the airport "The Gliding".

8. Is my birth mother happy about all of this?

She is counting the hours till she is able to see and embrace you. She wants to ask you to pardon her for giving you up for adoption. She remembers delivering you to La Casa, she undressed and kissed your whole body and also wet you with her tears. After she delivered you to La Casa, she fell ill with depression for 3 years, during which she thought of committing suicide often.

9. When do you think we can have the reunion?

Any day you want, we coordinate absolutely everything, do not worry. We ask you to give us 15 days notice before you decide to travel to Colombia, so we can coordinate the logistics and we can be able to demonstrate our accuracy. We wait for your decision.

10. Do my mother or brothers speak English?

Non of your biological relatives speak English. They are interested in you and work as domestic workers and have no need to learn the language. Maybe your minor brothers have learned to speak some English from school.

From the above information, it seems that Alejandro feels that FANA might of got a hold of my true adoption information and placed some it into Julie's folder. It seems weird that this could happen between 2 different adoption agencies, with over 4 years in between the events. But this could be actually what took place. This email doesn't provide me with any of the proof that lead to the positive confirmation that this woman is my birth mother. The email states that they used many strategies and checked a number of documents, but I still would like to see the actually data that was used to come to this conclusion. This is not to say that I think that Alejandro is wrong but when it comes to an issue of this kind, I feel proof is very necessary. In the mean time I have advised Julie to send her information to Alejandro so he can investigate farther then connection that our 2 cases share. I am under the impression that my birth mother might be ashamed to admit at this time that she gave Julie up 4 years after she gave me up. I hope that Alejandro can find out the truth in this matter. The email also included new information about my birh family, like the names of my siblings and what my mother does for a living and where she currently lives. It also gives some information as to the identity of my birth father and his current whereabouts. At this point, I look forward hearing more details about my case and what actually proof exists linking Magdalena to me.

April 2005:

I received news that Alejandro had recently located my birth mother. She currently lives in Bogotá along with her other children. Her name is in fact Magdalena Gomez, from Zipaquira. She was born July 5th 1957, with the Cedula # 35403949. Alejandro spoke with her a number of times on the phone and I believe he met with her one time in person. She was very happy to hear that I was looking for her and looks forward to a possible reunion in the future. I have a number of brothers and a sister living in Bogota currently, some live with my birth mother and a few live on their own. I am still unsure if any of the other siblings share a common father with me. Here is a somewhat translated copy of the initial email that Alejandro sent me:

Hello Greetings, Christopher Gabriel:

I must inform you with great emotion that we found your mother Magdalena Gomez. I spoke with her today and she informed me that she was also been looking for you. Let me say without a doubt that this is your mother; the similarities in the facial features are amazingly the same. She explained that when she had you she was going through very difficult emotional and financial times. Your mother was working as a domestic servant in a family's home and having new born baby would be difficult and she would be looked down upon. At three months of age she brought you to La Casa orphanage and gave you up. She told me that it was a very difficult decision to make and that she has been sad and depressed ever since. Her life has been very difficult and she has thought about you everyday. She explained that her mother your grandmother was the one to make the finally decision on giving you up for adoption.

She went on to explain that all the information that La Casa put in my file was false. She never went to school for art and your birth father never went to school to be a doctor. All she signed was the release papers and a few other documents. All of the other information was fluff to make the case look better, to help in moving the adoption along. Your birth mother Magdalena wants to thank your adoptive parents for providing a happy and safe life for you. She also wants to thank you from on her knees for forgiving her for giving you up and for she such affection towards her. She understands that she must have caused you a lot of pain and emotional distress with all of this, and is deeply sorry.

She says that you have 5 brothers, all of which live in Bogotá with her and her current husband. Your grandmother is also alive and is currently 90 years old. Your grandmother feels that it is a miracle of GOD that you have found them and she feels that she doesn't deserve to look upon you because she is the one that made the final decision to give you up for adoption. Your mother, brothers, sisters and grandmother wait with open arms to meet you.

Congratulations my friend,

Alejandro Munoz Garzon

Funreencuentros Director

After reading this letter, I was kind of in shock. I spent the next week or so, not knowing what to feel or think. I truly did not think that Alejandro would find anything this quickly, if ever. I was happy, sad, angry, depressed, excited, nervous, scared, and at times at peace. I was very curious about my birth mother and my family in Colombia. Wondering what they looked like, and what they did for a living and what life is like for them in Bogotá. But at the same time I felt worried and sad for my Adoptive family. Especially for my Mother and Father, I knew that this news might hit them hard and they would have to deal with feelings that they would not be uncomfortable with. I assured them that no matter what I do or do not find when I meet my birth family, that they would always be my Mother and Father.

March 2005:

I decided to send Alejandro the information about Julie's adoption via email. Julie's information matches my information 100% except for the Cedula #. The information is as follows:

Nombre: Magdalena Gomez
Cedula: 35403949
Lugar de Nacimiento: Zipaquira
Fecha de Nacimiento: Julio 5, 1957
Lugar de Votación: Nemocon

Julie's birth mothers name is the same as my birth mothers name according to the documents I received from La Casa. The Cedula #, does not match the # I have on my information. The Cedula # that is in my adoption information provided by La Casa is falsified along with all most of the other information in my file. The place of birth of Julie's birth mother matches my information about my birth mothers place of birth. The birth date of Julie mother coincides with my data. If my mother gave me up when she was 18 years old in 1975 then she would be 48 presently. So someone 48 today was born in 1957, just like Julie's birth mother. After going over our information a number of times, Julie and I came to the conclusion that we are sister and brother according to the current information we currently have. I hope that this information can help Alejandro get closer to finding either of our birth mothers.

FEBURARY 2005:

I visited Bogotá, Colombia from 2-19 to 2-26. This is the city of my birth and also the place I was adopted from. On Sunday my first full day in Bogotá I went to Zipaquira, a town about 45 minutes outside the city. The town is known for its Salt Cathedral and mining of stone and minerals. This is also the town that my biological mother was supposed to be from, but this is most likely false information. The Salt Cathedral was beautiful and a lot larger then I had imagined from the pictures I viewed prior to my visit. Luisa was kind enough to come with me to Zipaquira and took the 1 hour tour with me. Luisa is a colleague of my friend Erik, she lives in Bogotá along with her son Leonardo. After a long day in Zipaquira, I went to Luisa's mothers Apartment in Bogotá. There I met Maria Luisa ( Luisa's mother), and Elvira ( Maria Luisa's Neighbor ). Elvira speaks perfect English, and lived in Woodside, Queens, New York for many years. During my stay at the apartment, we had coffee, and some pastries and talked about my trip and about Colombia in general. After leaving Luisa's mother apartment I went to Luisa's home for an hour or so and met her son Leonardo. I returned to my hotel for a much needed night sleep, in the morning I would be meeting Kris Manzur, she would be coming with me to La Casa de Madre y Nino with me.
On Monday morning, I visited La Casa with Kris. La Casa is the orphanage that I was adopted from in 1975, when I was 4 months old. During my visit I saw all the rooms and the facilities, along with all the children that are currently residing there. I met Ines who is the 2nd in charge of La casa, and has been working their on and off for the past 30 years or so. Kris and I, spent some time visiting with the children and spoke at length with Ines about the current adoption issues in Colombia. At the end of the tour I was shown the book with all the adoptions from 1975 and the section were my pictures and information was at. My section had some shots of me and my adoptive parents and some shots that were sent back to La Casa after I was home in New York. I also signed the visitor's book which came along with the book of adoptions for my year. Ines then gave me my file to look at, this file is supposed to contain all the information about my adoption including the information about my biological parents. But my file was very thin, and had no new information for me. All it really contained was information about my adoptive parents and the info they sent in to get my adoption underway, like their marriage certificate and tax information. There was a photo copy of my amended birth certificate in the file but that was about all. I asked Ines if this was all that they had and she explained that this was it. After examining my file, we said our good byes and Kris & I left La Casa. The rest of the day I spent with Kris visiting the city and eating a number of traditional Colombian foods.
On Tuesday morning, I went to meet Alejandro Munoz. He is an investigator that helps people find their biological families or a missing relative. I went to Alejandro along with Annette Acevedo, she was a guide/translator I hired to help me during my visit. She translated for Alejandro because he does not speak any English. Alejandro examined all the documents about my adoption and concluded that 90 % of the information was false and most likely fabricated. My mothers Cedula number was totally false because it had 1 too many numbers and started with 57 which is impossible. Women born during the past few years have numbers is the 50's, but women born when my biological mother was should have numbers that begin with 20's or 30's. The rest of the information that was provided to my adoptive parents from La Casa was also fabricated. The only item that might be somewhat true is my biological mother's name. After going through all my information Alejandro suggested that I go back to La Casa and demand to see my true file, the file that has all my birth mothers information. This file would include the document where she signs me over to be adopted, this document would also have here true Cedula number and her finger print. So at this point, Alejandro is going to begin my investigation with the information he currently has. He explained that my case is like Kris's case in that there isn't a lot of data to work with but their is still hope that he will be able to find something in the future for me. After my time with Alejandro, I returned to my hotel for dinner.
On Wednesday, I went to the Museum de Oro, the Botero Museum, shopping, and to lunch with Maria Luisa, Elvira, and a friend of theirs that had a car to drive us around. Both museums were great and I had a very nice time talking and hanging out with the three ladies. During the late afternoon, Maria Luisa, Luisa, and I went to Monserrate. Monserrate is a mountain over looking the city of Bogotá, which is reached my cable car. We took a bunch of pictures up top and stayed till the sun went down so we could get some night shots of Bogotá. This was one of the spots I wanted to visit because my adoptive parents and I have a picture up on Monserrate from when I was a few months old, right before they took me home to New York. After Monserrate, I went to the mall with Luisa and Leonardo for pizza. Later that night I went out to Bogotá Beer Company with Kris and her two friends Ann and Tanya.
On Thursday, I returned to Alejandro with Kris. He had new information about Kris's case to give her and I also had to bring him my 2 head shot photos and my blood and hair samples. The rest of the day I spent going all around the city with Kris, shopping, exploring and Eating. We also met Adriana, Kris's friend who is a lawyer. Adriana is going to help us get information from La Casa that they are withholding. Later that day I went with Kris to the Kaplan class where she teaches the TOFEL and English classes.
On Friday, I spent the day with Kris shopping. I had to get a number of gifts for my family and friends. We went to many small shops all over the city and I ended up getting most of my items from one shop close to where Adriana's law office was. That night I went to a club with Kris, and Luisa. They both tried to teach me how to Salsa dance, I got the hang of some of the basics but I will need a lot of practice =).
On Saturday morning, I went to the airport to fly home to Florida. There were like 7 security check points and they went through all my bags 2 times. Kris came with me to the airport to make sure I got through ok and didn't get arrested or anything =). I got home to Sarasota at about 7 pm and I passed out.

I had an amazing time during my stay in Bogotá. The first thing that I felt was that I belonged, I felt at home. It was a great feeling to be somewhere where everyone looked like me, and I was just able to blend into the masses. This was something that I had never felt before in my life, I have always felt like I stuck out and was different from everyone else. The second thing that I felt was a connection to the Mountains that surround the city. They are so beautiful and green and feel like they hold the city together. But with the city being up within a mountain range, the elevation is 2600 meters above sea level, and it took me a few days to get used to the reduced oxygen.
I met so many great people during my stay including Alejandro, Elvira, Maria Luisa, Luisa, Leonardo, Adriana, Ann, Tanya, Annette, and Kris. Everyone made me feel welcomed and did all they could be made me feel at home. I especially want to thank Luisa and Kris for taking time out of their days to show me around the city. I hope to return to Bogotá in the future to possibly study Spanish at one of the Universities or maybe to get to meet my biological family if Alejandro is able to find out any information for me. So for now I can rest with the fact that I did make it back to Colombia after 29 years and I know that it will be an experience I will never forget.

January 2005:
I will be visiting Colombia from 2-19 to 2-26. I will be staying at the Hotel de La Feria in Bogotá. I plan on visiting La Casa, the orphanage I was adopted, and many other sites related to my story. I am very excited and can not wait for the trip.

December 2004:

I was recently contacted by a woman from Vermont who felt that she could possibly be my sister due to the fact that a lot of our adoption information matched. Mothers name, place of birth, and a few other important stats are exact matches, while other information like date of her birth and Cedula number were different. It was a very interesting conversation and was very exciting to get a call out of the blue from someone that might be a relative. I plan on staying in contact with Julie and looking closer at the documents to see if we have more then just coincidental connection.

November 2004:

I was lucky to be adopted by two very special people, and was brought to live in The United States of America. We moved to a house in Seaford, New York, a town about 25 miles outside Manhattan. Over the next 5 years, the family increased in number to six with the addition of my three sisters (1 in 79' and 2 in 80'). We all were given everything we could possibly want and were raised with the correct morals and values. I never felt like I was not loved as much, or treated differently from my sisters due to the fact that I was not my parent's biological child. In fact I feel I was treated extra special by my parents and close family relatives. I was told that I was adopted a few times as a child but I do not think I understood clearly what it meant and was not at all concerned with it. As I matured being different from my parents and siblings started to become more obvious, strangely we never had a family discussion about my adoption. This left me in the odd position of having to not talk about it and made me feel like it was a secret or something we shouldn't discuss. I am sure my sisters have felt weird and embarrassed about the situation that it put them in over the years. They were asked by many times about our family and about me, and were left without answers themselves to an extent. Years went by without any mention of my adoption from my immediate family, relatives or anyone. At this point I forgot about it and it was put into the back of my mind like it never happened. I went on through my middle and high school years not really having it on my mind or thinking about it except when I was put in a situation were it might be discussed. I was asked on a number of occasions point blank from friends about it and I was not prepared to come up with any answers. I had actually repressed my feelings on the issue so much that I was bordering on denial. One lie or denial of the facts spawns another, spawns another, spawns another then you have created a whole lie world for yourself. At some point you actually start to believe in the world you created, and you are trapped by something of your own design. This mind set that I had for much of my 29 years has had effects on every part of my life. From not wanting to meet new people out of fear that they would ask me questions I didn't want to discuss, feeling very uncomfortable in certain situations where heritage, race, family were a topic, not having a clear path or goal, developing a very negative self image of myself, not knowing who I am or where I came from, not knowing my native language, history, or culture, having bouts of depression, not feeling comfortable in my own skin, feeling embarrassed and ashamed, feeling misunderstood and disrespected, being very anger and mad on the verge of exploding at times, the list could go on and on. This way of acting negatively affected all of my relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. I did not start this course of events, but sadly I could have ended it at anytime. I was just not prepared and was honestly scared to take any action. I am very ashamed of letting myself fall into such a state and forcibly repressing my true self for so long. I feel that if my parents had explained more about my adoption and taught me about my heritage, language and culture, I would have turned out quite different. I do not blame them for the situation and hold no anger against either of them. They raised me to the best of their abilities and have given me more than anyone could dream of. I know that if I had brought this to their attention years ago they would have done everything they could have done to help me. My mother worked tirelessly for her family over the years, she supported her children in girl scouts, brownies, dancing school, music lessons, pee-wee football and baseball, school trips, and countless other activities. She always encouraged me and did anything she could to help me become a well rounded person. She is nice to a fault, and some say that she gave too much to her children but I feel that she did what she thought was right. My father has also done everything in his power to give me the best life I could possibly have. He worked 7 days a week as a carpenter for many years to support his family and never once asked for a break or complained about it. I am very proud of him and feel that if I end up being 1/10th of the man he is I would have accomplished something. It takes strong person to raise another mans son as your own, and to give your heart and soul to the cause. My dad has always made me feel special and continues too. I am a very lucky person have them as my parents, and love them both very much.

Sadly I do not feel comfortable or that I belong around most of the people in my life. This is not to say that I dislike them or have negative feelings toward them. I lived in a white world and have played the white role and done all the things that come along with that. But I am not white, or Italian like my father, I am a Colombian. But at the same time I feel disconnected from Hispanic people. I do not know the culture, language, or much of anything aside from what I have read and learned in school. I am basically in between the two with no connection to either one, except through birth. This caused feelings of isolation, depression and anger. Some of my anger was stemmed on by what I observed in white America during my 29 years. I was privy to all the inside talk that most non white people do not get to hear. Many of the white people I have had dealing with think they are better, and have something to say about ever other non white individual (I doubt this is a revelation to anyone). Some go about it in a joke like manner but the sentiment is still there. Most of these feelings come form a place of ignorance or a need to make ones self feel better about their own inadequacies. I watched all of my peers grow and mature over the years, and I was able to see that most of the stereotypic/racist views were a learned behavior over their formative years. This is not to say that their parents taught them these views consciously or were a major factor in the reinforcement of the ideas in every case. It was all around us and once a comment or view is openly expressed in a group and it is not immediately rebuked, it can become accepted and in some situations praised and encouraged. Many of the same people that have voiced these views have never had any negative interaction or experiences with their targets and are very cordial and overly nice when in their presence. I do feel ashamed that I did not stand up against these ideas, especially when they were focused on the Latino peoples. Most of the comments revolve around Hispanic people being dirty, greasy, lazy, stupid, poor, weak, and low. On occasion a comment was muttered about me, usually in a non direct way, but a few times it was very clear. I am not here to point people out, but they know who they are. The negative views against Spanish people were also expressed within my family, which I found hard to swallow at times. Off the top of my head I can only name a few individuals that I never heard a racist comment from. These people are my friend Erik, Allison and my mother. Erik is an Iranian Jew and has had his fair share of criticism but has not resorted to negative actions, which I respect him for. I understand that I am essential alienating 99% of the people in my life with these statements, but I speak the truth. This does not mean that all white people feel and act this way, but I can only go by what I have seen and heard over the last 29 years. I just recommended that people take a moment to think about things that they have said and thought over the years. I hold no grudges against anyone and I have put this behind me. I am a firm believer in the power of forgiveness. I hope anyone that I might have hurt with my actions over the years will see fit to forgive me. If anyone has a problem and wants to confront me on any issue I am more then happy to receive your phone calls or emails. Moving on………..

I was adopted from Bogotá Colombia, South America in 1975 from a place called La Casa De La Madre Y El Nino http://www.la-casa.org/. My birth parents decided to give me up for adoption due to the fact that they could not adequately provide for my well being. My mother was 18 and father was 21 at the time, making them 47 and 50 presently, if they have not died in the interim. My mothers name is Magdalen Gomez; she was born in Zipaquira (Cundinamarca), Colombia and gave birth to me on August 8th 1975. I have my mothers Cedula number (nr. 570307273 national identification number), if this number is correct it will make locating her somewhat easier. The name given to me by my birth parents was Camilo Zea, this name appears on all my documents, but I have been told that this may not be factual. I was informed that most babies for a given calendar year were given the same names, to protect birth families. Many babies adopted that year from La Casa have the Zea name. This by no means is proof that my birth name was not Camilo Zea but puts the information up for further investigation. I have gotten most of my information from two groups, one being Friends of La Casa ( People who were adopted from La Casa, many of whom have returned to visit), the second being Colombian Adoptee Search and Support ( Individuals adopted from all over Colombia). I always felt like I was alone, so upon my recent discovery of the 2 web groups I now see that there are 1000's of people with similar issues, which was very comforting. I am currently researching and planning a trip to Colombia. I plan on visiting the major historic and cultural sites in Bogotá as well as La Casa De La Madre Y El Nino. As you may know Colombia can be a very dangerous place and precautions need to be taken before any visit can be considered. In fact the U.S. government does not recommend and warns against any American Citizen from visiting Colombia, here is a link to the current State Department Warning http://travel.state.gov/travel/colombia_warning.html. After reading this information and countless other stories about bombings and kidnappings, I was quite discouraged about visiting Bogotá, until I spoke with people that have been there recently and people that are currently living there. They have explained to me that Colombia is a dangerous place, especially outside of the major cities, but Bogotá is as dangerous as any city of its size. Bogotá has sections that should be avoided and others where it is best to be on your guard. Being a native Colombian I will not have a problem blending in to the populous, but for a white person this is quite hard which can make them prime targets for criminals and petty thieves, which in turn helps fuel the warnings. Another issue I am concerned about is the language barrier that I will encounter during my trip. Not being able to speak, write, or understand the Spanish language is something that will pose problems and make certain things 10 times harder for me. Luckily I have found some English speaking contacts in Bogotá that will be able to show me around and keep me from running into the wrong people. I have also found a nice place to stay in Bogotá, which many families adopting from La Casa use. The hotel is called Zuetana http://www.zuetana.com/htm/uk/english2.htm, it is located in a residential district in Bogotá close to La Casa. The owner of Zuetana, Claudia Leyva has been volunteering at La Casa for many years and gives discounts to anyone with a special relationship to La Casa. I have spoken with Claudia via e-mail and she has explained a lot about Bogotá and what I should except on my visit. Claudia also will be able to set me up with an English speaking driver that she has known for quite some time to drive me to where I want to go in safety and comfort.

I am also in contact with Ines Elvira Cuellar de Fajardo; she is the sub directress at La Casa De La Madre Y El Nino. Ines explained to me that many people return to La Casa to visit and there has not been any problems for them security wise as of yet. She was very happy to hear from me and wondered why she had not heard from me until now. She also informed me that my birth parents have not had any contact with La Casa since I was released for adoption in 1975, but asked me to fax her any paperwork I have to aid her in helping me find out any information. Ines has invited me to visit La Casa at any time and looks forward to meeting me in Bogotá. I have been directed to contact a man named Alejandro Munoz Garzon, he in the founder of an organization that helps to find misplaced persons in Colombia. His organization is called The Foundation for the Reencounter http://www.reencuentros.org/ingles/que_es.htm, Alejandro works on a shoe string budget and does most of the investigation free after his initial starter fee. He has been helping people from La casa and other places find their birth parents, and is currently helping people from the Friends of La Casa group. I have been told that a reunion with a birth family can be a joyous experience, but there are also cases where the encounter was less then pleasant for all involved. I also understand that I have to be clear with myself about my intentions before I plan any meeting. Am I looking to build a relationship with these people? Am I just looking for information about my background? I have to be prepared that if I do find anyone that they might not be interested in having contact with me at all for their own personal reasons. On the flipside they might want a relationship with me that might be more then I am prepared to deal with at the time. In either case, I will be able to gather information that will help me move closer to understanding who I am. I know that I can not expect all my problems to be solved by this visit or by one day possibly contacting my birth parents, but at least it will give me something that I have never had, an identity that I can call my own and a starting place for a new life. A life away from the sadness, anger, fear, depression, and isolation that I struggled with for the longest time. I do not know exactly what this will entail or precisely where this will take me. But I do know that I will need the help and support of my family and friends during this trying time. Over the next few months I will be researching and learning all I can about Colombia in preparation for my trip. I am also considering a language immersion school www.EF.com. These are intense language programs where you live with a host family and learn the language as it is spoken in everyday life, along with regular class lessons. It is easier to pickup a new language when you hear it everyday. You are forced to learn it to be able communicate with the people around you. Most of these programs are based in countries were Spanish is the primary spoke language, but some are in the United States. I am going to join as many groups as I can that will put me in more regular contact with Latino peoples. This is quite easy with the Internet and other outlets in the part of Florida were I am currently living. I am open to any suggestions or advice that anyone might have that would help me along. The reason I chose to put this information on the Internet was to be able to reach as many people as possible in the easiest possible way. It would have been hard to introduce all of this information on a person to person basis, going from house to house. I have no expectation from anyone out there that is reading this or except a positive reaction. The voicing of this information is more for my own growth, and is a long over due catharsis for me. This is just the first step in a long hard journey for me, but I feel positive about the situation and look forward to whatever is in store for me over the next few years. Good luck and God Bless

RISKY CHRIS