About the Author: My name is Alex Marking. I am 17, I go to Greenhill School, and I was adopted from Paraguay. A couple years back, I went on a trip to Paraguay with The Ties Program. This year in school, we were assigned a project that revolved around something we felt strongly about. We were encouraged to give insight to … Read More
My Journey of Self Discovery By Guest Author Elizabeth Mija Stanley
About the author: Elizabeth, aka Mija, traveled with The Ties Program when she was 15 years old. She wrote this essay for her college entrance exams, and recently updated it for a college English paper. She is currently 28 years old, attesting to the fact that the trip is a “beginning” or a day of birth as Mija states in … Read More
Homeland Travel Reactions of the Kids, Nico’s Story
By Guest Author Molly Kaye, aka Mom Nico and I returned from his birth country in January, and Nico headed back to school. Since our return, his teacher has commented how different he seems. She says he is participating more eagerly in class and is more open and engaging. He was always a popular and charismatic kid, but now he … Read More
Why Birth Country Visits are So Compelling
By guest author Doris Jacobs In taking my son Andrew on a birth country trip, I had hoped to reinforce his personal identity—that it is great to be who he is and to value who he is becoming, including where he was born and where his personal history began. • Being able to say and really understand “This is the … Read More