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Téa, from @girls.adoption.connect, and Julia, from @unavision_diferente, discuss the importance of reflecting and researching adoptee DNA testing in light of the recent 23&me bankruptcy filing.

Note: This is not an endorsement for deletion of data from 23andMe’s platform.

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#adoption#adoptee#adoptions#adopts#adoptees#adopt#transracialadoption#transracialadoptee#internationaladoption#adoptionstory#adoptionstories#adopteestories#adoptioncommunity#adoptionadvocacy#dna#dnatesting#dnagenetics#genetics#genetictesting#china#chinaadoption#23andme#ancestory

When my parents were traveling to China to adopt me in 2005, they used Lotus Travel to help them plan. Almost 20 years later, I’m honored to be able to help share their work in helping adoptees’ connect with their culture.
— Téa Tamburo, Girls Adoption Connect founder

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#adoption#adoptee#adoptees#adopt#adopts#adoptions#transracialadoptee#transracialadoption#internationaladoption#adoptionstory#adoptionstories#adopteestories#adoptionjourney#adopteevoices#adoptioncommunity#china#chinaadoption#heritage

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Hi, my name is Alaina, and I am 19 years old. My Chinese name is 包凯 (Bāo kǎi). I was adopted from the Fuling District in central Chongqing, China at 13 months old, and I now split my time between Davis and Sacramento, California.

Growing up as a Chinese adoptee has been a journey of navigating between two worlds. In a predominantly white community, I often felt like I didn’t quite fit in. Despite the unwavering support and love from my friends and family, I struggled with the feeling of being caught between two cultures — too American to fully connect with my Asian heritage and too Asian to feel completely at ease within American culture. This internal conflict made it challenging to understand my sense of identity and belonging.

My family, though supportive, had no Chinese background, and I wasn’t exposed to much of my heritage growing up. This lack of cultural connection often left me feeling disconnected from my roots. During middle and high school, I distanced myself from my Chinese heritage in an effort to fit in with my peers, which only deepened my sense of isolation.

It wasn’t until I started college that I began to embrace and reconnect with my cultural background. Sharing my journey as an adoptee and rediscovering my heritage has been a meaningful and empowering experience. I am currently a Biology student at the University of California, Davis. My passion for science and discovery drives me, and I am excited about the future opportunities in my field. Outside of academics, I’ve spent over a decade swimming — something I’ve loved doing for as long as I can remember. I also enjoy repairing bikes, which is a fun way to blend my interest in mechanics with a bit of creativity.
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#adopted#adopt#adopts#adoptee#adoptees#adoption#adoptions#adoptionstories#adoptionstory#adoptionjourney#adoptioncommunity#transracialadoption#transracialadoptee#internationaladoption#china#adoptedchild#chinaadoption#shareyourstory#adopteevoices#adopteestories#adopteemovement#adopteesspeak#chongqing#china

The past year has been a turbulent one for the Asian adopted community. We connected with fellow adoptees when China ended international adoptions, educated the wider community about Korean adoption history, and continued raising awareness about DNA testing and the Asian American experience. Through all of this, I’ve had the utmost privilege of hosting this page to raise awareness and amplify our collective voices as adoptees.

Over the past year, it’s been a joy to be a part of uniting and advocating for the adopted community. To everyone who have been supportive along the way: thank you for the opportunity to share my story as an adoptee and for the privilege of amplifying and advocating for adoptees’ voices the past four and a half years. While complex, it was an honor and one of the highlights of my year to share responses from adoption agencies in September and seek answers for us all regarding the end to Chinese international adoption. When I started this community in 2020, I never imagined we’d be where we are. As we progress into the new year, more adoptees’ spotlights and adoption content will be forthcoming. Cheers to 2024!

With love,
Téa Tamburo, Girls Adoption Connect founder

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#2025#newyear#happynewyear#newyear2025#20242#2025goals#adoptee#adoptees#adoption#adoptions#adopt#adopts#adoptionadvocacy#transracialadoption#transracialadoptee#internationaladoption#adoptionstory#adoptionstories#adopteestories#adoptionjourney#adoptedchild#adoptioncommunity#adoptionawareness#adopteevoices#adopteemovement

It’s almost 2025! In the past year, Girls Adoption Connect has shared 13 adoptees’ spotlights, 12 informative posts about identity and reached over 2,000 members in the adoptee community. This year, Current Culture Connections was created and features over 40 Mandarin and Korean pieces. With the news of China ending international adoption, Girls Adoption Connect published exclusive Q&As from three agencies/non-profits who work on Chinese adoption.

Given that 32 pieces have been published in the span of 50 weeks, Girls Adoption Connect will be resurfacing some of the year’s highlights on Instagram stories and the website. Starting tomorrow, and running through Dec. 31, tune in to revisit some of the highlights from the year!

Some of the pieces that will be resurfacing:
- Breaking the ‘Bamboo Ceiling’
- Adoptee spotlight: Laura, 林浪 @lauralang_lin
- Adoptee spotlight: Madeline Chu @wxnnzhxnn

Want to be featured in next year’s Year in Review? Visit the link in bio to share your story!

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#2024#2024year#2025#newyear#happynewyear#adoption#adoptee#adoptions#adoptees#adopt#adopts#transracialadoption#transracialadoptee#internationaladoption#china#korea#chinaadoption#adoptionstory#adoptionstories#adopteestories#adoptionjourney#adopteevoices#adoptioncommunity#adoptedchild#adoptionawareness#adopteemovement#shareyourstory#newyears#happynewyears#happynewyear2025

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In June 2005, I was adopted from the Gansu province, in China, at a year old. My name changed from Jin Qiao Mei to Sonoma and my home became Colorado.

I have always known I was adopted and I always knew I was Chinese. How could I not? I grew up going to adoption camps and heritage camps, with family friends and my siblings(who were also adopted). Despite knowing I’m Chinese, I have rarely felt that way, in fact, I felt rejected from the culture altogether, I felt different in every way. And honestly, that’s the last thing I wanted to feel.

When I tried to embrace the culture I lost I ended up feeling more like a stranger to myself, different from the people around me. When I tried to learn Mandarin in my first year of high school, I was told, by my teacher (who was Asian), that I should already know the language and that because I didn’t know the language I was different.

When I visited China, my sister’s tanned skin was criticized, and my skin was darker, at the time, so I can only imagine what they thought. Yet again the difference between who I am and who people believed I should be was prominent. I was too Chinese for some and too white for others. I was different from both the “typical Chinese girl” and the “typical white girl.” I’ve been trying to find my identity in this strange middle ground between my genetic heritage and the one I primarily grew up with. Trying to find who I am within the differences that surround me.
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#adopted#adopt#adopts#adoptee#adoptees#adoption#adoptions#adoptionstories#adoptionstory#adoptionjourney#adoptioncommunity#transracialadoption#transracialadoptee#internationaladoption#china#adoptedchild#chinaadoption#gansu#shareyourstory#adopteevoices#adopteestories#adopteemovement#adopteesspeak

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Discussing DNA testing amid 23andMe's bankruptcy filing

Téa, from Girls Adoption Connect, and Julia, f rom Una Visión Diferente , discuss the importance of reflecting and researching adoptee...

Apr 10

Lotus Travel's adoptee heritage survey

When my parents were traveling to China to adopt me from in 2005, they used Lotus Travel to help them plan their travel. Almost 20 years...

Apr 8

Adoptee spotlight: Alaina

Chongqing, China --> Davis & Sacramento, California Hi, my name is Alaina, and I am 19 years old. My Chinese name is 包凯 (Bāo kǎi). I was...

Jan 5

Cheers to 2025!

Wishing you a happy new year from Girls Adoption Connect! The past year has been a turbulent one for the Asian adopted community. We...

Jan 1

Adoptee spotlight: Jenna Lee Kim; 2024 year in review

Korea --> Pennsylvania, United States My name is Jenna Lee Kim, and I'm a transracial, transnational Korean adoptee who grew up in rural...

Dec 31, 2024

Overview of adoptee DNA testing; 2024 year in review

A breakdown of DNA testing and how to get started. Note: This is to educate about DNA testing, not to promote or discourage it. Source:...

Dec 30, 2024

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