Adoptee spotlight: Rose

Hubei, China -> Charlottesville, Virginia

Hi, my name is Rose. I’m 19 years old and live in Charlottesville, Virginia. I was adopted when I was two years old from Hubei, China. I have two sisters; my older sister isn’t adopted, and my younger sister is adopted. 

I was found in the stairway of the radiology section of a children's hospital by a nurse named Ying. She took me to the local police station, and they put an ad for me in the local newspaper. After a couple of days had passed and no one claimed me, I was taken to the local orphanage, where I stayed and lived for the first two years of my life. When I was two, my family adopted me. My family already had a daughter who happened to be three years older than I, and a couple of cats.

"I grew up in a supportive family that was always up front and honest about my adoption."

I grew up in a supportive family that was always up front and honest about my adoption. Adoption was never the frontline of our story. People would stare and ask us questions, especially when I was younger. But I was raised in a small rural town where everyone knew everyone. Therefore, everyone knew who I was and was familiar with my story.  I was one of the few Asian kids in my town. I was bullied throughout elementary and middle school. Classmates used to tease me about my eyes, fingers, and culture.  I knew I was different. I never fit in with the white students, but didn’t fit in with the Asian ones either. As a child, I used to want to dye my hair blonde and get blue eye contacts so that I would look like my peers. But as I got older, I became more confident in myself and my story. I believe my story is special and unique, and no amount of hate can take that from me.