Trying to Create a Life in the Country
When I came to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo three years ago, I bounced around temporary homes in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. Even though moving around a lot was difficult, I liked the pace of big cities. I was 16 and had graduated from high school in the DRC, but […]
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Writing My Way to Love
Names have been changed. Although my brother Zack was a year older than I was, sometimes I felt like the big sister. I was bolder than he was and I stuck up for him when he was about to be beaten by our adoptive parents. I would have done anything for him. We had a […]
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Life On My Own
Foster care was a pretty good experience for me. I came into care when I was 15, and was placed with a good foster mother, Blanca, right away. She helped me stay on track, and so did some of my foster care workers. My caseworker Candice Sparkman really motivated me: She was my agency mom. […]
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I Finally Got an Apartment, but I Still Want to Be Adopted
Names have been changed. My parents abused and neglected me, and I went into care when I was 15. I lucked out getting Teresa for a foster mother. She was the first true mother figure I had. Six years later, I am still living with her and she is in the process of adopting me. […]
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