Our International House of People: September 2012

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Officially DTC

Yep that's right today our agency express mailed our Dossier to China. We are one step closer to baby Taite. Wow it has been a long journey so far but one hurdle is now crossed.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Quick Update and Happy Birthday

Today is Zach's 11th birthday. Time is flying. I think the one hard thing when you adopt older children is that you miss out on so many years. Hopefully we all have very long lives to make up for those missed years. Zach had a small low key birthday at home. We did gifts and an angry birds cake which apparently is the hot new kid cake. We also did the class cupcakes today since it is his last year in elementary school. I am so glad that he had a great day.

Our dossier also reached our agency today!!!! Yep after months of waiting our dossier is in their hands and they are about to send it off to China. I guess now everything is becoming real.

Hopefully I will find more time to blog about the wait but with the kids keeping me busy between school, dance, gymnastics, cub scouts, etc. I barely have time anymore. Speaking of activities Lennah got moved up to division 3 gymnastics 2 weeks ago. This is the step before she starts out on a team. Yep only 5 years old and her next step is team gymnastics. We couldn't be prouder.

We did get a quick update on Taite this month but no picture :(. She is doing so well and we are so happy that nothing is holding her back. Apparently she is a good little helper and she has a great vocabulary since she is speaking in full sentences and is not even two yet.

History of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the oldest known cradles of civilization known to man. Christianity was brought to the Kingdom of Axum around the 4th century AD and later in the 7th century Islam was introduced. Foreign missionaries were introduced to the region around the 1630's. Because of these unwelcomed guest Ethiopia did not welcome foreign Christians and Europeans into their lands. Its isolationism may have saved the country from 19th century colonialism. In 1936 Italian facists entered the region and forced its emperor into isolation but was later returned when the British and the French defeated the Italians. Civil unrest would lead to the demise of the aging emperor and in 1974 a socialist sort of government was named. The country went through a period of red terror that was funded by the Soviets and Cuba. This lead to the implementation of a communist government being installed in the late 1970's, early 1980's. In 1989 the country went through a period of famine that also lead to a change in governments. Finally, in 1994 the country would declare its independence and later hold free elections.

History of Vietnam

For about two thousand years Vietnam was ruled by China, following this period it would become independent for the next almost thousand years. In the 1800's it would be colonized by the French. The early 20th century would bring about visions of an independent republic. In 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent and renamed it the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. By 1947 a full-scale war would break out between the French and the Viet Minh (Ho CHi Minh's followers). China also began to aid the Viet Minh at this time due to its own communist revolution. July, 1954 the Geneva Accords would be sign paving the road to France leaving Vietnam; however, it would partition Vietnam into 2 independent states seperated by the 17th parallel. The South was helped by the United States, while the North would be dominated by the Viet Minh. By 1963 the South's government was very unstable. 1965 President Lyndon Johnson would send troops into Vietnam. The North would lead a massive attack in 1968 destroying much of the South. In 1969, Ho Chi Minh died but his forces remained in tact. By the early 1970's many Americans viewed the war as unwinnable and would prove unsuccessful at containing communism. January 1973 the Paris Peace Accords were signed ending the United States role in the war. In 1975 Saigon would fall to the North Vietnamese and in July of 1976 the two parts were reunified into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The war was disastrous for the Vietnamese people leaving an estimated 1 million to become boat people, 1 million imprisioned, and more than 100,000 killed. Today, Vietnam still has a communist form of government and although they are a developing nation many people remain extremely poor.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Officially DTC

Monday, September 17, 2012

Quick Update and Happy Birthday

Ho Chi Minh City

Addis Ababa

Hohhot City

My Blog List

Blog Archive