whitney's CUTE family

and aqila and her husband-to-be, ke'len!

thanks juli, love your writing and your story. i am chinese (and hawaiian and white), born in the usa and adopted to white parents (who also adopted 9 other kids of varying backgrounds). so, i also do not know ANYONE who looks like me or has my same ethnic mixture. i have visited china and hawaii and am always evaluating the women there and comparing myself to them ("do i look like her?").
my advice to parents who are adopting interracially, especially when the child is coming from another country, is yes, find special ways to honor that child's culture, or at least always talk it up, brag about it, so the way that they feel "different" is in a good way ("special"). learn about that culture and share that with the child.
i would have appreciated that extra bit of culture growing up. i have to admit that i feel a bit jipped. of course i feel so lucky to live in this country. but i appreciate my unique ethnic background and wish that i had parents or grandparents who could share it with me. i want a chinese grandmother who can help me cook authentic potstickers, or a hawaiian mama to teach me to hula. so it has been up to me to seek out these things. a fun and interesting journey!