Changing to Korea

Ok, when Dan and I came to the decision to start the adoption process we knew that we were interested in Asian countries mainly. When we had 2 friends tell us stories of China adoptions and that made us feel good about choosing China as our country but after seriously researching this over the last week (I am talking spreadsheets and reading tons of websites and joining about 5 different chat groups) I think that I feel better with Korea. We both want to stay with Asian countries over South American or African, so our choices were basically: China, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan or Thailand.

Here is a simple comparison of the 2 countries (China and Korea)

Average Age of Child at placement: China-10-14 months, Korea - 9-12 months
Gender: China mostly girls, Korea slightly more boys than girls
Average total cost: China $22,000, Korea $25,000
Care of Child: China mainly orphanage, Korea foster care after first couple weeks in an orphanage
Medical Care: China - depends on region, orphanage. Korea - excellent medical care on par with USA standards
Average Wait from start to finish: China - 22months-36months, Korea - 14-18months

Really after looking at that breakdown, and alot more factors I wont bore you with, Korea just seems like a better option. The wait is shorter, the babies are kept in foster families instead of large orphanages so developmental delays are far less common and I think a couple thousand more dollars is worth it if you look at long term success and health of the child.

Both programs are very stable and that's also a key factor for us. So we are now looking into agencies and talking to people online who have used various agencies so we find a good fit for us. I have also been reading alot of blogs. My favorite one so far is listed on my links section (A holding pattern) Here is a post that really sticked out to me. It describes when the family was about to get their adoptive son at the agency office in Seoul and the foster mom who had been raising him (her 5th foster child but 1st one where she met with the adoptive parents):

At 1:45, we left to walk the 2 blocks to the H01t Korea office. This would be the last block we would walk as a mere couple. The last door we would walk through.

When we arrived, Munchkin was in one of the ground-level playrooms with his foster mother and the social worker. It seemed like they were wrapping up some paperwork. We took final photos together. His foster mother gave us even more gifts - more outfits for Munchkin, all his favorite toys, and a music box. Over the course of three days, she had given us so many gifts that I was profoundly embarrassed. I wish I had brought more gifts for her.

His foster mother was so sad. Tears ran down her face, as she silently stroked Munchkin's cheeks and gave him final kisses. She was worried, and gave us lots of final instructions. Make sure we put cream under his knees. He loves bath time. He needs a bottle in 1 hour, about 5 oz. He doesn't usually cry unless something is wrong. Make sure we have umbrellas and a hat for Munchkin when we go to the airport on Sunday. Make sure he is bundled up when we go outside. She cried. I cried.

Not every foster parent is going to be like that obviously but if given the choice I would want my future child raised by a family than an orphanage. That ended up being the major factor, plus the shorter time frame that made us switch from China to Korea.