Hi! My name is Heather Nguyen and I was born sometime in the summer of 1974 at the tail end of the Viet Nam war. I don’t know where I was born or how I came to be found, but I was. I spent the first 9 months of my life in Vietnamese orhpanages before being evacuated with hundreds of other children out of the country during Operation Babylift. I was adopted into a Caucasian family in rural Canada where I was one of only a few non-whites in a 60+ mile radius. Actually, to be truthful – it was more like a few hundred miles.

I’m now living in the large multicultural city of Montreal, Quebec and working as an ESL teacher and editor. I’m a big reader and am a passionate advocate of an ethical diet and proper nutrition as a means of healing indivduals, communities and the planet.

Over the last number of years I have spent a lot of time talking with parents about my experiences growing up transracially adopted and how that has affected me as a child and now as an adult. I am excited to do the same here with Juli and JoLynn and you because it is truly one of the most satisfying things I have ever done.

Hello world!

I am Juli Jeong Martin, formerly known as Hye Won Jeong. According to my file, I was born June 25, 1985 in Lee, South Korea.

I was adopted by white parents as an infant, arriving in JFK airport December 28, 1985. I lived until I was two and a half in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and then moved to Summit, NJ where my parents still reside. I am the youngest of three children – a sister (7 years older than me) and a brother (10 years older than me). I am the only adopted child in my family. The town I grew up in was also overwhelmingly white, and I was very conscious of my difference.

I currently am a second third year college student at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, and the founder/editor of Grinding Up Stones: the Asian Adoptee ‘Zine.

It took me a long time, however, to discover myself as a part of Asian America. Although I’d struggled with the fact that I was told I was like everyone else (white) but treated differently, I’d never really developed a racial consciousness. Upon arriving at Oberlin College, however, that began to change. I soon came to see myself not only as a person of color but as a part of the Asian American community as well. I also met other adoptees and began having conversations about experiences and identity.

These conversations would shape the way I thought of myself and foster my entrance into the adoptee community. At the ripe old age of 21, I’d finally begun to figure out who and why I was. I feel like I came into my consciousness very late, despite knowing many older adoptees in the same situation. I hope to facilitate this discovery in other adoptees, young and old through my work with Grinding Up Stones.

In my (very rare) spare time I enjoy cooking, baking, crafting, writing and playing with my wonderful kitten, Cinnamon.

]]> http://gusparents.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/introduction-juli/feed/ 2 julijeong Jeong Hye Won May, 2008 http://gusparents.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/welcome-to-the-parents-corner/ http://gusparents.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/welcome-to-the-parents-corner/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 23:22:02 +0000 julijeong http://gusparents.wordpress.com/?p=5 ]]>

Hello all,

My name is Juli and I am the founder of Grinding Up Stones: the Asian Adoptee ‘Zine. Although GUS is meant to be a space for adoptees, I felt it was important to provide resources for adoptive parents, as well. Here, adoptive parents can submit questions and receive answers from three different adoptees, each with their own story, experience and opinion. Hopefully this will stimulate productive dialogue and enrich the lives of adoptees and their families.

So, parents, please address your questions to: info@grindingupstones.com

First, a few ground rules:

1) Speak from the ‘I’. This is one of my favorites. Don’t assume that you represent an entire community, and likewise don’t assume that one person can speak for a group.

2) Respect other people’s process. We’re all individuals here, and our lives are informed by our experiences and positionality.

3) Assume good intentions. No one is here to hurt anyone else.

4) Try on the process. It may sound trite, but you you don’t know someone else’s life until you’ve walked in their shoes.

This list is a work in progress and hopefully will be added onto as time goes by!