I have been as curious about my foster family as much as I’d be interesting in root tracing my birth family. I even did a whole art project explore my foster family, on [Sock Bunnies] page.
After receiving my adoption papers last year, I’d followed up with HK social services asking if it might be possible to find out details of my foster family who I was with from 5months-12months. They were also an ex-pat family living and working in HK at the time, like my parents. Earlier this year they told me that they had sent a letter to my foster family’s last known address, but since they had not heard a replay in many months it was very likely that their address from the 1980’s would not be correct.
I was seriously disheartened. Before there always seemed like hope, but yeah, I felt sad that I prob. would never know.
As a last ditched attempted I phoned my parents, who had very briefly meet my foster family at the time, and asked them to dig deep into their memories for anything information even if tiny. They had always known the last name, Corby, which they told me long ago, but I’d never find anything fruitful from an Internet search in the past as without a first name is pretty difficult. However this time they remember what job my foster father had at the time.
So, having nothing to lose I spent a few days searching the internet for clues… for anything. I thought I might be on a lead, a possible first name. I came to the last company that this person might have worked for. I was scared but I wrote to what seemed like a dated old email, but wrote all the same.
How do you start an email like that!!!?
I basically started out along the lines of “Errrrr… don’t suppose…”.
The email bounced straight back. Sign. I only had one thing left to do, I emailed the company it’s self and asked if someone had worked for them with that name, though I made sure not to say why I was trying to find the person and to pass my details on if they did. They emailed me the very next day saying basically “Yes, here’s his email.” Ok this is the bit I feel bad about, cos there is a reason there is data protection, plus there was no way of knowing in the slightest it was the same guy.
After two weeks I gave up on the idea of getting a reply, and believed I’d had the wrong person. Then I woke up to find not one but two emails. The first saying that it was indeed my foster father. The second was from my foster sister, the one that had given me my name.
Since then I have been in contact with my foster mother, who now lives int he UK and stay in regular contact with my foster sister who still lives in Hong Kong!! I hope I’ll be able to meet them in person some day =D.
I found out how I got my name and have heard little stories here and there about my time with them. For me it was touching to know that even though I was only there for a short time but I was their family for that time and to know I wasn’t forgotten. For me, they now just feel like extended family and I’m glad to have them back in my life.
I feel like a weight has been lifted from me. I still continue to (slowly) search for my birth mother but I have find some peace.
Also my sockbunnies.com/about/ website page for my foster story and photos given to me by my foster family when I was adopted.
