Tag Archives: video

Interview With My Mother About the Book

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The other weekend I was visiting my parents and I was able to sit down with my mother and talk about the book. We talked about the research that went into it and how she spent time with my birth family trying to piece together the story.

If you can’t see the video above click here.

The Idea For the Book

Originally it was going to be a project for both my mother and father, but they quickly realized that someone had to take full responsibility. In 2002 my mother was finishing up another book she was working on and she decided that it was a great opportunity to start.

The Research

In 2004 she got serious about starting the book and began by taking Spanish classes. She knew she would have to have difficult conversations with my family and it would be best to do those in Spanish. My mother and brother both took classes in Costa Rica to help improve her Spanish language skills.

In late 2005 she was at a point where her Spanish was good enough to start interviewing people. She spent a couple of weeks living with members of my birth mother and birth father’s families. During this time there was a lot of opportunity for conversation and to dig a little deeper. They started to remember a lot of details that we did not know before, and helped piece together the story. They also helped her dig up old newspapers which provided a context for our story.

We talked about the repression of memory and how we learned a lot of new information very quickly. My mother talks about how her own records reminded her about pieces of the story she had forgotten.

She really wanted people to be a part of the journey we experienced. To go from not knowing, to putting the pieces back together.

We Want to Hear From You!

My mother and I had been talking about the power of social networks and how it relates to the book. I thought it would be neat if people could come back to the Facebook group and leave their thoughts about her work. She would love to hear what people think about it and so would I. You can also leave a comment on this post. Hope to hear from you!

Video From My Talk at Wentworth

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The talk I made at my school went very well. There was a good group of about 25 to 30 people there. We also had another 25 people come and go online.

I was really disappointed because I forgot to press the record button before starting the talk. I wanted to share this with everyone who wasn’t able to make it. However, Vinnie came to the rescue and recorded almost the entire talk, which you can watch below. The video quality isn’t great but I really can’t complain because I’m lucky to have anything.

Thank you to everyone who came and watched online. It was a great experience and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

My mother and I may be streaming live from Wellesley College on the night of the 28th. When it’s confirmed I will post the event info.

If you can’t see the video above click here to watch it.

In Adoption and Life, You Are Not Alone

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Saturday Night’s Dinner

Those of you who been following the Facebook page know that this past Saturday I had a dinner with other Salvadoran adoptees. It was a great event. I met some new people and reconnected with some old friends. I thought about the weekend, and some of the themes that were talked about during the dinner. I decided to make this video as a way to recap the weekend.

You Are Not Alone

One of the themes that came up during the dinner was the idea of being alone. Not because we didn’t have great families and friends to lean on, but the uniqueness of our experiences made it hard for people to relate our feelings. I know that when I first heard of someone else being reunited with their family it meant a lot to me. I felt like there was finally someone who really understood what I had gone through. I had the feeling that some of the others felt that this weekend too.

If there was one take away from this weekend, it’s that you are not alone. No matter what you have gone through or are going through there are people out there who have gone through similar situations. While they may not understand completely, talking to them can help you deal with the issues at hand.

I was asked a couple times how I was able to be so open about everything that happened. I think that a big part had to do with the fact that I talked to others about what I was going through. Although they didn’t always understand, sometimes they said something that made me stop, think and eventually feel better. So if you are feeling alone try to find someone who has gone through something similar. You never know what might happen.

More to Come

Thank you everyone that has been leaving comments on the Facebook page. I put up an interview with one of the co-producers of a documentary about the effects of the war 17 years later. It’s going to be a great film, so check out the video to find out more. If you haven’t joined the page then you should join, and if you aren’t on Facebook then now is your chance. I’m also planning some more interviews so check back soon.

Switching sides: Eva Interviews Me About My Plans For the Future

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Here is an interview Eva did with me right before I left Costa Rica the other week. I had to break it into two parts because it went over the youtube time limit and I didn’t want to cut anything out.

We talk about what it was like for me growing up in America and some of my plans for the future. The audio quality isn’t the greatest but it’s still a really great interview.