Dear Birth Family,
I would like to begin by saying that I respect and admire your courageous choice to plan an adoption for your child. Though I cannot pretend to fully understand the difficulty of this decision, I know it is one you have made with great courage and love. I want to take a moment to tell you a bit about who I am, what my life looks like, and hopefully give you an understanding as to why I would like to bring your child into my life, my family, and my community.
My name is Marie, and one of the most important things you should know about me is that I have always wanted to be a mother.
I had hoped to find the right partner, but I remain single. When I think about my life, I cannot help but count my blessings. The best things about my life, which I hope to highlight on this page are:
1. My home is in a paradise with an idyllic community that is warm and welcoming
2. My work is both meaningful and extremely flexible
3. My friends are loyal, wise, and generous
4. My family is large and fun
5. My personality is fun and adventurous, and I long to share new adventures with your child
A Brief Background on Me:
I am originally from New Jersey, and I was born the first of three children. My father is half Irish and half Slovak and was born in NJ. My mother was born in Portugal. I grew up speaking English, but I have also learned Spanish and Portuguese through family, school, and the countries in which I've lived. I believe in the power of being multilingual and would raise your child to be bilingual.
When you look at my pictures, you'll see that I have huge extended families on both my mother and father’s sides. Family is a big part of my life, and I’m very close to my cousins. However, I feel blessed because not only do I have a large extended family, but my friends and community are also part of what I consider family. I have become a surrogate aunt to my friends’ 3 daughters and 3 sons. I love to take them to the beach, the playground, and the pool. I also like to spoil them with Kinder eggs and ice cream, and all the junk they’re not normally allowed to eat. I practice speaking English with them, which is one of our favorite things to do together. They love practicing, and because I love teaching – it’s become a favorite pastime of ours.
I am thankful for my upbringing. From an early age, my parents instilled in me the value of education. After college, I became a middle and high school math teacher in the US, and now I run my own business teaching test prep for high school and college students. I absolutely love teaching, and I never grow tired of what I do – not just because I value education, but primarily because I love working with students.
My Profession:
I am an educator: it’s in my blood. I deeply value education, and I think a solid education is one of the greatest gifts a person can receive. When I decided to start my own business in education, one of the things I was most excited about was the opportunity to have greater flexibility. This is definitely one of the best things about my job. I conduct all lessons online from my home in Portugal; I work approximately 20 hours a week and make a good living. Not only does my job allow me the flexibility to make my own schedule and work from anywhere, but it also has provided very well for me.
I have had the privilege of teaching students from all over the world and have built lasting relationships with many of them. I have met up with former students in various places. I have travelled to amazing places with them, met them on the slopes and skied with them, and have been able to continue our relationship – many of my former students, I now call friends. I feel so blessed that I found a profession that I truly love, one that I feel positively impacts not only my students but myself as well.
Student Confessions About Me:
1. She’s hilarious
2. She’s personable
3. She’s completely relatable
4. She’s a great communicator
5. She has high expectations
6. She is patient
7. She is always willing to help us
8. She will put herself on the line to stick up for her values and for others
9. She’s smart
10. She’s an amazing teacher
My Community:
As I mentioned earlier: I love my community. The people I share my life with on this island I consider family. My friends are well-educated, wise, grounded, mature, fun-loving, generous, and loyal. I seek friends who can give me good counsel, and will tell me what I need to hear rather than telling me what I want to hear.
Some of my favorite things about this island:
1. Everyone knows each other
2. It is incredibly safe
3. It’s diverse
4. It’s a beautiful place to live and a wonderful place to raise children
5. It has great childcare
6. It has excellent healthcare
7. It has good schools
8. We have many traditions: Carnaval is our four-day Halloween, Sanjoaninas is a nine-day festival, we have jazz festivals, concerts in the plazas, biannual restaurant competitions, and all summer long each of the 70 parrishes puts on a week-long festival from the months of May to October. They’re family-friendly events with lots of parades and kid activities. It brings us together as a community and a family.
I have lived all over the world: Costa Rica (college), Barcelona, Switzerland (one summer teaching SAT), Valencia, and the US: NJ (born and raised), Washington, D.C. (college), NYC (for a few years in my 20s), Tucson, Arizona (one year), and Colorado.
I do feel a bit like Goldilocks--I have now found the right size bed and I’m staying put. This island is home and I don’t have a desire to move again. This is where my mother is from and where my friends and family live.
Fun Random Facts About Me
• Favorite Music/Artists: Arcade Fire, The White Stripes, Phish, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Drake, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, and some old school favorites: Sublime, Beastie Boys, Mos Def, Biggie, Tupac.
• Favorite Food: Tacos
• Favorite Vacation spot: I now live in my favorite vacation spot, so I’d have to say Colorado or Utah for skiing or the Caribbean, because it has a vibe like nothing else.
• Nerd fact #1: I love buying stationery--I’m very particular about my favorite pens, pencils, and notepads.
• Nerd fact #2: I love crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, card and board games. Everyone in my family is super competitive when we play games.
• I consider myself kind of stylish--I pride myself on scouring secondhand and discount stores for hidden treasures. I only spend extra money on shoes because my feet need to be comfortable. But to that end, I have an extensive sneaker collection.
I realize that as parents, you are making a monumental decision and I commend your courage and strength through this important process. I am so excited about this new chapter in my life and I want to express my appreciation for your plan for adoption. I hope we can maintain a lifelong bond; however, it is ultimately your decision as to how much contact we will have. Although I live in Portugal, I am more than willing to travel back to the US to ensure you and your child feel comfortable with your evolving relationship. I usually go back to the US at least two or three times a year to ski and visit friends and family.
I will be honest with your child about her adoption status. I will share age appropriate details at each stage of her life and as she has more questions. From what I've learned, children start thinking more about their identity when they are in their early teens, so until then I will keep things simple, but truthful. She will know that your decision was brave and in her best interest. And I will provide a beautiful life for her; I will love, care, and protect her unconditionally.
With sincere gratitude,
Marie