[Please keep in mind that these blogs are in Emily’s views and they are unvarnished. Her perspective is of a person who grew up with intellectual disabilities and psychological disorders, who knew nothing in her mother country but an abusive, neglectful home in a very small and poor Russian village until she was seven. From then until the age of fifteen, she lived in an isolated orphanage until we adopted her. When Emily speaks of “Russia” or “Russians” she only has the limited perspective of the extremely reclusive environment that raised her from the ages of birth to almost sixteen. In fact, when we visited Moscow on our way home, Emily told the tour guide who took us through the Kremlin that before, she always thought that Moscow was just propaganda. In this week’s blog Emily compares poverty (“poor”) in the United States and Russia. These opinions (right or wrong) come from her own observations, not from being “indoctrinated.”]

In Russia people poor and also because government took lots of money and also they poor because they be lazy work and not have enough money to survive. Sometimes in the Amarica people rich because people own business and companies and also lots of work. [Emily’s experience in our home was of my brothers and me owning our own business and me spending lots of time at work. It also involved her moving from the poorest of circumstances, in Russia, to fairly wealthy conditions, even by U.S. standards.] And also lots of job opportunity.

And sometimes I been poor in Russia because I was poor in Russia because we not have any food to eat, good shelter, or be clean all of the time. In the Amarica I been clean and also have some food to eat. And also in the Amarica people always been helpful with them and supporting kids. And also I like when I live in the Amarica because I have some food to eat. In Russia we not have choice about it to eat good food.

In Russia I can’t imagine that Russia so poor because they bad people. [Emily doesn’t believe that the poverty is because the people are bad.] And also in Russia, have more orphans there because people rich in the Amarica.

And also I like my dad in the Amarica. Dad said he don’t care about big house or nice cars because we should help children to have good life because they need a good life from people. [Emily was shocked, and angered, when my brother and I sold our Corvettes when a charity we set up to help orphans needed the money. Don’t let her set me too high, though. Our house is still far beyond our needs, and even practicality.] But I like when I help children. [The sacrifices we made to help orphans where family decisions that affected the whole family. Now, Emily is happy that we decided as a family, and she participated, in helping other orphans.] And make sure they happy in important life.

And always we need remember kids when they not have any families or people [to] spend time with them. Also [remember] people work and make less money they sometimes can’t afford live in expensive house. But we need help children with be happy and excited with happiness with life. Always we need remember this life with children and be happy.

Children who been abused and not be happy, always we are happy about [to help give] them life. And also we need [to] never give up on children having families and remember[ing] to be happy. And also government not give money to Russia anymore because we could not have any money to give people. [Emily was aware of the difficulties between the U.S. and Russia, when Russia threw many American charities out and stopped the development of others during the same time that they were halting adoptions to the U.S. This affected our family charity and its ability to go back and help the friends of our children. She was very frustrated, as was the rest of our family. Still, it appears that she isn’t clear on many of the details. She only knows that many children in Russia, who were like her, are no longer getting the help that they need.] And always remember Amarica so rich we can’t stop it [helping children] at all because we supporting whole families and children with love and happiness. [Emily’s financial circumstances have changed a lot from life in our home, to life supported by social security in a group home. She has seen what she considers to be wealth in the U.S. and what she considers to be poor. Of course, again, this is all from her perspective of life in “the Amarica.” She saw herself as “rich” when she lived at home and she sees herself as “poor” living in a group home. Though I find it difficult to argue her findings, neither the rich nor the poor that she has experienced in the U.S. have been extreme. Even so, when she considers the poor in the U.S. to the poor she saw in Russia, she thinks that “the Amarica” is very wealthy and that we need to continue to help children.]

When I lived in Russia, before Amarica, I ask [begged] for food. And we were so cold in the snow and we freezed. In the Amarica its warm and we never ask for food because my amazing Amarican family adopt me and bring me home to be with my sisters and brothers and be happy. I love who I am because make me so happy because my family give a nice life to me.

Thank you to everyone for supporting me, give me a nice life to be around my family. Again, people need have money to survive and not be homeless at all. My Amarican dad talked to me about how people was and been poor in other countries and always to remember that. And also government in the Amarica they did so good about adopted them [allowing and encouraging adoption] and give them lives. Make me so happy about it.

I need tell you guys again thank you for loving and supporting my family. I am grateful about it. People or kids or children or adults they have to not give up. And also I like my families a lot. [Emily still considers herself to have two families; her first family in Russia, and her current family in the U.S. This thinking is strongly encouraged in our home.]

Kids and children need help lots of times because they need help with shelter and food and clothes.

I like myself when I have something to eat and have a home to live in, always, it doesn’t matter what.

Emily finds great strength in the support she receives from those who read her blog. Please scroll down and leave your comments.

See More of Emily’s Blog Posts: Emily’s blog

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