[In this week’s post, Emily is describing how “government” (social workers etc.) removed her and her four siblings from their first home (in Russia).]

In Russia, my mom, Oksana and dad, Anatole [were there, at home] [when] my sisters and brothers been took from government and been four cars and one is ambulance for Lydia. [Lydia was severely burned when her mother deliberately threw her on a wood-burning stove.] I and my sister, Annie went to orphinige [in] Nicolaivka. And also my sister, Maria, and my brother, Viltale, went to [the baby hospital/orphanage in] Partizansk. Then lots of people from government [came to the house when the children were removed]. My Russian Mom and Dad, they do not want to take away [children] from them. And also government [people] like Zoya [name of a social worker who was involved] and different people make sure we are safe and we go the orphinige[s]. Then we shower [in] a big round bucket [a large, metal wash tub as was used for doing laundry by hand]. After, [they] cut my hair to very short because we have lice and also, after, we get old clothes and shoes.

And also they [at the] orphinige give us food. And after we go to the big room [a dormitory room] and also they have too many kids and also we have like 200 beds and we stay there. And after, we go to bed, to sleep.

And after, we go to school, same in the orphinige [school was inside the orphanage building]. And also, government say that we need stay in the orphinige bcause no where to go, only orphinige. But really, my sisters and brother so sad. And also, we [like] government because they want put us, my sisters and me, go to the orphinige because make sure we survive and not be dead.

My sister, Lydia went to the hospital because she got burned very bad. We love my sisters and brother they be OK for always.

Celeste, my sister and Sarah, my sister, they in my mom’s (Oksana’s) stomach, pregnant. [Oksana was pregnant with Sarah when social workers removed the older children form the home. Though the mother was not far enough along in her pregnancy to show, and social workers did not know, Emily knew that her mother was pregnant and always wondered about the baby that was left to be born in that home.] And I don’t see them at all when I went to the orphinige because my mom in Russia she pregnant with my sister and another sister after that. And also, I never saw my sister Celeste or Sarah because I been in the orphinige and also, when my sister got adopted then I saw pictures of them. [Amy and I only learned that Sarah and Celeste had older siblings as we were finalizing their adoptions. Six months later, friends located the older girls for me and I returned to Russia to attempt to begin proceedings to adopt the siblings. At that time, I took pictures of the youngest girls and gave them to our older daughters-to-be. That was their first knowledge of the youngest two siblings].

Also, we never gave up on them [the siblings never gave up on each other]. And also my sister, Maria, and my brother, Vitale got adopted to different families, and make me so happy about it because they need families to be loved. It’s hard for me when they take away from my family to go to orphinige but [there was] no choice. It’s government’s choice, not ours.

In the orphinige we go in the summer to the lake and all orphinige kids and also we swam, there.

When government took us from my mom, Oksana (in Russia) and my dad (from Russia), then we came with underwear, no clothes at all. [Emily and her siblings wore underpants and nothing more when they were in their first family. Emily was the oldest and she was almost eight when they were removed from their first home.]

And also my sisters afraid because they thought orphinige go to not survive. But I know orphinige it’s not best because nobody like it (being in orphinige) because everybody kids say [all the kids say] that orphinige is abusive because they think it’s not good for them at all.

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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About the Author

Emily Simmons was adopted from Russia at the age of fifteen, in 2006. At that time she joined three younger biological sisters and four new brothers in her new family. Emily has struggled with several forms of mental illness and she is intellectually challenged. She has been in several institution type settings and now lives in a group home. She is still very involved with her parents and the rest of her family. Emily often says: “Family, most important thing!”