Episodio 25: Families and Adoption (Familias y adopción)

Duolingo English for Spanish Speakers Podcast

Sonja Gunderson siempre había sentido curiosidad por visitar el orfanato, o orphanage, en China donde estuvo el primer año y medio de su vida.

Pero cuando finalmente llegó el momento, se sintió inesperadamente nerviosa.

The drive to the orphanage took over an hour.

That part of China looked so different from the big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

We drove past fields and farms.

I remember looking out the window and trying not to cry.

The whole situation started to feel very real.

A Sonja la adoptó una familia en los Estados Unidos y creció sin saber nada sobre sus padres biológicos.

Pero pasó mucho tiempo imaginando quiénes eran, y si ella se parecía en algo a ellos.

I was always curious about my parents.

I imagined my mom all the time.

I thought she might be a musician.

I imagined her wearing long, beautiful dresses and playing the violin — which is the instrument I wanted to play as a kid.

I was in a singing group at my elementary school and middle school, and my teacher told me that I had a good voice.

So, I imagined that my mom was probably a singer too.

When I went to the orphanage, I hoped everything I imagined was true.

Welcome, bienvenidos y bienvenidas a “Relatos en inglés”, un podcast de Duolingo.

Soy Diana Gameros.

En cada episodio podrás practicar inglés a tu propio ritmo, escuchando historias reales y fascinantes, contadas por las personas que las vivieron.

Los protagonistas hablan en un inglés sencillo y fácil de entender para quienes están aprendiendo el idioma.

En cada capítulo, yo te acompañaré, para asegurarme de que entiendas todo.

En el episodio de hoy, dos historias sobre cómo hallar, o crear una familia, a través de la adopción.

Tras ser adoptada, Sonja creció en una ciudad en las afueras de Seattle, en el estado de Washington.

I always knew that I was adopted.

It was pretty obvious to me because I had a different skin color than my white parents.

When I was four years old, my mom and dad told me that I was from China.

Of course, at that time, I didn't really know what it meant to be adopted.

Aunque Sonja siempre supo que era adoptada, el misterio era quiénes eran sus padres biológicos.

El orfanato no había dado información acerca de ellos a su familia adoptiva.

I knew almost nothing about my biological parents.

I only knew which part of China they were probably from.

So, I could imagine whatever I wanted about them.

Since I loved to sing and dance, I imagined that they might be performers.

Desde niña, a Sonja le encantaba hacer espectáculos.

Daba conciertos a desconocidos en la fila de la caja del supermercado, y en lugar de caminar, iba dando volteretas a todos lados.

When I was little, I loved singing, and I thought that I was pretty good at it.

I performed in every talent show at school as a kid.

And in high school, I wrote rap songs and made music videos with my friends.

En el 2019, cuando Sonja tenía diecisiete años, su familia decidió ir de vacaciones a China.

Era la primera vez que Sonja visitaba China… y en el viaje, incluían una visita al pueblo donde ella nació.

Sería la primera oportunidad que tendría de averiguar más sobre su familia biológica.

My parents were very nervous before the trip.

I think they hoped to learn more about my biological parents — or maybe even meet them, even though that’s pretty unusual.

For me, it was just hard to believe that I was really going back to visit.

When our plane landed, I thought to myself, “Oh wow, we’re actually in China now.”

La familia de Sonja pasó tres semanas recorriendo el país donde ella nació.

Las primeras dos semanas del viaje fueron unas vacaciones bastante típicas.

Sonja y su familia fueron a las grandes ciudades y vieron los lugares turísticos más famosos.

Pero en uno de los últimos días del viaje, fueron a su ciudad natal, o hometown.

My whole family was excited and nervous to visit my hometown and see the orphanage where I lived as a baby.

But we didn't know what was going to happen that day.

We knew that the orphanage might have a different owner now, and the staff might not remember me or have any information about my biological parents.

Toda la familia se despertó temprano, para ir en coche desde su hotel en la ciudad de Wuhan hasta el pequeño pueblo rural donde estaba el orfanato del cual adoptaron a Sonja.

While we were driving, there was a lot of nervous energy in the car.

I looked out the window, and I tried not to think too much about what might happen.

I felt so anxious and excited.

Then, suddenly, our interpreter told us that we were at the orphanage.

En China, muchos orfanatos también funcionan como hogares de ancianos, o senior centers.

Los niños huérfanos viven junto a los ancianos en las mismas instalaciones.

Cuando llegaron al orfanato, Sonja y su familia fueron recibidos por los empleados y algunos de los ancianos residentes.

I don't remember much from my first moments at the orphanage.

I remember that the residents of the senior center made a sign for me.

And my mom wanted to take a picture of me in front of it, even though my eyes were very red from crying.

I was very emotional.

The orphanage director greeted our family and she called me by my Chinese name.

She told me that she remembered me.

I couldn’t believe it! When we went inside, our interpreter introduced me to one of the old women who lived there.

The interpreter told me that the woman took care of me at the orphanage when I was a baby.

Sonja se enteró de que además de vivir en el mismo lugar, era algo común que los residentes ancianos cuidaran a los niños del orfanato.

Y esta era la mujer que la había cuidado, antes de ser adoptada; se llamaba Mrs.

Liu.

I remember that I was much taller than Mrs.

Liu, and she had these big glasses.

The interpreter told me that she was 86 years old.

She held my hand very tightly, and she seemed excited to meet me.

I think it’s pretty rare for kids to come back and visit.

Por medio de un intérprete, Sonja pudo charlar con la señora Liu.

Ella le contó historias sobre cómo de muy pequeña Sonja era atrevida y tenía una linda sonrisa… pero no sabía nada de sus padres biológicos.

She didn't have more information about my biological parents, which was a little sad.

I hoped that she might have a way to contact my family, or that she might know something more about them.

Sonja le mostró fotos a la señora Liu y le contó cómo era su vida en los Estados Unidos.

I took out my phone and started showing her pictures, and then I played her a video of me singing at a recital.

She got so excited, and she started cheering.

Then she told me that she used to play Chinese opera music when I was a baby, and that we used to sing songs together.

Then, she started singing an opera song.

Sonja se dio cuenta de que a la mujer que la había cuidado de bebé le encantaba actuar tanto como a ella.

Eso le dio una idea…

I told her that I wanted to show her a new dance I learned.

The orphanage director loved my idea, and she asked me to perform a dance for all of the kids.

So, she took us all to a different room, and Mrs.

Liu and I performed a little song and dance for all of the staff and kids there.

Sonja había estado nerviosa por ir al orfanato, pero ahora estaba bailando y pasando un buen rato con esta mujer que la había conocido cuando era una bebé.

Sonja se sintió aliviada.

At the time, it was hard to process everything that was happening.

But later that night in the hotel, I was writing in my diary, and I started to think about the day.

I realized that maybe I like to sing now because Mrs.

Liu and I used to sing together.

That felt special.

I didn't get to meet my biological parents, but I met people who I now consider to be my family.

Like Mrs.

Liu, who took care of me and loved me when I was a baby, and the orphanage director and the staff, who were so excited to see me again.

Sonja se sorprendió al saber que su amor por la música en realidad provenía de aquella temporada que pasó en el orfanato.

Y en China, ella descubrió una relación que ni siquiera se había imaginado.

I’m so glad that I got to meet Mrs.

Liu.

That trip happened a few years ago, but I still think about her all the time, especially when I’m singing or playing the piano.

When I hear opera music, I think about how we listened to it together when I was a baby, and that makes me feel close to her.

Now I feel like I am more connected to her and to China.

Como Sonja, Nathan Heffel también fue adoptado.

Así que, cuando se planteó tener hijos con su novio, Will, adoptar le pareció lo más natural.

As a young man, I wasn't sure about becoming a parent.

I like kids a lot, but it wasn’t a priority for me.

Then, about ten years ago, Will, who is now my husband, started talking about having kids.

After that, I began to imagine us as a family: me, Will, and a child.

And I loved that idea! Of course, there are many ways gay couples can have children, but I wanted to adopt a child, because I was adopted too.

I wanted to give a home to a kid who really needed one, just like my family did for me.

En ese momento, tener hijos era algo hipotético: algo que tal vez Nathan y Will harían en un futuro.

Como a cualquier pareja que quiere tener hijos le sucede, tenían dudas.

Por ejemplo, se preguntaban si podrían compaginarlo con sus carreras o si tenían recursos suficientes para mantener a un niño.

Pero también fue más complicado por el hecho de ser gay.

Especially back in 2010, it was difficult for a gay couple to adopt a child.

At that time, gay marriage was only legal in a few states in the U.S.

It was not legal in the state of Colorado, where we lived.

So, we weren’t sure if both of us could legally be the child’s parents.

Se pusieron a investigar y lo que descubrieron no fue muy esperanzador.

Lo más probable era que solo uno de ellos podría adoptar oficialmente al niño, dejando al otro padre sin derechos legales.

Por eso, decidieron esperar.

We got married in 2014 in the state of Minnesota because we weren't allowed to get married in Colorado.

Then, in 2015, the U.S.

Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in every state.

After that, we had many of the same rights as straight couples.

Con la legalización del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en todos los Estados Unidos, las parejas homosexuales recibieron los mismos derechos que las parejas heterosexuales, o straight couples.

Nathan y Will sintieron que finalmente era el momento adecuado para tomarse en serio la idea de adoptar un niño.

We started talking again about becoming parents.

And in the summer of 2016, we began the adoption process.

We knew that our family and friends were going to be happy for us, but we worried about the public perception of gay dads.

If we experienced discrimination, then it could hurt our child.

But in the end, we decided that we were going to be really good parents, and that was the most important thing.

Adoptar en Estados Unidos no es un trámite fácil.

Por eso, al principio Nathan y Will se apuntaron a ser foster parents.

En Estados Unidos, los foster parents cuidan a niños que necesitan un hogar temporalmente, hasta que sus padres biológicos son capaces de cuidarlos.

La idea es siempre que los niños vuelvan a vivir con sus familias biológicas.

Pero en algunos casos, cuando eso no es posible, los foster parents, si así lo desean, pueden llegar a convertirse en los padres adoptivos permanentes de los niños.

At the beginning, we agreed to take care of a child temporarily, as foster parents.

Antes de ser aprobado como un foster parent, tienes que ir a una agencia, para ser examinado, o vetted.

A Nathan y Will la agencia les entrevistó muchísimas veces y les hizo preguntas muy personales.

Before a child came to our home, we had to be vetted.

This was to make sure that our house was a safe place for a kid.

That process also made us think very hard about being parents.

We wondered: How would we respond to small things, like a child coloring on our walls? Or what if the child had a difficult life before coming to our home? We weren’t experts in taking care of children.

So we considered how we could respond to those situations and make sure the child felt safe.

Alrededor de un año después de que comenzara todo el proceso, Nathan recibió una llamada mientras estaba en el trabajo… era la agencia.

Él sabía que podían llamarle a cualquier hora, en cualquier lugar, pero lo que le preguntaron lo dejó anonadado.

They said, "A baby girl was just born at a hospital downtown.

She needs a home.

You have 20 minutes to make a decision.

What do you want to do?” I remember asking if we could meet her first, but they said "no." So my husband and I talked about it.

And we just had a feeling that we needed to go to the hospital immediately.

La única información que la agencia le dio fue que la bebé era prematura y que estaba "moderadamente sana".

Necesitaba un hogar que la cuidara mientras se recuperaba.

Nathan no sabía más.

Estaba muy nervioso mientras conducía al hospital.

I had a million thoughts in my head as I drove to the hospital.

I was thinking about practical things, like where do I park, who do I need to talk to when I arrive, where do I need to go? But I also realized that my life was suddenly going to change dramatically.

We didn’t have time to get ready for our baby.

We were just suddenly going to be dads.

Then, we met the baby.

Her name was Maya.

It was surreal.

She was so tiny.

And suddenly I felt excited, happy, and afraid at the same time.

We weren’t prepared for a baby at all.

Nathan y Will esperaban adoptar un niño mayor, de dos o tres años, ya que eso es más común.

No tenían nada de lo que se necesita cuando llega un bebé recién nacido.

We were so excited, but we were also in shock.

We couldn't believe that we were suddenly responsible for a tiny human.

We needed to buy so many things for the baby immediately.

We didn't even have any baby clothes!

En el hospital, Nathan y Will recibieron un curso intensivo sobre cómo cuidar a un recién nacido.

Las enfermeras les mostraron cómo hacer un biberón y también cómo cambiar un pañal.

Maya se quedó en el hospital durante una semana más o menos.

Luego Nathan y Will se la llevaron a casa.

Maya was born with several health issues.

She had to use an oxygen machine to help her breathe and she needed to take several different medications.

I needed to learn how to take care of her quickly.

The first night we brought her home, I went to look at her so many times to make sure that she was still breathing.

I didn’t sleep at all.

Aunque Nathan no había planeado absolutamente nada, pudo tomarse tres meses libres del trabajo para quedarse en casa y centrarse en la salud de Maya.

Trabajaba como periodista y era completamente nuevo para él pasar de redactar noticias a estar solo pendiente de preparar biberones y cambiar pañales.

Maya needed to use the oxygen machine for the first six weeks of her life.

We also had to take her to the hospital a few times for blood transfusions.

This was because her mother had problems with drugs.

Maya was born with methamphetamine, a kind of drug, in her body.

So, we needed to watch her all the time and take her to the hospital if she had any problems.

It was very scary, but Maya was strong.

And slowly, she got healthier and healthier.

Nathan y Will sabían que aún existía la posibilidad de que Maya volviera a su madre biológica.

La agencia con la que estaban trabajando solo la había puesto a su cuidado temporalmente.

Pero era muy difícil no sentir apego.

Los dos vivían con el temor constante de perderla sin previo aviso.

More than a year passed, and then we got a call from the agency.

They decided that Maya couldn’t go back to her biological mother.

That meant that we could adopt her! We had to go to court to finalize the adoption.

It was such an emotional experience.

When I had to speak in court, I started crying.

I was so happy! From the first moment that I met her, I felt like she was part of my family.

But now, it was real.

Legally, she was our daughter.

Nathan cree que como él mismo fue adoptado, puede ayudar a Maya a medida que se hace mayor.

Being adopted is amazing and special and I want Maya to know that.

If she ever has questions about her biological parents, I will give her as much information as she wants.

I want to help her understand who she is.

Hoy, Maya tiene cuatro años.

She’s a healthy, curious, and wonderful kid.

As a family, we love to go hiking and spend a lot of time together outdoors and in nature.

She has a huge imagination, and I love being a part of both her imaginary world and her real world.

Hi, my name is Maya and I love my dads.

Nathan Heffel vive en Colorado.

Su historia fue producida por Stephanie Wolf, una periodista de radio con sede en Louisville, Kentucky.

Nuestra primera narradora, Sonja Gunderson es una estudiante de segundo año en la Universidad de Washington.

Espera poder regresar a China en el 2022.

Su historia fue producida por Madeline Gunderson, una estudiante de cine en Nueva York, y hermana de Sonja.

“Relatos en inglés” es una producción de Duolingo y Adonde Media.

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Yo soy Diana Gameros.

Thank you for listening!