A few weeks ago, a young reporter from National Public Radio attended one of Julia's dance recitals at the invitation of Julia's instructor. The reporter, Diane Geng, was in the early stages of gathing information for a story in international adoption. We were extremely impressed with her education (including a Fullbright Scholarship to the University of Beijing), demeanor and commitment to community service and were happy to chat with her, along with the other dancers' parents, informally at the recital and later over dim sum.
Later she called asking if she could interview us one-on-one in more detail. We carefully considered her request...we value our privacy and really don't feel the need to put our daughters on display as poster children for international adoption but applaud positive efforts to bring "families like ours" into the consciousness of mainstream America in the hopes that this will bring about a happier/less rocky future for our girls. While I'm not sure I am the best spokesperson for the latter cause, we had great faith that if anyone could help me get my point across without embarrassing myself, it was Diane, so we agreed.
The interview was conducted at our home shortly thereafter. The girls really connected with her and we were delighted to get to know her better. Diane is exactly the kind of role model we cherish for our daughters. We look forward to watching her career blossom and would not be surprised if "Our Diane" becomes the Cokie Roberts or Nina Tottenberg of her generation.
The story aired on NPR today and I was really pleased with the piece as a whole. Of course, there are a few things I wish I had said differently (I really did not intend to make Chinese New Year sound like a quaint folk festival!!)but I think Diane did a great job saving me from myself overall. In addition, I loved the focus she brought to the neccessity of and challenges in helping girls adopted from China (into caucasian families) develop "cultural competence."
If you'd like to check out the story, click on the link below.
Listen to the podcast.
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