Nanning, China --> Arkansas, USA
Hi! My name is Annalynn. I was born on July 7, 2005. I was adopted from Nanning, China when I was about 3 months old. A year after being adopted, the orphanage called about me having a twin. So, my parents took me and flew back to China to adopt my twin brother. I am now 16 and living in Arkansas.
I have always been curious and want to learn more about my biological parents, but I have nothing from them. My parents have a good memory of the orphanage they adopted me from but have never really wanted to share much with me. I quit asking questions when I was about 12, because I knew my parents weren’t going to talk to me about it.
"I quit asking questions when I was about 12, because I knew my parents weren’t going to talk to me about it."
Right now, I’m struggling with staying positive. I go to an all white private school, so I always feel different from everyone else. Many kids at my school are racist towards me and other people in general. I have talked to my parents about it, but they don’t really understand. After a few months, I kinda gave up talking to my parents about my problems. I have gone to therapy, but it didn’t seem to help. I don’t have any Asian friends, unfortunately, so sometimes I feel left out. My relationship with my parents has been drifting slowly away.
I have never actually suffered with depression, but many of my friends do. I usually just come home and cry in my room, because I gave up telling my parents about my situation. At age 14, I noticed myself being angry with my parents more often and having arguments that lasted for days.
Though it hasn’t been easy, I try to make the best of it. I realized that my online friends can sometimes be better friends than my real-life friends. I tend to talk with parents online or older people who have had the same experiences and understand what it’s like. Right now, I’m working on being independent so I can be ready for what the future holds. I absolutely love sketching, and I’m working my way into becoming a fashion designer along with modeling. Currently, I am making money by gaming and hoping to save for an apartment to move into in about a year or two.
I hope if you are going through the same things as me that we can connect and learn more about each other.
Image description: On a light pink background, there are four photos on a pale pink background. A large photo is to the left and shows Annalynn with a large pink stuffed animal. To the right are three squared images, stacked above each other. They show Annalynn and her brother as kids, baby Annalynn in front of her orphanage sign, little Annalynn as a kid. Large yellow letters read "Annalynn" in the top left.