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January 11, 2002/27 Tevet 5762, Vol. 54, No. 17
Russian adoption fulfills family's wish
ALISA SLOAN
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 Beth Crandell with Anika, whom Crandell adopted from Russia. Photo courtesy of Beth Crandell |
Crandell, a Phoenix resident and a teacher, adopted her child Anika from Russia in mid-2000.
As a single, older woman, she says her chances of adopting a healthy child in the United States were slim. Looking to Russia for a child seemed natural for Crandell, whose family has Russian roots.
After "a lot of research" and a confirming recommendation from a friend, she chose to work with the Frank Adoption Agency in North Carolina. Her social worker was in touch with her almost daily through the complicated adoptive process, she reports.
"Describing the adoption process in detail would take volumes," Crandell says. Every aspect of the adoption was accompanied by copious amounts of paperwork.
The eight-month procedure (considered "very speedy" in adoption circles) began with an approval by an Arizona court, she says.
Crandell and her son were interviewed by a state-licensed social worker as part of a "home study." The study consisted of a visit to Crandell's residence that took into account every aspect of the home and her home life, and included details such as a measurement of square footage.
Based on home study information, the social worker compiled a report and sent it to the adoption agency. "Usually that's about it for a domestic adoption," explains Crandell, "but for international it's the first step and then you go on."
After that approval, she was fingerprinted by several different agencies and more documents were reviewed, from her birth certificate to her bank statements.
Approval by the Immigration and Naturalization Service followed, with more fingerprinting and more documents. "I think I had six or seven sets of fingerprints," she recalls.
Once the proper documents and approvals were in order, Crandell received a health report about a Russian child, called a "referral." She explained that she requested and received a video of the child; it was sent with the referral to specialists in New York and Washington.
According to Crandell, specialists are often needed to review the information, which is almost indecipherable except by experts. "The verbiage on Russian health reports is much different than that in the U.S.," she asserts.
Once the information was reviewed, Crandell says she felt really good about the child in question, 13-month-old Anika. Accompanied by her mother, Crandell went to Russia to get a court date and to meet Anika. "That was my first trip to Russia," Crandell says. "The prevailing feeling throughout the whole process was excitement; however, at different times I had overwhelming fear."
Crandell was able to bring Anika home on the first trip, she says. "The Russian government changes the rules quite frequently so I was really lucky.
"Anika came from an orphanage in a very small town in northern Russia about two hours from St. Petersburg," she says. "Their main employer is an asbestos factory."
Despite the conditions, "the orphanage was actually quite wonderful," Crandell says. "The ratio of caregivers to children was quite low. They were too poor to provide fresh fruits and vegetables and the medical care that we're accustomed to (but) they gave them a lot of love and attention."
As a result of the TLC, Anika made the transition to American life quite easily, Crandell says, and she has no institutionalized behaviors - such as banging her head or hoarding food - that afflict some orphans.
"That was really my biggest fear," Crandell admits. As it turned out, "she had some medical conditions (caused by malnutrition) when she came here but they were all correctable."
According to Crandell, Anika had no religious exposure in Russia. However, that has changed since her adoption. "I recently went to the mikvah with her for conversion," Crandell says. "We also celebrated her entrance into the Jewish community by having a ceremony where she received her Hebrew name, which is Chaya Anina."
According to Crandell, when Anika came to the States approximately 8 months ago she "wasn't speaking yet but she understood only Russian. Since I only know about 10 Russian words, she learned English quickly. And she now understands everything in English and speaks a handful of English words."
Crandell brought home items from Russia so Anika could learn about where she was born. She also plays Russian music for Anika at home and in her car. However, she discloses, Anika "prefers to hear her friends from Sesame Street."