Mongolia

I wrote the other day about adoption in Mongolia, and I often post about issues in China, so this headline,"China's adoption of Genghis Khan infuriates Mongolians" grabbed my attention, and I thought I'd pass along the story even if the use of the word adoption is not in the sense we normally use here. According to the report, China is redefining history and taking a figure Mao insisted was "only fit to fire arrows at birds" and embracing him as a national hero. Good old Genghis, Mongol ruler and barbarian warlord of the first order, a big part of the reason the Great Wall is so darned great ... keeping him OUT was a motivating factor in the construction… [more]

As the list of possible birth countries American hopeful adoptive parents can look to tragically shrinks, many are hoping to cast a love net in new directions. Mongolia has been coming up more often lately, with people asking about the possibility of adding children from that country to their family. Mongolia is a predominately Buddhist country the size of Texas, landlocked between Russia and China, the steppes and the Gobi Desert. The population is sparse and about 30% nomadic. Life, like the climate, is harsh. (Ulaanbaatar, is the coldest national capital in the world.) Those interested in adopting from Mongolia may be put off by the US State Department's notice: U.S. citizens are strongly discouraged from adopting in Mongolia at this time… [more]