Freeway - A Whole New Life

A whole new life!

What is the first thing you think about when you see a black person in a “white” country?
That he/she is a refugee who takes the money of honest citizens? Many people do. But the fact is that 800 children are adopted in Sweden every year. But only 20 of them are born here.

Many adopted children are born in China, Korea, Russia or Colombia. In 1988 72 children were adopted from Colombia to Sweden. One of them was the 2 year old boy Alexander Edier Linder. He is now 20 years old and live in Stockholm, Sweden. Right now he studies to became a teacher in English and gymnastics. He was born in Cali, Colombia and lived in a children's home until he was adopted. You could think that it would be hard for him to talk about how he felt when he came or how he feels about his parents. But he just smiles and tells everything he remembers. When he first met his new family he was scared, and honestly who wouldn't be? To come to a new country and not understand a word of what anybody is saying. He remembers that he sometimes was hiding from his new parents but after a while he got used to his new life.

Thoughts and feelings It's hard to know what questions you can ask about the biological parents. But Alexander hasn't any problem talking about them. He says that he dosn't think of them so often but that he would like to meet them sometime. Just to see how they live and to ask them some questions, like why they gave him away and if he has any siblings. It's just one problem, the only thing he knows about his biological parents is his mother's name.
Alexander Edier Linder

Colombia
Alexander has been in Colombia one time since he got adopted. That was in 1990 when he and his family went to Colombia to get his new brother, Sebastian Gearson Linder. Many people in Colombia are really poor and it's a really dangerous country. If a European goes to Colombia it's big risk that he will be kidnapped because some people in Colombia think that if you live in Europe you are rich. If it wasn't so dangerous to go to Colombia Alexander would show his future wife and children the country where he was born.

So to be an adopted child is not easy but when the years go by it gets easier. Alexander loves his family and that is what is important. Adopted child are just humans who have a family who wants them and they belong to the community as much as any other people.