By Jackie Burrell
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Posted Thursday, August 25, 2005
First came the unbridled joy. Now, the heartbreak.
Two orphaned Kazakh sisters, abandoned at birth and unaware that the other existed, found themselves living in the same Berkeley house this summer, thanks to a philanthropic organization that brings Russian and Kazakh orphans to the United States each year for a six-week taste of American family life.
But the six weeks is up, and the girls' euphoric and unexpected reunion came to a tearful close Wednesday as Raisa -- Raya to friends and her new, would-be family -- headed back to Kazakhstan, leaving behind her newfound sister Olya and a Berkeley family who swear this is not good-bye.
It was a small and sorrowful group that gathered on John and Robin Dalrymple's fog-draped driveway to say farewell. Twelve-year-old Raya had to return to Kazakhstan before formal adoption proceedings could begin.
They knew that.
They had always known that, but it did not make the parting any less devastating. There are no guarantees for the future.
With a final, softly despairing "nyet," Raya walked to the car, tugging a small, wheeled suitcase behind her. John tucked her turquoise, Cyrillic-lettered passport into a pocket, then gathered Olya into his arms. The 10-year-old buried her face in his jacket, choking back tears.
"Try to be strong for her," he murmured to his adopted daughter. "I know it's really hard."
It has been just a few weeks since DNA test results confirmed what the Dalrymples knew in their hearts: that an astonishing series of coincidences had reunited sisters on opposite sides of the globe. Abandoned and raised in separate Kazakh orphanages, Olya and Raya had no idea they even had a sibling, until Raya arrived at the Dalrymple home last month as part of Kidsave's Summer Miracles program -- the same six-week program that brought Olya into the Dalrymples' lives three years ago.
It was the same summer program, the same flowering of emotion and the same, heart-wrenching separation for Olya. Robin Dalrymple's eyes glistened as she recalled the moment, captured in a family photograph, as Olya walked to the airline gate carrying a single suitcase.
"It broke my heart," she said.
Love may conquer all, but it takes substantially longer when entwined with international immigration and adoption law. The Dalrymples were lucky with Olya. They spent the next four months of that year working through a mountain of paperwork. They took out a second mortgage to pay the $25,000 adoption costs. By Christmas, they were in Kazakhstan to bring Olya home.
Now, they face that mountain again, this time with Olya and the Dalrymples' biological daughter Cody frantically urging them on.
That anxiety is warranted. Despite the best intentions, uncontrollable situations -- civil war, foreign disputes, government investigations of adoption procedures -- can bring an in-progress adoption to a standstill. China, for example, halted all international adoptions during the SARS health crisis. Cambodian adoptions have been on hold since 2001.
The Dalrymples know there is no timetable, only hope.
On Wednesday, fate -- which John and Robin Dalrymple suspect has already played a large role -- intervened once more. The car would not start. A wild look of hope flashed across Raya's face as she pumped an emphatic "Da!"
The reprieve was only momentary. Mindful of international law and airline schedules, family friend Jeanmarie Hulaj handed over her keys with warm reassurances and comforting words.
"The only good part is they have been through this before," Hulaj said. "They'll get through this, and then they'll be back together again. They'll be a family."
John and Raya flew the first leg of the journey together, landing in Los Angeles in time to rendezvous with a dozen other Kazakh orphans. Two orphanage representatives escorted the children back to Kazakhstan.
And John returned home to begin the process to get her back.
Reach Jackie Burrell at 925-977-8568 or jburrell@cctimes.com.
BRINGING RAYA HOME
Kidsave International has launched an adoption fund for Raya and the Dalrymples. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to Kidsave International, 11835 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 295, Los Angeles, CA 90064. Make checks payable to Kidsave and write "Adoption Fund - Raisa/Dalrymple" in the memo space. For more information on Kidsave International's Summer Miracles, which places Russian, Kazakh and Colombian orphans with U.S. families for six-week visits each summer, visit kidsave.org. |
