When we decided to start the adoption process, I had always thought that we would go through a specific agency. I’m going to call it Agency A because I really don’t want to advocate one agency over another.

I sent in our preliminary application to Agency A and I was very disappointed to learn that they were not taking any more applications for the Korean program until the next year. Panic is probably the best way to describe how I felt. My sister had come through Agency A and that was the only reputable agency I knew of. I contacted the agency that I came through. I knew that they didn’t have an office in Michigan, but I thought they could give me a name of an agency. They gave me Agency A which really didn’t do me any good.

When it comes to finding an agency, make use of your resources. My greatest resource, in this case, was my mother (who did not want to wait another year for a grandchild). She got in contact with my sister’s social worker in Ohio who happened to work for an agency that also had an office in Michigan. It might be coincidence, but I’ve decided it’s fate. Anyhow, I got in contact with Agency B who was accepting applications and seven months later I was holding my son at the airport. It was a big sigh of relief and obviously this was what I was supposed to do.

If you don’t have someone like my mother, here are some websites that can help you locate some agencies to interview:

http://adoptkorea.tripod.com/us-agency.htm
http://directory.adoption.com/international/Korea.html

Other ways to find agencies:
• Log onto some forums and ask people for their opinions. Most people are more than willing to share.
• The Yellow Pages
• Word of mouth – ask around, you’d be surprised how many people know someone who knows someone…

If you would like to comment, but not on this site, please feel free to e-mail me directly at adoptkoreablog@adoptionmail.com.