Date: Fri 12-Feb-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

Thi-Thao-Tran-Gereg-adoption

Full Text:

The Story Of Thi Thao: A Dream Come True

(with photos)

By Michele Hogan And

Eric Myhill's Fifth Grade Class

Whirling through the air in the arms of her adoring mother Joan Ellen Gereg,

little Thi Thao Dung Tran chortled with delight. Although only five months

old, she knew all eyes were on her.

Last Wednesday, she was the guest of honor in her new brother's fifth grade

class at Sandy Hook School. The young people were welcoming their classmate's

new sister into their classroom, a class that is taught by Eric Myhill. The

students all had smiles and funny faces for Thi Thao, and lots of questions

for her mother, who told of her recent trip to Vietnam to adopt her baby girl.

For Ms Gereg, adopting Thi Thao was a dream come true. Recalling how it felt

when she first looked at Thi Thao's photo, she said, "She was looking right

into your soul. She was looking into me. "

Ms Gereg said, "I have birth children, and one who's adopted. It's the same

love." Ms Gereg's two birth-children -- ten-year-old Ian Tran and

five-year-old Kim-li Tran -- were also excited about getting a baby sister.

All three children share a Vietnamese heritage.

Ms Gereg is a single parent, and fortunately, Vietnam accepts single-parent

adoptions. Ms Gereg was very thankful for the support and guidance of Lutheran

Social Services of New England who made it all possible.

Ms Gereg recounted how everything happened so fast. She found out about Thi

Thao in October. The day after Thanksgiving, she flew to Ho Chi Minh City

(formerly Saigon). The next morning she was off to the orphanage to pick up

Thi Thao.

When she arrived in Vietnam, she found much of the city dirty and

impoverished, but the orphanage was beautiful. Big gates opened up onto a

lovely garden with flowering shrubs and playgrounds. Ms Gereg said the

caregivers were warm and loving and very attentive to the babies.

Her voice faltered. She paused, wiped her eyes, and said, "These women carry

these little babies and they hand them to you, and they're yours."

She stopped and gazed down at Thi Thao, who was nestled in her lap. As if on

cue, Thi Thao wriggled to get her Mom to stand her up. She "stood" and

stretched her little arms in the air.

Ms Gereg said, "It takes a little while, before you believe this child has

been handed to you." She paused and looked at her baby again. "I always think

how lucky we are to have her."

Ms Gereg remarked on how hard it must have been for the birth mother to give

up her baby. "We give her a little thanks every night for giving this baby to

us," she said.

During her two-week stay in Vietnam, while doing the paperwork for the

adoption, Ms Gereg said everyone treated the baby with great warmth and

affection. When eating alone with the baby, even in the fanciest of

restaurants, someone would always offer to hold the baby while she ate.

After returning to America, Ms Gereg enjoyed a month off work, followed by six

weeks of part-time work only. She is now heading back full-time to her

position as a nurse practitioner for Associated Neurologists in Danbury. She

will miss spending so much time with Thi Thao, but has responsibilities to

return to.

Ms Gereg will call Thi Thao Dung (pronounced Tee Tow Yung) "Thi Thao" at home.

She is also planning on following the recommendation of Vietnamese children to

give Thi Thao an American sounding name for school.

The students' teacher, Mr Myhill, asked his students class why the Vietnamese

children might have suggested that. Someone pointed out that Americans might

not know how to pronounce her name properly. Another student said that some

kids might tease her if she had a name very different from most kids' names.

Coincidentally, Thi Thao's last name, Tran, is the same as Ms Gereg's birth

children's last name. (Ms Gereg said Tran is a fairly common name in Vietnam.)

Mr Myhill's students took notes, and brought their ideas together in this

story. While most of the fifth graders came up with about a page of writing,

one boy, Danny Schierloh, could find only one word for Thi Thao. He wrote all

the way down his page, in big letters "cute cute cute cute cute cute cute

cute!"

The class agreed.