Hello, I am Emmanuelle!

Transcription

1 Hello, I am Emmanuelle!

2 I am very grateful that you might consider me to raise your child. I believe it shows a lot of courage on your part to choose adoption. I have tremendous respect for you for making this unselfish decision and choosing this path. I hope that these pages will give you an idea of the life I can give to your child. As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to adopt. I have several friends who were adopted and adopted children themselves. I have a huge tenderness for children. I feel at peace and so happy to be around them. A child s smile and laugh always melt my heart.

3 WHO I AM Cooking France I was born and raised in France. I moved to the States more than 10 years ago. I have known for many years that my life was meant to be in the States as I have always loved this country. When I became a US citizen, it was one of the most emotional experiences I ever had. I am proud of being a citizen but most important I am grateful. This country has given me the opportunity to meet people from different cultures and background, to express myself freely and to reach my goals through hard work. Gardening I love cooking! When I was little, I always cooked with my Mom. We would make Chocolate Mousse and Apple Tart. I loved to prepare them and eat them! I cook now for my friends and family. This picture is when I had my friend Jenny over. I made crepes and she asked me to show her how to flip them. I managed to not let any fall on the floor! Thanks to cooking, I can express my creativity and make my guests happy. I hope that your child will enjoy it and show their love through cooking.

4 Gardening When spring arrives, each year, I prepare a small garden with flowers, tomato plants, fresh herbs and Jalapenos on my balcony. My grandfather used to have a large garden where he grew fruits & vegetable through the year. I loved these moments with him when we were gardening together. He was a wise man and taught me to always cherish little pleasures & joys in life. I will transmit this love of gardening and eat organic, seasonal fruits & vegetables to your child so we will continue having a healthy and well balanced life together. Respecting Mother Nature I am a huge advocate of being Green: I recycle and don t waste water & energy. My parents taught me to be gentle and respectful to Mother Nature for future generations. For instance, once when I was hiking, I found a lot of trash. I went back to my car for several trash bags and picked up everything. Since then, I always carry trash bags just in case. Every year I celebrate Earth Day and try to bring awareness to protecting our beautiful planet. I will pass this value onto your child.

5 Active Lifestyle I have been practicing Yoga for more than 10 years. I wanted an activity which could relax me, give me peace and challenge me. When I don t succeed at something at the first try, I don t give up. This particular posture gave me a hard time but now I can do it! I have been dancing Salsa for many years. When I was a little girl, I danced Ballet for10 years. Later, I still wanted to dance but thought I would look funny in a Ballerina outfit! So I chose Salsa and I found it also became a way to make new friends. During a class, once, the partner I was dancing with told me that I was trying to lead. He asked me to close my eyes and feel the music. I wondered how I could dance with my eyes shut!? He was actually right, I felt the music and let him lead me. I trusted him and it worked! Since then I regularly go to dance and I do not try to lead anymore! I always have enjoyed hiking. In this picture, I was hiking with my family in the South West. The mountains were amazing. Being on the top of the mountain made me feel powerful but looking at the immensity of the world made me realize that I still have so much to accomplish. I went down full of serenity, peace and enthusiasm to continue pursing my goals and dreams.

6 Traveling & Discovering New Cultures Thanks to my parents and my work, I have had the chance to travel all around the world and experience different cultures. I hope that your child will enjoy traveling and discovering other cultures as it opened my mind & heart tremendously. I worked for 2 months at this hotel in the Caribbean and developed a strong bond with the staff. Here are I am participating in their local dance at the Grand Opening. In this trip to Dominican Republic, I went to this school in the middle of nowhere. I love to interact with locals on all my trips and learn about the culture. The little boy raising his hand asked me where I came from. I surprised him by responding in rusty Spanish and his face lit up with a lovely smile. I am hoping that later your child will enjoy learning and speaking foreign languages as I think it is the best way to interact with other people from different cultures and break barriers. My Home town and Neighborhood

7 My Loving Family My Dad is a kid at heart. When I was a little girl, I was always excited when he put me on his shoulders and ran and jumped like a horse. I couldn t stop laughing and giggling. He even still has and plays with his miniature trains from childhood. He is hoping to play the trains with your child one day. My Mom is very attentive and affectionate. She never let me leave the house without a smile, a kiss and an encouraging phrase. For example, I remember that when I was little to wake me up, she came to my bed, gave me a hug and said Let s go sweetie Mr. Sunshine is waiting for you. Every time I need her, she is always there for me and finds the right words to say. I hope to be the same with your child and provide as much support and love as I received from her. I am very close to my older brother Stephane as well. When we were children, we were inseparable and always did silly things together! I remember that when we were kids, once we ate so many carrots from my grandfather s garden that we finished with really bad stomach aches! It took us a while before we ate carrots again! Foremost, Stephane has been a protective brother, always happy and smiley like his son Alexandre already is! I am the Godmother of Stephane and his wife Christel s son, Alexandre. Your child will have a cousin close to his age to grow up and play with.

8 I Skype with my family weekly and my parents daily. They come to visit several times a year and I always keep my vacation time to spend it with them. My parents are actually planning to spend half of the year in the States so they can spend more quality time with your child. Be assured that your child will always have family support. Your child will also grow up in a multicultural family who is excited to embrace your child s culture as well. Gerard is my Dad s cousin and my Godfather. Gerard and my Dad grew up together and he is like a second father to me. He and his wife have 3 children and 7 grandchildren. Your child will have plenty of fun cousins to play with as you can see!

9 My Family of Heart In this picture, my friends Kyu and Laura decided to cook for me as they said it was my turn to rest! Laura is a teacher and works with students having emotional & behavioral problems. She even encouraged one of her students to earn a college degree! She will help me to be fully involved in your child s school education. Kyu has become a mentor to his step son. He taught him self defense and self confidence. He will serve the same role to your child. These are my neighbors Victoria and Damian with me and my Dad in France. When I moved to my apartment, they welcomed me with open arms. They. introduced me to their international friends and to my new neighborhood. Last year, I initiated them to the French culture. Damian will be a good male role model for your child and Victoria who is a physical therapist and fitness instructor will help me to keep your child active and healthy. They have already volunteered to baby sit when needed! There are my two girlfriends Aida & Gigi. We value our differences as they make our relationship strong and durable. Aida is an independent woman. She has her own business and coaches people struggling in their career. She is the most positive person I ever met. She will be the trooper who will help me encourage your child to never give up and stay positive. All my friends children will be part of your child s life. My friends are all very genuine and Honorary Aunts come from different backgrounds, cultures and countries. My friends spouses will also play an important part in your child s life. Most of all, for all my friends children, I am Auntie Emma!

10 Honorary Aunts Gigi and her husband adopted a little boy in I have learned a lot by watching her with her son. I love how she sets boundaries and reinforces positive behavior. This little boy will grow up to a well-adjusted man. Sometimes I help put him to bed and follow the regular routine: reading a story, giving him a back massage so he can fall asleep peacefully. Your child will share the common bond of adoption and similar life experiences with him. What Jenny wanted to share with you: Over a decade ago, Emmanuelle became my best and most trusted friend. I admire her strength and determination to make it in a new country. Emmanuelle is fun and can always make me laugh. I still remember her trying to ride a giant dolphin float in our apartment swimming pool like a kid. She has a goofy side that I love. Emmanuelle came from a very close, stable and loving home. I know that this is the kind of life she will give to your child. I have seen Emmanuelle at the best and worst of times, and through it all I have witnessed her tremendous strength and ability to stand up and get through it all. She believes in the good in people. She never gives up. She is true to herself and others. As a mother of two small children I have seen her light up their faces. I know she has the drive, the patience and the love to make an amazing mother. She is my strongest, most independent friend. I know she will give her best raising a child...with her whole heart...and with a smile every day. Traveling & Discovering New Cultures

11 My City & Neighborhood I live in Chicago and I am only a 20 minute walk from the lakefront. I love being able to take advantage of all the culture offered in Chicago through great museums and many festivals. I can also just enjoy being in one of the city s parks, biking on the lakefront or just relaxing on the beach. Your child will be able to enjoy many different activities in this beautiful and diverse city. I moved to this neighborhood because my building is adjacent to a lovely park. There is a pretty large playground, large lawn and safe area for dogs. Your child will play in this park and watch dogs play together. I love animals and dogs seem to know it because they are always drawn to me like the ones from my neighbors who jumped to the planters to get pet! My neighborhood is very family friendly oriented and with a lot of diversity. That s why I moved there as I thought it would be a great place to raise a child who will learn to embrace diversity and accept people for who they are and not for how they look. In my neighborhood, there are excellent schools. My friends live close by so if needed I know I can always count on them. This is the Catholic Church, only 5 minutes from my house where I will go with your child. Volunteering and My Job

12 My Job and Volunteering I volunteer in a non-profit as I like to give back and bring together my community. I am hoping that your child will enjoy volunteering or helping less fortunate people. I organized this event for families. It is a French tradition to have special cakes with hidden small items inside (king s cake). The one who finds the small surprise becomes Queen or King for the day. Children always love this family tradition which I am looking forward to sharing one day with your child. I always wanted to work in Hospitality Management as I love to make people happy. This is my Dad s cousin s hotel where I spent my summers when I was a child. My grandparents had their house on the same land. Even though it was very exciting to work in hotels, I decided several years ago to make a change so I won t have to travel anymore and work long hours. I can now focus on my personal life and have a flexible schedule. I will be able to bring your child to school and attend the important events in your child s life. I also work close to my home and can be back within 15 minutes.

13 Until we meet.. Thank you for taking the time to read my profile which I hope will give you an idea of the life I could provide to your child. I can t imagine the difficulty you are experiencing with this decision. I wish you much comfort and a peaceful heart as you are going through the adoption process. Life doesn t always go as planned but I still hope one day to meet the right man, marry him and give a father to your child so he can love your child like I do. However in the meantime my focus is to become a Mom. I promise that your child will always know his or her roots and adoption story. I will share your love for them and the sacrifice you made so they could have a wonderful life. I would love to share information through the years as your child grows up if you choose. I can t express how grateful I am that you are considering me to raise your child. With my warmest sincerity, Emmanuelle

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