Hello friends,
It’s been almost over a year since I last posted. I can’t believe it’s been so long!
I think most of us can say that surviving the pandemic along with other life changes has been challenging. I’ll be honest, the pandemic, coupled with the rise in hate crimes and police brutality has been very taxing for me. It’s what’s kept me offline in the adoption space for quite a while. I’ve kept to myself and only shared some of the struggles that I’ve gone through with a close group of friends since many of us have tried to conserve our energy and emotion during these taxing times. However, I figured that updating all of you might be good, since it did really seem like I dropped off of the face of the earth.
Around May 2020 (right after my last blog post) my partner and I moved to Portland, OR where they were able to remotely work, and where I had hoped to go back to school. I initially wanted to work as a paralegal and really pushed us to move from Eastern Washington, to PDX for that change. However, after arriving in the city and finding full-time work with a law firm, I realized that working as a paralegal was not for me! I (as a clerk) was treated horribly at my job. The position let me see that the firm in Portland was riddled with casual racism, microaggressions, and a major lack of care around covid-19 precautions. After 5 long months there, I quickly left.
From there, I began working in the e-commerce/tech industry for the first time. I loved it! The company I was able to work for was a complete 180 from the toxic firm I left. My team leads were supportive and helpful, and I bonded with co-workers. I enjoyed the collaborative environment and abstract work immensely. It really was night and day between the two jobs. Due to the positive experience I had within the e-commerce world, I am choosing to stay in that industry as I study to take the LSAT. I’d like to give myself at least another year of saving and career growth before (and IF) I choose to transition into law.
As things start to change for the better, I’ve started feeling more like myself. The sun is emerging, and I find myself having more energy and passion to advocate for adoptees/foster folx again. I’ve been fortunate enough to sit in on some of Angela Tucker’s Adult Adoptee Lounges, read more books about adoption, and start to discuss my adoption openly with new people in my life. I feel ready to start blogging again!
To all of those who’ve followed me over the past 2 years, thank you! I appreciate your support so much!
I’m ready to jump back into conversations around Adoption & Foster Care and can’t wait to hear from you all.
~Keturah
The Adoptee Reads 