Warsaw Couple Adopt Teen From China
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Warsaw Couple Adopt Teen From China
By Jennifer [email protected]
She likes to read "Harry Potter" books, watch DVDs and play board games.
The unique thing about Ross is that she was born in Huizhou City, China, and was recently adopted by Allan and Tonya Ross, Warsaw.
Ross has been living in an orphanage in Huizhou City since she was 10 years old. Her birth name is Jiaxing Chen, but she changed her name to Malia Jiaxing Ross when she was adopted.[[In-content Ad]]She was abandoned as a baby. She was found at 3 months old in a bus station in China wrapped in a t-shirt.
Malia was then put in a foster family in China, but when she was 10 her adoptive father died and her adoptive mother could no longer care for her due to financial problems.
Malia then was placed in an orphanage in Huizhou City. The orphanage houses 90 children ranging from infants to 14-year-olds.
The Ross family have undergone a two-year process to adopt their new daughter. They underwent an international home study to make sure they were fit to care for Malia. They were required to get references and physicals and get fingerprinted. They also sent paperwork to Washington, D.C., and China.
They took a flight Dec. 4 with their 18-year-old daughter, Megan, to pick Malia up at the Civil Affairs Office in Guangzhou, China. They returned to Warsaw Dec. 22.
Allan and Tonya had foster children in their home up until Megan was 12 years old, but never adopted the children.
"We wanted another child and a girl that could have similar interests to our biological daughter," Tonya said.
The Ross family hosted a foreign exchange student from Japan when Megan was in high school. They had such a good time with the student they got the idea of adopting internationally.
They worked with an adoption agency in Utah that sent photos and information about children needing to be adopted in China. They saw Malia's photo and knew she was the one they wanted to adopt. Malia was 11 years old at the time.
"We treat Malia just like she is our own daughter," Allan said.
Megan said it is exciting to have a new sister.
"It's different and fun to have a sister that I have been waiting for so long to get," Megan said.
Malia will be a seventh-grader at Lakeview Middle School when she begins her schooling in the U.S. this week. She will turn 14 Feb. 16.
Malia will take classes to help her to speak English. She previously took English classes in China, but can't speak English that well.
She uses an electronic language translator to communicate. The hand-held translator allows Malia to type a question in Chinese and it translates to English to allow others to read it.
Malia now has her own room for the first time at her new home. She used to have to share her room with three other girls at the orphanage.
Malia had the opportunity to see her first snow in Indiana, and said she likes sweets. She has enjoyed baking sugar cookies with her mother and sister, and making a gingerbread house.
She likes to read "Harry Potter" books, watch DVDs and play board games.
The unique thing about Ross is that she was born in Huizhou City, China, and was recently adopted by Allan and Tonya Ross, Warsaw.
Ross has been living in an orphanage in Huizhou City since she was 10 years old. Her birth name is Jiaxing Chen, but she changed her name to Malia Jiaxing Ross when she was adopted.[[In-content Ad]]She was abandoned as a baby. She was found at 3 months old in a bus station in China wrapped in a t-shirt.
Malia was then put in a foster family in China, but when she was 10 her adoptive father died and her adoptive mother could no longer care for her due to financial problems.
Malia then was placed in an orphanage in Huizhou City. The orphanage houses 90 children ranging from infants to 14-year-olds.
The Ross family have undergone a two-year process to adopt their new daughter. They underwent an international home study to make sure they were fit to care for Malia. They were required to get references and physicals and get fingerprinted. They also sent paperwork to Washington, D.C., and China.
They took a flight Dec. 4 with their 18-year-old daughter, Megan, to pick Malia up at the Civil Affairs Office in Guangzhou, China. They returned to Warsaw Dec. 22.
Allan and Tonya had foster children in their home up until Megan was 12 years old, but never adopted the children.
"We wanted another child and a girl that could have similar interests to our biological daughter," Tonya said.
The Ross family hosted a foreign exchange student from Japan when Megan was in high school. They had such a good time with the student they got the idea of adopting internationally.
They worked with an adoption agency in Utah that sent photos and information about children needing to be adopted in China. They saw Malia's photo and knew she was the one they wanted to adopt. Malia was 11 years old at the time.
"We treat Malia just like she is our own daughter," Allan said.
Megan said it is exciting to have a new sister.
"It's different and fun to have a sister that I have been waiting for so long to get," Megan said.
Malia will be a seventh-grader at Lakeview Middle School when she begins her schooling in the U.S. this week. She will turn 14 Feb. 16.
Malia will take classes to help her to speak English. She previously took English classes in China, but can't speak English that well.
She uses an electronic language translator to communicate. The hand-held translator allows Malia to type a question in Chinese and it translates to English to allow others to read it.
Malia now has her own room for the first time at her new home. She used to have to share her room with three other girls at the orphanage.
Malia had the opportunity to see her first snow in Indiana, and said she likes sweets. She has enjoyed baking sugar cookies with her mother and sister, and making a gingerbread house.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092