Local mom discusses her family's experience with St. Mary International Adoptions

Michael and Susan of Charlotte adopted their daughter, Anna,
from Poland in 2007. In the first installment of this 2-part
interview, Susan discusses her family's experience using the 
local agency, St. Mary International Adoptions.* 

Charlotte-area couple, Susan and Michael, adopted their daughter, Anna, from Poland in June, 2007. When they started the process in June of 2006, they decided to use a local adoption agency, St. Mary International Adoptions. In this 2-part interview, Susan corresponded via email to answer questions about her family's experience with this local agency, as well as the Poland adoption process.

Part 1 -

Q: What was your experience like using the Charlotte agency, St. Mary International Adoptions?

A: Our adoption experience through St. Mary International Adoptions was extremely smooth. I believe the reason for our successful adoption is due to the agency’s CEO, Vesselina Ratcheva. She is an expert on the process, is meticulously detailed, and has formed relationships with exceptional orphanages in the countries with which she works.  

Being local, we were able to visit the agency and meet Vesselina prior to starting the adoption process. Seeing the agency and meeting Vesselina gave us comfort and confidence. Also, living in the Charlotte area, we had “local knowledge” that St. Mary International Adoptions was a legitimate and viable organization. We had trust and confidence that all laws would be followed. The greatest benefit of working with a local agency was meeting with Vesselina during the “paper chase”. The process of gathering the paperwork can be quite cumbersome and confusing. It was a great benefit to be able to meet with Vesselina to review the documents and ask her questions in person.   

Q: What was the most difficult aspect of the "paper chase"?

A: Without a doubt, the most difficult aspect of the “paper chase” was the amount of time it takes to gather all the documents, and have them notorized and Apostilled. Not only are there numerous required documents, but they must be in very specific formats. The paperwork is extremely complex and cumbersome. Before working with an adoption agency, it is important to ask references how supportive the agency was during the “paper chase” and if they are knowledgeable of the requirements and process.

Q: How long did you wait to adopt your child?

A: We submitted our Dossier in November, 2006 and received our referral on February 17, 2007. We made two trips to Poland. The first trip was in March, 2007 to meet our daughter and the officials in Poland. The second trip was in April, 2007 to complete our bonding and adoption process. The Polish adoption decree was issued to us on May 10, 2007, and we came home on June 1, 2007. The entire process took one year.

Q: How old was your child at referral?

A: Our child was just under 12 months old when we received the referral. 

Read the conclusion of this interview in Part 2 - Interview with Charlotte-area mother of adopted Polish child

 Related article: Saint Mary International Adoption agency in Charlotte

For more info: International Adoption - Poland (St. Mary International Adoption), Contact St. Mary International Adoptions

 *photo courtesy of Susan of Charlotte

Note to readers and subscribers - Another version of this article was published on this page on 8/5/09 under a similar title. The interviewee decided after the original article was published that she no longer wanted her last name used in the article. The original article has been deleted. Please forgive the repetition of content.