“The relief and joy I felt…”
When I decided to begin the search to locate my biological family I felt many different emotions: excitement, nervousness and curiosity. The support I gained from other adoptees online pushed me to take the leap and thus the adventure began. From the start Gyna, from Colombia Tu Pais, was professional, caring and kind. She explained the process thoroughly with concrete details and possible outcomes.
After a few months I was contacted by Gyna that she had discovered my biological mother and family members. The relief and joy I felt was extraordinary. I felt closure around an issue that had been an unanswered question my entire life. The endless love and guidance from my adoptive family strengthened me to face and process this moment in my life. Colombia Tu Pais bridged the communication and language barrier with my biological family and I will be forever grateful. This year has been full of life changing events, I not only located my biological family; I married my best friend.
“I had achieved so much more than I ever dreamed of…”
I’d looked for my biological mother for many years and I’d given up any hope of finding her alive since I was soon turning 30 years old. But one day I came across this website and I’d got surprised about how many good experiences they had finding families in Colombia. I though WOW!!! I should try this out! I instantly wrote an email to Gyna and I got the information needed to put my case into motion.
A time passed, and out of blue, I received an email from Gyna who had looked into the case and said she would help me. After that email, everything went really fast. I got many quick updates and about 4 months after my first attempt with Colombiatupais I received a phone call of Adry, from Netherlands, while Gyna was on the other line from Colombia. I got the opportunity to ask they all the questions I had on my mind as Adry translated to Gyna and she answered.
Then, after the last stage, I got many photos and additional information was sent to me by email. I had achieved so much more than I ever dreamed of, all thanks to Gyna and Adry at Colombiatupais. Today I’m writing mails with my half sister and I’m very very thankful for the job that Gyna and Adry have done for me. A special thanks to Gyna who has done all the tracking work in Colombia, visited my family, and initiated contact among me and my “new” family. I am deeply grateful! Thank you
“Still brings tears to my eyes…”
First of all this is long but I cant write my happiness in just one paragraph so here we go. My name is Sandy I am 25 years old, born in Colombia Fusagasuga and now living in Sydney Australia. My journey with Colombia Tu Pais began when I was 23. This is a little overdue however it’s time to talk about my experience with Gyna and her husband Diego. They are wonderful and made the impossible, possible!
My brother and I were both adopted at a young age, I was 3 and he was only 18 months at the time. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful country as Australia and to have the most wonderful family and friends people could dream of. I always knew that I was different and I was always curious as to where I came from and what my biological mother and father would look like. I always asked myself do I have more siblings? It had always been just my brother and I so this is what I knew.
I had planned a trip to go Volunteer in Colombia in 2014 and had questioned myself about whether or not to open the search again to find my parents. We had friends who recently had found their biological family and returned to Colombia to meet them. They had used Colombia Tu Pais so I contacted Gyna on Colombia Tu Pais Facebook page, asking about the success rate and how they go about the search in finding family members. I felt that I had nothing to lose and spoke to my parents and brother and said to them that it was worth to give it a go.
So from day 1, I had passed over my documents to Gyna that were necessary in which they needed. There are steps in whether you can move forward to the next stage if they have enough information to go and do the search. Luckily we passed to go to the next stage. At this moment via emails and Facebook contact my heart was racing thinking ‘what if they actually find them, what will I do?’ and then there was ‘what if my mother and father weren’t alive, how will I feel about that’.
So a couple more days passed after the second stage and I was going about my life when I got a message from Gyna asking if I was able to Skype. I was home at the time and my father was in another room so I was surprised and told dad I might have news for him. Anyways this is day 5 or 6, so I went on Skype really nervous and there was Gyna and Diego ready to discuss what they found. I was ready to here the worst when Gyna said ‘We have great news, we have found your biological family’. I started crying I didn’t know what to do and yelled at my father to come into the room and talk also because I was speechless. Both my mother and father were alive and living in Fusagasuga, were I was born and that my brother and I have a younger sister Karolina who I love to death and now beautiful nieces. When I told the news to my brother he was so happy and my mother was so shocked but so happy as well and my older two brothers and all our friends and family.
I couldn’t thank Gyna and Diego enough for what joy they have brought to my family especially my brother and myself. We all went to Colombia together 2 months later and my parents got to meet my biological parents and that was truly a beautiful moment in my life ill never forget. I got to hug my beautiful sister I couldn’t stop staring at her and she got to meet her brother. A moment I truly remember especially was my mother hugging my mother still brings tears to my eyes.
My life changed forever that day and without Gyna, Diego and their wonderful Colombia Tu Pais that day would still be waiting. If you are looking for your family and wondering what to do, they are wonderful and it’s the first step to forever.
Adios y Gracias,
“A new begining…”
I would wholeheartedly recommend Gyna as a searcher.
It’s a huge and scary step as an adoptee making the choice to look for your birth family. Gyna is known for her kindness in working with adoptees and their birth families when she makes the reunion.
My Colombian family (who she successfully found in five days) were really happy about their interactions with her and are very appreciative. Thank you Gyna, you gave us a new begining!!
“Your soul will open up…”
CTP, a perfect example of human support.
I am not much of a writer, but I do feel the urge to say something about the CTP organisation and share it with you all.
This group of professional ethousiasts put everything and I mean everything, to work to be able to locate the parents (read: mother) of your adopted child on his or hers quest for its roots in Colombia. Just like they did for our daughter Victoria. As a long term professional ICT service provider I can honestly claim that we were graciously surprised beyond anything by their kindness and professionalism to an extend that made all of us shy and in short of words. To say the least.
It may be obvious that a complicated operation like finding your biological family (read: mother) is far from easy. The fear, excitement, emotions and doubts scream thru your vains. Yours, your partners and most of all: your childs.
The CTP crew understands that like no other. From the moment you first contact them until the moment you hug them farewell at Bogota airport.
It all starts with the language barrier. Don’t get me wrong, I can handle myself in Spanish while being in a hotel, bar or gas station. But meeting the biological mother of your child is of a complete different maganitude. That’s a whole different kind of Spanish, let me tell you.
But… Don’t be feared, Diego is with you all the time, wherever you are. Well, he is there, in the same space, but he is behind you. As soon as applicable he steps aside and goes into “service mode”. Unbelievable…! That kid (I mean, compared to myself, how old is he anyway…?) tought me something right then and there.
He translates, explores, manages, knows stuff. He has hidden boxes of tissues, has pockets full of cash, calls for a taxi, keeps little brothers and sisters quiet and what not. Like an angel he hovers around you and your child and offers his services, asked for or not in a almost humble fashion. Very, very, very able. A very, very impressive human being.
Gyna, the detective of the CTP crew. She is the CIA of CTP. Gyna researches, she calculates risks, benefits and feasibility. An out-of-this-world sweet, academically schooled professional of the very best kind. Within 72 hours from first contact she located our daugthers biological mother. In Bogota…! Of all places, I mean, this is a huge city with a tremendous amount of uncharted territories.
Your soul will open up to those people in a heartbeat and you will love them till the day you pass on. Really, I have never meant something so much and firm as this here, right now.
And after all the tears have run out, the dust has settled and you still have some life in you: Ask ‘m to take you out to the Zona Rosa of Bogota and let it all go. Just ask her what I mean, you will get a smile, I’ll bet you…!!!
So, with great and deep respect and gratitude we salute you for your warmth and love and fun…!!!
Ronald, Tine and Victoria Wanders
“I found the last piece…”
My name is Alicia. I’m 21 years old and I live in Spijkenisse (near Rotterdam). I was born in Bogota, Colombia. When I turned my 15 years I began to wonder how would be my mother. Seeing my adoption papers I asked myself how she could be. Despite of not meeting her, I could not stop thinking about her.
My father and I went to my first trip back to Bogota. It was an unforgettable experience. We visited the FANA adoption center and received from them a small photo of my mother. I went back home with a feeling of happiness. The photo, the country, the city, the people and the culture helped me to confirm my roots.
My mother helped me writing a letter to two television programs in the Netherlands: Sporloos and Vermist.
Silently I always wondered for the moment someone said to me: we have found your birth mother. However, it was not logical since by the history of my adoption it was almost impossible because of the difficult situation that surrounded my story.
Time passed and I never received any notice until a friend of my father advised him to search through Colombia Tu Pais, because his daughter had found her birth family with their help.
Ok! We said! This is the last thing we’ll try! And immediately we contacted Adry.
We checked the website and it was really spotless, careful and very reliable. It was my first and accurate impression. Before Christmas I was confirmed that my search was in process.
I thought it might be good to start a Spanish course soon, who knows? Maybe next year I could speak a few words and phrases! But really I had no time for that since the February 7, around 17:00 when I was playing on the computer with my sister I heard the phone call that my mother attended. I had not time either to realize that this phone call was the one I always dreamed of!
It was Adry! And she had the wonderful news that Gyna had found my birth mother!: maybe you should check your email because Gyna took her a few photos with her phone! All at home were amazed!
The same week I received more pictures, not only of my biological mother, but also of my 2 sisters and my brother! Their father seems to be my father too! I never expected it! So awesome! I could not believe it was true!!
I found the last piece! And the puzzle is finally complete! I feel so blessed!
If the contact continues this good, I have plans to travel next year with my boyfriend to Colombia to visit them.
I can only thank Adry and Gyna for all the work they did! To my parents for their unconditional support! Thanks mom and dad! And of course my sister, my boyfriend and all those who always supported me!
“Better than in my own dreams…”
My name is Mauricio, 27 years old and born in Bogotá. Since I was 21 I felt like I was missing ‘something’ in my life. A feeling that I could difficult describe. It became very soon clear that I was curious about my roots.
I attended several meetings with colombians adoptees to learn from their experiences and the possibilities of finding my roots and my biological family. Besides well-known names such as World Children and Spoorloos was also named Colombia Tu Pais (CTP). I was so happily surprised about the website that I sent them an email and they sent me back all the information.
I was completely convinced. I’m going to start my search through Colombiatupais!
Assuming that the search should take some time, for me it was a big surprise when a few weeks after I got a call from Adry with the message that Gyna already found my birth mother. So soon! Better than in my own dreams! Besides my mother, I also have two sisters and a half brother in Bogotá.
My search is over and now I can quietly building a relationship with my biological family in Colombia. All of this thanks to the excellent cooperation of Gyna and Adry. From the bottom of my heart … thank you Colombia Tu Pais … for everything you have done.
Please! If you want to find your biological family don’t doubt to contact Colombia Tu Pais. They have the experience and resources to help you with this !!
“My heart was beating faster than ever…”
This story is a little overdue, but I will go ahead and share it because without ColombiaTuPais, it would have never even happened. In the beginning of June, I enlisted the help of Gyna to find my birth family. I always knew I was going to try and find my family, and whether it ever was successful or not, I could never live with myself if I had never tried. Gyna was very helpful throughout the whole process of getting the documents from my adoption to her, then giving me updates on how the documents looked. Then, after only a month of working with Gyna, I got a Skype call while I was at my internship at a radio station near my hometown. Gyna and her husband were calling me to tell me they had found my birth mother. I was ecstatic! I had so many thoughts going through my head and my heart was beating faster than ever. After I hung up the phone I called my girlfriend at the time and told her what happened, she was really happy for me. I walked back into my job and told my boss as quickly as I could what happened. I got out of there as quick as I could and called my adoptive mom and told her, “ I need to tell you and Dad something, I’m coming home now and I want both of you to be home when I get there.” They were home when I arrived, both a little worried about what I had to tell them. After I explained everything, and tears were done pouring, I received an email from Gyna about the my birth families information.
When I was adopted, I left behind an older half brother who has a son, and a twin brother along with my mom. Yes I said twin, I always knew I left him behind, but he never knew about me until my birthmother found out I had found her. We have since then talked on Facebook messenger almost every day. And after a year of talking and getting to know each other, my adoptive family and I made a trip back to Colombia for the first time in twenty-one years to meet my birth family. All I will is after spending three weeks in Colombia getting to know the city of Bogotá and Medellin for a couple of days, it was very hard to leave. Now I will end by saying this, ColombiaTuPais is an amazing organization that are honest and hardworking, I can honestly say that without them my life would be very different and I truly believe I still would be missing a big piece of myself if it wasn’t for CTP. Your experience may be different than mine, but you will always have a high percentage of having success in finding your birth family working with CTP. Good luck to everyone on the search!
“A miracle reunion…”
I thank Colombia Tu Pais and Gyna for making my miracle happen this year. I took me longer than most to begin the search for my birth mother. After nearly 40 years of unanswered questions, I finally sought the truth about where I came from. Knowing that my questions may not be answered, I was ready to begin the search despite the outcome.
I chose Colombia Tu Pais after seeing the success Gyna has achieved with so many other Colombian adoptees. Gyna made the entire search process so easy. From only conducting searches that ensure the most success to her quick turnaround, it was immediately apparent that this is more than just a business to her. In less than a week, I learned my search would likely be successful. Less than a month later, Gyna notified me that she found my mother — the amazing woman who was forced to give me up at birth.
It was like a dream come true…knowing that my birthmother was alive and she wanted to meet me. For me, the story was even better. My mother cried tears of joy when Gyna first contacted her because she never thought she’d know anything about me due to the circumstances of my adoption.
After seven months of Skyping with my mother, I traveled to Colombia from the US with my husband and kids to meet the amazing woman who gave birth to me. Gyna was so helpful throughout the entire process, from checking in to see how things were going, to helping with travel arrangements from the United States to Colombia.
My visit to Colombia was unforgettable — not only did I meet my mother, but I met 4 of my 6 brothers and sisters and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins! I tell Gyna that she is my angel. Before reuniting with my family, I had a hole in my heart that is now gone. Gyna found my birth mother by contacting my uncle Gustavo, her brother (he passed away just after my visit this year). Had I waited any longer, we would’ve missed the opportunity to experience this amazing miracle and finally put all the pieces together. God works in wonderful ways…don’t wait to bring your miracle to life! Colombia Tu Pais and Gyna make miracles happen!
“The resemblances were so evident!…”
The biological mother of our 10 year old twins has always had a place in our lives. Although she had no face for us, her name was known to us. At a distance we have always been felt connected with it in a certain way. We have always had the belief that it would be important for her to know how it goes with her children. Because: You keep being a mother, even if you don’t have the opportunity to raise your children. The probability that she would live in difficult circumstances, it was very real. We wanted answer to our children the question that they perhaps ever would make us : “What have you done for her?”.
Puberty can be a turbulent period for adopted children. There are often many questions and few answers. Therefore we decided to look for the biological mother of our children before their puberty. So the boys could have more clarity on this stage. That was a big decision with a lot of uncertainties. You start with this process but you don’t know how it will end. Not matter what we took this step of faith and belief.
Obviously, we have discussed this before with our children. They also felt it was really important to let their Colombian mother know that it goes well with them. And they were curious about how it would go with her.
We hired Colombia Tu Pais. This was an intuitive decision. The subject matter of the website was very appealing. And they quickly proved that this was the best choice ever!
8 weeks ! after Gyna got our documents we had been called by Adry with the announcement that the parents of our children were found. This was a miracle!. We expected to find a mother, but to found also the father was an incredible surprise! Our family was growing! We were all four very happy. Also because the biological parents were really positive about it. They realized very well that we, as adoptive parents had taken the initiative and they were very grateful. They of course still loved their children.
We asked to Gyna if she was able to travel to their town and show them photos of the children together with a letter from us, and also if she could analyze their living situation. She did it very effectively and respectfully. It was a very beautiful and emotional moment for us to see the first pictures. The resemblances were so evident !! Finally these lovely people had a face! And honesty we can say that they’re gonna treasure this too.
For the children it was good too. They saw with their own eyes that they looked als their biological parents, for them were the pictures a still some sort of proof. “Now they can just say that they have two fathers and two mothers.” They don’t have longer to worry if they are still alive, or to wonder how they are doing. It is also good to see that the kids deal with it in a very natural way. They don’t have anymore the big questions about the adoption. They saw the photos, they were happy. The family were quickly spread because the grandmother and the aunt were also photographed by Gyna!Now the contact is established, and we are considering different ways to support the Colombian family of our guys!