Observations about the world of adoption

It's strange to enter a whole new world with it's own rules and norms.  In the autism world, I've learned to say "typical" instead of "normal" when referring to behavior.  In the military world, I have to be aware of rank, even if I don't necessarily defer to it.  Now that we're in the world of adoption, I'm finding new things to learn.

The first time I posted to a message board, I was immediately chastised for saying "the Ukraine".  Apparently this is a very touchy subject and several folks posted replies to my post to set me straight.  I can't remember if my question got answered, but I sure remember to reference Ukraine without a "the".  Folks get tied up in knots about some very interesting details. 

There's a whole set of appropriate phrases and words to use.  It's all very PC and meant to protect the feelings of everyone, but it does add to the list of things that one needs to learn. 

The biggest thing that I've noticed is that adoption is happening all over the world and to all sorts of families.  There are the Angelina Jolie's and there are the people going into debt to make their dream come true.  There are folks adopting kids who look nothing like themselves and it doesn't matter.  Whether folks know it or not, they are doing God's work by caring for orphans.  What a wonderful side-note to all the horrible things that happen every day.  Many people are simply doing good by being parents.  How cool is that?