Quinones Adopts New Culture in America

“My biological parents were trying to take care of me, but likely couldn’t meet the needs to treat my cleft palate due to financial problems… my mom has always said that my birth mom did the hardest thing a mother could do, which is to leave their child,” said junior Sebastian Quinones, who was adopted from China by Puerto Rican parents on Jan. 29, 2007, at the age of three.

“My biological parents were trying to take care of me, but likely couldn’t meet the needs to treat my cleft palate due to financial problems… my mom has always said that my birth mom did the hardest thing a mother could do, which is to leave their child,” said junior Sebastian Quinones, who was adopted from China by Puerto Rican parents on Jan. 29, 2007, at the age of three.

Q: How do you identify yourself culturally?
A: I identify as Asian because that’s where I came from. Even though I live with Hispanic parents, I still do traditions from both cultures.

Q: What was your experience adjusting to your new family?
A: As a kid from another country, learning how to speak Mandarin and learning about the culture [was difficult]. I was only three and can remember very few experiences: from living in China to moving to America with my new family, one I never had before, to learning how to write and speak while adjusting to a whole new lifestyle.

Q: Have you reconnected to your original culture? What’s it been like?
A: I haven’t really connected back to my original culture because I do live with [Puerto Rican] parents, and my culture is drastically different from theirs. I do celebrate traditions like Chinese New Year and other stuff but not as much.

Q: When you reflect on your past and the journey you took to get to where you are today, how do you feel? What first comes to mind?
A: As I reflect back, I understand that I have been given the opportunity to do something I don’t even know I would have been able to do without being adopted- that feeling that I could have been in a different place in my life. There is so much I have experienced from being adopted and questions that I may never know [the answers to]. The only difference is that I’m able to share my story today and how it’s just begun. There are an infinite amount of stories, but [you get to choose] the way you want to write yours.”

Q: How has this whole process shown or displayed a part of who you are?
A: Obviously, I don’t celebrate traditions from where I came from since I don’t live with Asian family members. I’ve always just kind of grown up with their traditions and what they follow. For me it’s normal. Nothing really different. At first, when I was younger, I was confused because I had friends from different cultures that would do different things and I would wonder how it would feel if I was in a different household. Now, I don’t really think about it: trying to fit in.”

Q: What advice do you have for other adopted children that you would like to share?
A: Things happen for a reason. There isn’t anything that is necessarily bad about being adopted. Obviously, there are always questions. I would say that at the end of the day, if you love [your adopted family members], that’s what matters the most. For me, you don’t have to biologically be connected by blood; in my opinion, if it comes truly by your heart and you really love the people you’re with, then that’s all it matters.”