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Reflections on the 2006 Conference
A few comments from our conference attendees
KAAN reflections
On the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network 2006 conference
Thank you so much for an enlightening, memorable experience. The opportunity to hear birth mothers speak, to learn that a founding member of ASK and I found common ground and can work together, and to be able to network with so many wonderful people connected to adoption, was emotionally overwhelming but worth every tissue! (I slept 12 hours when the conference finished.)
Thanks for the lovely accommodations at a price we could afford. And the meals were terrific. The hospitality of the hotel staff and servers, all the KAAN volunteers,and the presenters was appreciated. Since this is the first conference I have attended, I don't know if the sense of community I felt was an exception or the rule but it felt genuine. To have so many Korean people in attendance, and available to talk to over meals and after panels was a great opportunity which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you for your time and effort in putting the conference together. Your generosity, welcoming spirit, and hard work created an atmosphere where people felt safe enough to reach out and be open with each other. Language was only a minor barrier when those who came to listen and learn, shared one heart and one mind.
Kom-sa-homnida. Slainte~
Cher Cronican-Walker, ACSW
Family Adoption Consultants Adoption Social Worker
Marshall and Cher Cronican-Walker parents of Eryn (24) and AeRan (22), both born in South Korea
The 2006 KAAN Conference surpassed even our family’s highest expectations. Every detail was
finely tuned and orchestrated--from the registration process to the meals to the keynote speakers
and individual presenters. The entire conference was a five-star operation, delivered with
impeccable attention to the minute-by-minute comfort and education of the participants, whether
they were adoptees, adoptive siblings, adoptive parents, or adoption professionals. Most
important, of course, were the presenters, who had obviously been carefully selected so as to
provide a wide array of informative viewpoints, varied backgrounds, and engaging, applicable
topics. My only disappointment was that we couldn’t attend two, or even three, of the sessions
presented in one time slot! Of all the conferences I’ve attended in my career, the KAAN
Conference is definitely the finest, most enlightening, and most memorable.
Brooke Dillon
Seattle, WA
THe KAAN conference was an educational and emotional introduction to the joys and problems of
international adoption. My life was greatly enriched by the formal presentations and the people
I met.
Chris Wyman
Davis, CA
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