For the return of AKK's Ako Si Series, we sit down with Maria, a Philippines domestic adoptee that spent her childhood with her Pinoy cousins and then mysteriously moved abroad to be reconnected with her adoptive father. See Part 1 & Part 2.
Part 1
Part 2
Visit Maria's Instagram: BlacksheepMaars
Growing up in Philippines and being called ampon
Leaving the Philippines to go to Canada on her own at age 8
Re-meeting her adoptive father and wondering where her mother was
Not understanding what ampon meant
Finding out about her adoption through her tita but her own Dad not talking about it as a child
Ending up in foster care as a teen
What it means to not be legally adopted
Using writing to process her confusion, frustrations, and documenting her journey
How she shares with her husband and her children about adoption