Nanna Thoft-Christensen and her husband Tue were in Sri Lanka on their honeymoon – but for the couple their choice of destination had special significance. Nanna is Sri Lankan by birth, but grew up far from the island’s sunny shores. Adopted by a Danish couple, she now calls another country home, living and working in Copenhagen. “I wanted to show my husband the country of my birth,” she says, explaining that this is the second time she’s visiting. Her first trip was in 2006, when she came with friends.
Though she says growing up with dark skin in Denmark used to be easier than it seems to be now, she still felt a curious sense of home coming, surrounded as she was by people who looked a lot like her. “It was a really big experience and I’m grateful that I did it.
Being biologically from here, it’s nice that you’ve seen your birth country and meet the people,” she says. However, she isn’t very curious about her biological parents. “I think my biological mother made a really, really tough choice, but I will always be grateful to her because she gave me a good life in Denmark.”
Adopted when she was 2 ½ months old by a doctor and a pharmacist, she says she was lucky, as her parents had initially signed up to make a home for a child from Colombia. Nanna counts herself blessed to have a friend who was also adopted on the same day.
Maria’s parents knew Nanna’s very well, so both sets of would-be parents travelled to Sri Lanka together and went to court on the same day to finalize the two adoptions. They’ve remained close ever since. “I had Maria, and it was fantastic having her. Like a gift,” says Nanna, explaining that the two are fast friends. She hopes that she and Maria will be able to visit Sri Lanka together sometime soon.
However, Nanna wasn’t in Sri Lanka just to see the sights - though Sigiriya is a great favourite. She and Tue would like to adopt a child. Unfortunately, due to the present halt in foreign adoptions from Sri Lanka she has been compelled to apply to Africa. However, Nanna hopes that she might try again in a few years. “It comes naturally because my parents did that for me…I would love to give the same opportunities to a child who doesn’t have those opportunities here,” she says. |
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