Andrea is adopted: - Just wanted to be Norwegian

Andrea Johanna Bratt Mæhlum is born in Latin America in the 80s. Before she is five, she has already been moved between two orphanages. At the age of six, she is flown to Fornebu in Oslo, where she and her siblings start a new life.

One January day in 1989, a plane from Costa Rica lands at Fornebu airport.

Six-year-old Andrea Johanna sits on board with her two siblings. This is the first time they will set foot on Norwegian soil.

It is the mildest winter in years, with an average temperature of 2.4 degrees in Oslo. Nevertheless, it is as if a wall of ice hits Andrea in the face as she steps out of the plane.

A new family of five goes out excited and expectant. No one knows what their new everyday life will be like.

Andrea is quiet, shy and observes everything that happens around her. She holds her sister in one hand, her brother in the other. She always looked after them like that.

Now the three children are pawing across the small airport.

They don't understand the language, but they understand that a change is about to happen - and that they will never go to an orphanage again.

At the age of four, she is placed in an orphanage in her home country after she and her siblings were found abandoned without food in their childhood home.

- At the first orphanage we lived with over a hundred other children. I have no fond memories of this place. I was very scared. It was about survival, says Andrea to Dagbladet.

After a year, Andrea and her siblings are moved to a smaller orphanage. There are a total of ten children who must be adapted to a family situation.

- This place was quieter and safer. I even had my own bed, recalls Andrea.

At the same time, a pair of parents are sitting in Norway crossing their fingers. They have waited three years for the adoption process.

Andrea's family is familiar with the content of the case.

he journey to Fornebu

A week before Andrea and her siblings are to be brought to Norway in 1989, an employee at the orphanage writes a letter to her future parents:

"Johanna understands what is going to happen. She is nervous. Last night she called me and told me that she had bitten off all her fingernails (..) We talked all night. Then she calmed down.”

- I remember well the first time I met my new parents outside the orphanage. I had dressed up in a new yellow dress, she says.

She says that it didn't take long before she called them "mummy and daddy".

- I also remember the pride in my body when I got my own bedroom that only I was supposed to have, says Andrea, who was used to sharing everything she had.

Hoarded food

For Andrea, the first time in Norway involves learning Norwegian. It takes time to get used to, and the new everyday life is challenging in several ways.

Often the parents find food and leftover crumbs in the little girl's pockets.

- I saved on food in case it became difficult to get hold of more. This was left over from the orphanage, where I always saved leftovers in drawers and under the bed.

Andrea never ate the food herself. It went to the siblings.

- I still carry food in my purse to this day, she reveals.

Wanted to be Norwegian

At an early age, Andrea decides to put a lid on her mother tongue, despite her parents wanting her to keep it.

- I didn't understand why I should keep my Spanish, when everything was about becoming Norwegian. All I wanted was to become Norwegian. I shouldn't be worse than the Norwegian children - preferably better.

Andrea believes that the desire to be the best has something to do with the fact that she fought for attention at the orphanage she attended as a child.

As a child, she attends a primary school in Bærum. There are almost no other adopted children there. She is the only one with black hair and darker skin.

- My appearance labeled me as different. I stood out from my environment and family, she comments.

Out of place

The coming teenage years will be tough for Andrea. She acts out and stretches boundaries. This must have been because she tested her parents, she says today:

- I wanted to check if they really loved me and wanted to look after me, or if they wanted to give me up, like my biological parents had done.

For the confirmation, Andrea gets bunad. She feels out of place. She immediately thinks that she does not deserve to wear the Norwegian national dress.

- I have never felt less Norwegian than I did then. In my mind, you had to have a long, blond braid to represent the original Norwegian.

It takes a long time for Andrea to become comfortable with herself and her identity. She feels she has fallen between two chairs.

Fortunately, she has a good family and close friends who build her confidence, all the way:

- They made me confident that I was Norwegian, while at the same time focusing on me being proud of where I came from. They taught me that it's great to be different.

Celebrate adoption

Today, Andrea wears her bunade with pride. She is confident in herself. She has four children, is a qualified lawyer and works in the government sector. In addition, she is a candidate on the city council list in Oslo for the Right at this year's election.

- The road to where I am today has not always been easy. But I have used painful experiences to gain strength and courage. Life offers ups and downs for everyone. I got the realities of life a little early, just.

Today, she is also chairman of Adoption Forum. For her, mental health, outsiders and social inequalities are important topics - in addition to poverty and racism.

When it comes to adoption, she believes that it is urgent to put in place a support system with specialist expertise for families who have adopted.

- I am confident that I, like other adoptees and immigrants, have experienced outsiders. Feeling different from the majority. It is important to be open and set clear goals for what you want with your life.

She says that adoption is a complex field, and specifies that follow-up is important.

Furthermore, she believes that adoption is a wonderful way to help children.

- The adoption gave me a new chance to seize life's opportunities. It is an important scheme that can save many children, she comments.