Interview About Being Adopted

An interview with an adoptee Bonnie Degale (The artists sister) about her life experiences and growing up as an adopted person.

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1. How old were you when you were adopted? I think around 1, I was still a baby
2. Did knowing you were adopted effect you growing up as a child? Not so much when I was younger but as a teenager I started thinking about it more and wished I had of known them.
3. Was there a certain point where you realised that you didn’t fit into your surroundings or did you always feel like that? Not really, I see my adopted parents are my real parents now, even though I know that they’re not.
4. Did you feel different to other children (knowing you were adopted) growing up? I had great friends and loved my primary school so no not really.
5. How would you say being adopted can effect children? I think its sad when you don’t know who your real parents are or cant ever see them so if they don’t go to a new loving adopted family it might really effect them.
6. Have you ever tried/wanted to connect with your birth parents? (Both had died in an accident when she was a baby)
7. If you could talk to them now what would you say? That I miss and love them
8. Is having another adopted sibling more reassuring? Yes because I don’t feel different or outcasted at home, my family is very diverse.
9. Do you think your experiences/feelings have been worse or different to your brother and how? He is slightly older than me by 6 years so it might of been different in his time but I don’t know, we’ve never talked about it before really.