An Adoption Story (S1): Nina's Story - Adopted from St Petersburg, Russia to Rochester, NY

*S1 EP9 (2023 Series) An Adoption Story:* 22 year old Nina was born from a small village called Bol'shaya Vruda which is located just below Saint Petersburg in Russia. She was adopted at the age of three and a half years old by her American parents who then raised her in Rochester, New York. Nina has always been told that she has siblings back in Russia but it wasn't until later on after her childhood that she decided to pursue a search. With the time for her that felt right, she was able to learn more on her birth family, with the difficult circumstance surrounding her birth mother to learning about her twin sister who passed away. For Nina, since learning more on her birth family she has connected more with the adoption community worldwide, building her family tree to build more links and reaching out to others who may be going on a similar experience. She also plays a huge role with the I'm Adopted website as a writer for other adoptees. This is her story. I want to also share a huge thank you to Nina's Mum for her help with this story and for Zachary-Victor who came with me to help film this story for Nina. The 2023 Series of An Adoption Story was supported by the team at MyHeritage. ------ *My Story* Welcome! Here on my channel, I share my personal journey as a Russian-New Zealand adoptee—adopted at two from Arkhangelsk, Russia—I also share my series An Adoption Story, a special series of mine, which shares the journeys of adoptees from around the world. Learn about my life as an adoptee, my upbringing in New Zealand, and the significance of embracing my roots—not only with those connections in Russia but also from Ukraine and Kazakhstan. ➡︎ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9CEtZ8krbpJuiN5puov1ZfwOxsrnD8Si ➡︎ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9CEtZ8krbpK192O8mJT9j-aQsyGH8J5I ➡︎ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9CEtZ8krbpLCtFknSa9MhpB5Lq_DWljj *An Adoption Story* Explore incredible stories of adoptees, each with their own unique path. ➡︎ Season Two (2024-present) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9CEtZ8krbpIVV7Va6nZ-13keTpb-9r8O ➡︎ Season One (2022-2023) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9CEtZ8krbpK6QoPzCMpNRl6NUG6jb8kZ *Subscribe* Don't forget to Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR8uOUAkjb85A1khfPZUUWQ?sub_confirmation=1 *Connect With Me* ➡︎ Instagram: https://instagram.com/alexgilbert ➡︎ Facebook: https://facebook.com/nzalexgilbert *I'm Adopted* ➡︎ Website: https://imadopted.org/ ➡︎ Facebook: https://facebook.com/imadoptedOrg ➡︎ Instagram: https://instagram.com/imadoptedOrg I’m passionate about connecting with adoptees and sharing stories that matter. Follow along as I reflect on family, identity, and connection. 00:00 Introduction 01:25 Nina's Memories 03:26 Going to America after Adoption 06:15 Early School Years 08:55 Learning She's a Twin 09:49 The Loss of her Father 12:04 Early Searches 13:28 The Search for her Russian Family 14:13 Siblings Connection 16:10 Learning About the Passing of her Twin Sister 18:24 Connecting with her Birth Father 19:40 Support from the Adoption Community 21:20 Using MyHeritage to Build her Family Tree 22:21 Visiting a Local Russian Shop 23:56 Being Prepared 25:06 Outro