But for a large select family, these visits and sentiments have become a cherished 15-year tradition that helps keep them together. “The sand and the water — I love the sound of the waves. You can even hear it at night when we go to sleep,” said Olivia McKenzie, one of several adopted girls around 15 who help replenish the family. Most of them live in Nova Scotia. Every summer they make the trip to PEI to spend time together and reflect on the long journey that brought them from China to this point. “We just made so many memories when we were younger, I just don’t see us losing that bond,” says Olivia McKenzie. (Jane Robertson/CBC) The daughters of these families call themselves “the sisterhood”, although they are not related. PEI gatherings attract not only the core group of five, when other commitments don’t get in the way, but also close friends from British Columbia. Charlotte, Ava, Sadie, Emily and Olivia were all put up for adoption at the Guiping Social Welfare Institute, Guiping in southern China. Although not biologically related, the members of the “brotherhood” adopted from Guiping, China, have become one another’s chosen family. PEI gatherings attract not only the core group of five when other commitments don’t get in the way, but also close friends from BC. Here, from left to right: Sadie, Olivia, Caity, Emily, Ava and Lily. (Jane Robertson/CBC) “The sisterhood between us, versus others, is that we don’t live together, but we have the same connection and relationship that you would with your other siblings,” Ava Andrecyk told CBC News.
“A special moment”
All the parents met through the same adoption agency in Halifax in 2004. They attended meetings together to learn how the adoption process would work. Outside of the meetings, the parents’ relationships flourished. You can tell I’m still very emotional about it, because it was life-changing for all of us to finally be together.— Leanne Andrecyk “That’s where we kind of met,” Maria Carti said. “We went on a camping trip together that summer and kind of cemented our friendship and the idea that we wanted to stay connected.” It would be two years before they met their daughters in China, and that period of bonding turned them from friends to family. The families pictured with their newly adopted daughters, then 11 months old. (Submitted by Leanne Andrecyk) “Over that two year period, we became the best of friends. Definitely our chosen family,” said Leanne Andrecyk, one of the moms. In 2006, the parents traveled to the Lottery Hotel in Nanning – a city just over 200 kilometers west of Guiping – and finally laid eyes on their new daughters. “It was a bit of a crazy scene, seeing all these adults eagerly awaiting their children,” Carty said. “It’s a special moment.” In that room, seeing all the tears as her friends hugged their 11-month-old daughters, Andrecyk knew they couldn’t separate the girls when they all returned home to Canada. This type of photography can take a while to get right, but young women have all the time in the world for each other. (Jane Robertson/CBC) “I’m still very emotional about it because it was life-changing for all of us to finally be together. It just took us a long time to find each other and here we are,” she said. “It was important to us to keep them together and, lo and behold, the parents developed a friendship that went far beyond being friends.” And so they began their tradition. In 2008, they would go to Prince Edward Island, Carty’s husband’s family vacation home, in a special retreat.
“He’s there for you”
Walking along Chelton Beach, a scenic 15-minute drive northwest of the Confederation Bridge, the sisters laugh as they and the families try to get a beach-jumping photo just right. It’s harder than it looks, but that’s the vibe when they’re together. “On the days you don’t make it, they’re there for you,” says Ava Andrecyk. (Jane Robertson/CBC) “If we were busy all year round, summer was where everyone could get together and relax,” Ava said. Not every family can make it every year – Charlotte had a commitment this summer – but everyone does their best to make it to the island. Sometimes they are joined by other families from British Columbia they met during the adoption process. This year, two other daughters, Caity and Lily, made the trip from BC to PEI They are proud and happy that they were able to stay so close after all these years. PEI holds a special place in girls’ hearts. Here, they channel their inner Anne of Green Gables spirit. (Submitted by Leanne Andrecyk) “There are a lot of groups that have adopted, but ours has stayed very close and a closer family,” Olivia said. “We do the same things that normal sisters do. We share clothes and make-up and talk constantly online or on the phone, [as well as] seeing everyone in person.” “They’re people you can go to for anything, and even though we don’t live together, they’re like all the other brothers and sisters and stuff — because you can go to them for advice and support,” Ava said. “On the good days, he’s there for you.”
“I can’t see us losing that bond”
At the cottage are many memorabilia tracing the history of the sorority: framed photographs of the children in the iconic Anne of Green Gables braids; a large jar of collected sea glass, filled to the brim. a Jose Chaves quote pinned next to the girls’ photos when they were no higher than a fence post. She says: “For her the ocean was more than a dream, it was a place she needed to find herself.” “The sisterhood between us, versus others, is that we don’t live together, but we have the same connection and relationship that you would with your other siblings,” says Ava Andrecyk. (Submitted by Leanne Andrecyk) The cottage is not just a getaway. When they are together, they are a home. It’s family. “Whatever their families are when they’re adults, maybe they’ll bring their families here to enjoy it long after we’re gone,” Andrecyk said. “As we get older and go through school and start getting married, and maybe all those milestones, [will] are we still in touch? I think we definitely will,” Olivia said. “We’ve just made so many memories when we were younger, I just can’t see us losing that bond.” “Summer was where everyone could get together and just relax.” (Jane Robertson/CBC)
