Defining Diego
Defining Diego is the story of one Guatemalan adoptee and his mother, a reporter who documented their journey from his earliest steps, as they try to understand how international adoption boomed and busted, and what it all means for families like theirs, with feet in two worlds. When Laurie Stern set out to adopt a baby from Guatemala in 1999, she thought the process would be pretty straightforward. Lots of people were doing it. But the adoption was held up just as she went to Guatemala to get her son, Diego. That began a journey of discovery. What unfolds is the story of why international adoption peaked — and then collapsed — in Guatemala. It is also the story of how Diego, now 24, learned to be a Maya man with deep roots both in his birth village and Minnesota, where he still lives. Now, Diego has questions about his adoption, too — like why tiny Guatemala was such a popular choice for many adoptive parents in the U.S. and Europe in the early 2000s. As one of more than 50,000 Guatemalan adoptees, Diego’s still figuring out what it means to be Guatemalan, American, indigenous Tzutujil, and an adoptee raised by white parents in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its heart, Defining Diego is a deeply personal narrative: of a mother and son grappling with big questions about identity and health, and the meaning of home and family. Using 20+ years of the family’s archive recordings, we hear Diego grow up — and begin his own journey of self-discovery Defining Diego is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Defining Diego show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.
Autor: Somethin' Else / Sony Music Entertainment
25
Episodios
36 min 14 sec
Duración Promedio
Inglés
Idioma
Duración Total:
15 hr 6 min
Último Episodio: Defining Diego | Adoptee Voices
Aa Tiko' travels to a meet up of Guatemalan adoptees in Washington D.C., though he’s a little unsure of what he’ll find there. He talks to three different adoptees from two different continents about their lives, and how they manage to live in two worlds. While hesitant at first, Aa Tiko' begins to see himself as part of the larger adoptee community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Publicado: 5 de diciembre de 2022 | Duración: 33 min
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Defining Diego | Adoptee Voices
05 Dic, 2022Aa Tiko' travels to a meet up of Guatemalan adoptees in Washington D.C., though he’s a little unsure of what he’ll find there. He talks to three different adoptees from two different continents about their lives, and how they manage …
Duración: 33 minDefining Diego | What Brought Me Here
28 Nov, 2022Aa Tiko' takes us on a journey through Guatemalan history — from the Spanish invasion to the rise of the banana industry and eventually the Guatemalan Civil War — to understand how indigenous communities have resisted oppression again and again. …
Duración: 24 minDefining Diego | 8. Becoming Aa Tiko’
21 Nov, 2022A birth family reunion in 2022 helps Diego piece together more parts of his identity, but it also sparks new questions that he struggles to process — especially as he and Laurie grapple with what it means to take a …
Duración: 42 minDefining Diego | 7. What's On Paper
14 Nov, 2022It’s 2022, and Diego has a mission: to reclaim his Guatemalan citizenship. But on the ground in Guatemala City, he finds that his identity as an adoptee is still complicated, even 23 years later. Diego asks his birth mother if …
Duración: 49 minDefining Diego | 6. Resist and Release
07 Nov, 2022We hear from a family whose adoption was in-progress when the Guatemalan government shut everything down. A few years after his fateful diagnosis, Diego is a surly teenager. The family’s figuring out a way forward. Laurie takes Diego back to …
Duración: 44 minDefining Diego | 5. When Everything Changed
31 Oct, 2022When Diego turns 12, he’s diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and his entire world turns inside out. The family goes into survival mode. Sick and angry Diego acts out — and Laurie and Dan struggle with how to parent him. …
Duración: 43 minDefining Diego | 4. The Fall of International Adoption
24 Oct, 2022The international adoption racket is surging — and it’s gotten way out of control. All over the world, ugly stories begin to surface: of stolen children, shady adoption lawyers, and birth mothers pressured to give up their children. So in …
Duración: 37 minDefining Diego | 3. Baby Boom
17 Oct, 2022Adoption has become a booming industry — the price is soaring, and Guatemala has become a top exporter of babies for adoption, second only to China. But when making families becomes secondary to making money, the cost to Guatemalan birth …
Duración: 40 minDefining Diego | 2. Where I'm From
10 Oct, 2022Laurie takes three-year-old Diego back to Guatemala for the first time since his adoption. While Diego bonds with his birth mother Isabel, Laurie starts talking with birth mothers all over the country. Many are young, live in poverty, or are …
Duración: 42 minDefining Diego | 1. My Two Mothers
03 Oct, 2022It’s 1999, and reporter Laurie Stern wants to adopt a child with her husband. At the time, international adoption seems pretty straightforward — Laurie wants a baby, and there are babies who need parents. But once she arrives in Guatemala …
Duración: 42 min