Where My Story Begins

Introduction

Born in Colombia, adopted by a German family, raised in the U.S., I spent 25 years not asking where I came from.

I have told this story many times, in multiple languages, to people from all over the world - the story of my search for my biological family. Most people who aren't adopted struggle to imagine what it feels like to not know where you come from. Not just the country or the city, but the woman who gave birth to you, the circumstances that led to your departure, the life that continued without you. What makes it even harder is that most adoptees do not have the full details of their origin story. We carry pieces of a puzzle, but we do not know what the final picture looks like, and even if we search, there is no guarantee we will ever see it clearly.

Was it a story of poverty, parents making an impossible decision in hopes of a better future? Did violence or war take them? Were you kidnapped and brought to an orphanage? Was there abuse toward you, your siblings, or between your parents that made home unsafe? Was your biological mother tricked into signing papers she did not understand? There are countless heartbreaking possibilities, and in many cases, you never learn the complete truth.

My Three Worlds

From as early as I can remember, my family told me I was adopted and it was obvious, because we looked different. My adoptive family is white and from Germany. I am brown and was born in Bogotá, Colombia, my first world. I was adopted at six months old and raised in the United States, my second world, in Maryland. I didn’t question it. I accepted it. They treated me fully as family and gave me the unconditional love every child deserves, and I felt the same love for them too.

I grew up bilingual, speaking German and English daily, and we took yearly trips to visit my German relatives, usually in the summer. Over time, Germany became my third world. For many years, Germany and the United States felt like enough, while Colombia existed more as a fact than a presence. That changed at twenty-five. I was commuting to work in Germany when a feeling surfaced that I couldn’t push down, a need to return to Colombia that was unlike anything I’d felt before. But at the time, kidnappings in Colombia made it too dangerous to return.

Instead, I spent several years volunteering in Bolivia, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Honduras, helping others and rediscovering my Latino roots, until the door finally opened to begin my search for my biological family in my birthplace.

About This Book

I am writing my first reflection under the pen name Atticus Galán Scholl. In 2028, I will publish Adopted Between Worlds, a memoir about adoption, identity, and the families that shape us. What started as a personal need to make sense of my own story eventually grew into something broader, a resource hub designed to help anyone navigating adoption find trusted support more easily.

The memoir follows two journeys: my search for my biological family, and the later decision, with my wife, to become adoptive parents ourselves. One journey gave me answers. The other asked harder questions than I was prepared for.

Together, they explore adoption, identity, and what it means to belong across the different worlds we call home.

This book is being written in collaboration with a ghostwriter. Here on the blog, I will share stories connected to the memoir while leaving the larger story to unfold in the book.

Why This Story Matters

Across Colombia, Germany, and the United States, I have lived between worlds shaped by adoption. First as an adoptee who went searching for answers, and later as a parent learning what love alone cannot heal. Adoption is often framed as either a rescue story or a tragedy. The truth lives somewhere in between and that’s the space this memoir tries to occupy. My hope is that anyone whose life includes adoption can find something here that helps them feel seen, better prepared, and less alone.

Is This Book for You?

This book is for you if…

• You are an adoptee navigating identity, belonging, grief, or the pull to understand your origins and you want language for experiences that are often invisible.

• You are an adoptive parent, or hoping to become one, who wants a candid view of what love cannot magically fix.

• You are part of the adoption constellation, including birth family, siblings, extended family, or partners, and want a human story that respects the complexity of real people and real choices.

• You are a professional who values lived experience alongside professional training.

• You read memoirs that wrestle with big questions of family, identity, ethics, and resilience.

Even if you do not see yourself in these descriptions, you may simply enjoy a human story told without easy answers.

Why Now?

I originally planned to tell this story as a documentary, film has always been how I’ve tried to understand the world. But as a second adoption journey unfolded in my own life, one that demanded my full attention and reshaped everything I thought I knew, writing became the more honest medium. It allows space for reflection, nuance, and the parts of adoption that don’t fit into simple narratives.

An Invitation

I invite you to follow as I share stories connected to Adopted Between Worlds and the process of bringing the memoir to life. Over time, I hope this space becomes not just a story to read, but a resource to return to.

You can also watch the book trailer here, for a short visual introduction to the story and themes. 

Thank you for your time and interest. I am especially grateful to my wife for her generosity and amazing support. In 2025, for my 50th birthday, she organized a fundraiser that helped launch this project, and I am deeply thankful to everyone who donated. Your encouragement made these first steps on this new journey possible.

Disclosure

This post is original to the author, with editorial support from artificial intelligence.