Nonactuarial Pursuits of Casualty Actuaries

Other Cultures

by Brian D. Haney

As actuaries, we may sometimes feel estranged from the main culture, especially in the insurance world. Let's face facts, the majority of non-actuaries a) don't know what IBNR stands for, b) don't care, and c) can't correctly pronounce "Bornheutter." We are a culture unto ourselves!

Given that we are basically foreigners in our own land, consider how it would be for an actuary, in addition to working full time and having family commitments, to head an organization that supports and facilitates the adoption of children from a foreign country. Dealing with bureaucrats in both the U.S. and Viet Nam and the red tape that always accompanies them is a great challenge...and one of us took it on.

One of our fellow CAS members is the president of the Chicago chapter of the Families with Children from Vietnam, an organization that provides support to people with adopted Vietnamese children and to those families considering adoption. Our mystery member and four other families formed the Chicago chapter and the national organization in December 1996, just before adopting a Vietnamese child herself. She called on everyone she knew in the international adoption community and started to develop a list of names. From these contacts, she gleaned as much information as she could about adoption practices and procedures in Viet Nam. By January 1997, 14 families made up the Chicago chapter. New chapters in other areas soon sprouted up as well.

As president, she counsels families interested in adoption, provides background information and support to people in the adoption process, and organizes social events. She says that her role as president is somewhat like her work as an actuary because both involve a great deal of communication. It differs, however, because hardly any math skills are needed.

Obstacles

For our member, the road to adoption was filled with a lot of obstacles and governmental red tape. In one Catch-22 scenario, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) required our member to obtain certain documents before she could leave for Viet Nam. The catch was that she couldn't possibly get the required information unless she went to Viet Nam. Only after hounding the INS for an intensive day did she get the agency to give her a break on this point. In addition to the red tape, dealing with foreign governments was doubly frustrating because of the communication gap.

Another obstacle was the tremendous amount of paperwork. In one case, our member had to get papers notarized, have the notary's status validated by a state official, and then have the state official's status validated by yet another official further up on the chain of command. Another odd requirement was having to sign papers in blue ink only.

On to Viet Nam

After months of paperwork and obstacles, our member and her husband Daniel were finally ready to go to Viet Nam to get their son. She was in Viet Nam for 19 days in order to process the adoption. Her husband stayed there with her for a week to make sure all was going well and that the baby was healthy. He then returned to the U.S. to get back to their two daughters, 12-year-old Sarah and 5-year-old Hannah.

Our member first met her son, Zachary Daniel Chien, on her second day in Viet Nam. Zach looked to be about six-months-old (the adoption agency didn't know his exact date of birth), healthy, and happy. On first seeing her son, she was happy and amazed."[It's like] a really happy dream...you hope you're not going to wake up soon," she said.

Completing a Family

Now 22-months-old, Zach likes to jump and climb and he especially likes getting into things that he's not supposed to. When Zach first came to live with his new family, his younger sister experienced the pangs of sibling jealousy. Today, however, the two play together quite well. Older sister Sarah also enjoys babysitting her little brother and the money she earns doing it.

Our mystery member's term as chapter president runs until the end of this year. While she has found her involvement in the organization extremely fulfilling, she doesn't know if she will seek another term next year. It's a lot of work and she has her family and job to keep her busy. Still, it's quite likely that she will still play a role in helping other people achieve what she has achieved.

The national organization is still growing and the Chicago chapter is perhaps the biggest and most active of the chapters. If you want to know more about the Families with Children from Vietnam, or the adoption process, check out their web site at www.tcbs.com/fcv or ask Kim Ward in person, the next time you see her—when you do, don't forget to congratulate her on passing part 10 and becoming an FCAS.

P.S. By the way, it's BORN-HEAT-ER.