- I'm Alex Gilbert, and I spent the first two years of my life in a Russian orphanage. 'In 1994, I was adopted...' - Sasha. '...and brought to New Zealand.' (GIGGLES) 'I had a great Kiwi childhood,' but I couldn't help feeling like something was missing. 'So eight years ago, I set out to find my birth family.' Privyet. Hello. - (MUFFLED LAUGHTER) 'It was the best decision of my life...' Hello. - Hello, hello. '...and now I help others do the same.' So, how can I help? - I have tried to look for my family, and I've no luck. - Do you have any memories from the orphanage? - No. I can't remember a single thing. - 'Countless people across the world just like me 'want to reconnect with their missing families.' - We're really happy for her. - Hey. (CHUCKLES) - Welcome to Saint Petersburg. - VOICE BREAKS: It's more emotional than what I've ever considered. - Good luck. - (SOBS) - 'Join us on these amazing journeys as we cross continents 'to see families reunited.' www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022 (UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC) We're here in Birmingham, Alabama, and on our way to meet Anna. - CONGREGATION SINGS: # Say Hallelujah, people. # O my Lord! God knows... - She spent the first year of her life in a hospital with pneumonia before being adopted by her American family. She sent me a really fun video... - Hi, Alex. I'm Anna. My mama says I've been singin' since before I could walk. - ...and I'm really looking forward to meeting her. - I've always wondered if my birth family was musical, just like my adoptive family. # I've missed knowing you. # Have you missed knowin' me? I'd be complete if we could meet. # We could try to be # a reunited family. # Alex, please help me find them. I'd love to sing with them. (SOFT, PENSIVE MUSIC) My name is Alexandra Anna Elizabeth Calhoun, and I was born in Abinsk, Krasnodar, Russia. So, I was premature when I was born ` 32 weeks ` and then I had pneumonia for a year. - Anna was adopted directly from the hospital when she was 14 months old. - Yeah. Y'all have the same birthday. - Does she know? (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - I've always known I've been adopted, since I was like 2 or 3 years old. - She moved from a small town an hour's drive from the Black Sea to the southern United States. - Well, I had a fabulous childhood. I'm very blessed and grateful. - WOMAN: And what does that say? It says, 'For Anna, from... 'Santa!' Wow! - 'In Russia, I probably would've had a different childhood.' - MAN READS: 'Love, Santa.' - Deciding to adopt didn't come easily for Barbara and Phinizy Calhoun. - We had several miscarriages. (SOMBRE MUSIC) We wanted to have a family. You know, we thought that we had, um... that we would like to experience being parents, and we thought that maybe we could love somebody that much. We found out we were right ` we could love somebody that much. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) We always thought about a girl. I don't think we ever thought about a boy at first, did we? I have a little sister, so I was a little more confident with little girls. And` And Phinizy also has two sisters, so we were more confident. - PHINIZY: The first photograph that they sent us... and we said, 'This is a baby, but it's a beautiful baby.' Of course, all babies are beautiful, right? But this was` She` (STAMMERS) - (LAUGHS) - All babies are not beautiful, but this baby seemed to be really beautiful and really cute. And that was the picture. And they said, 'This is Anna. She's available for adoption, 'so you wanna go over and see her?' And so we did. ON VIDEO: So that's where we're goin'. - BARBARA: That's us` the little airplane right there. - So, we're travelling south of Abinsk. (SOFT, PENSIVE MUSIC) - You all right? - I... (SIGHS) looked in those eyes. (CHUCKLES TEARFULLY) You` I mean, baby deer in headlights, you know. They propped her up and took her picture. She's my baby. She's still my baby. She's 20. She's still my baby. She'll always be my baby. - And she was really cute. - And she was` And she was really cute. And when we got there, she was singing. (HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAK) - SINGS: 'Ahhh!' You know, baby-sing. And, uh, one of the nurses said, 'Oh, that's the princess.' (INDISTINCT CHATTER, NURSE SINGS SOFTLY) - They pretty much had her pegged. (LAUGHS) Yeah, it was Anna. - (PLAYS BOUNCY MELODY) - Right from the beginning, music has been central to Anna's life. - It means the world to me. - BARBARA: That's wonderful, Anna! (CLAPS) - Very good. - Yay! - 'Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a singer.' - Say, 'Goodnight, audience!' (POP MUSIC PLAYS, AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Britney Spears was my idol, and Ashley Tisdale, and I wanted to be them. (APPLAUSE CONTINUES) - Her parents have always been her biggest supporters. - # Amazing grace. - (PLAYS GENTLE CHORD) - # ...how sweet... - 'I enjoy music, and I love to play the guitar, 'and I` really gives me a lot of peace and happiness.' - # ...was blind... # - So, I think it does for her too. - # ...but now I see. # Dad, that was fabulous. Thank you. - That was great. - All the nerves go away when I start singing. - So we're just gonna play it? - This is a silly song called We Don't Bother Dogs. # Don't bother dogs while they're sleepin'. (CLICKS FINGERS) Feel like when I sing a song, I can connect and tell that story, especially through my life experience. And it's nice to have the audience connect. - And connecting with others isn't easy for Anna... - Yay! Thank you. - (PLAYS BRIEF CHORD) - ...although being adopted has never been the issue. - I feel more different that I have Asperger's syndrome, because it's hard for me to have social relationships with people and to deal with that. Sometimes I get on tangents. I have obsessions, and it's hard for me to let 'em` let it go. So I had, like, obsessions growing up. My parents, it was hard for them to understand that. - BARBARA: She wasn't really diagnosed until she was in the third grade. - (SINGS INDISTINCTLY) - And so there were learning challenges at school. - Uh... (SINGS INDISTINCTLY) - 17 years ago, nobody was an expert on autism and Asperger's syndrome. They` People did not know about it. - # Aahh... # - When we first brought her home, she'd rock herself from side to side. And it took... years before she stopped rocking herself in bed. - Wish I was a normal girl like everyone else. - (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - Oh, yeah. I've said... - But Anna's extended family love the girl they've got. - You were just like... I'd stop singin' and you'd just look at me like, 'What's this?' - And then I just continued rockin'. - And you just continued rockin'. Having Anna as a member of our family has been... an absolute joy. I don't think we would be who we are had she not been in our life. I can't imagine life without Anna. (INDISTINCT CHATTER, LAUGHTER) - She has to stand up for herself in a world that I don't think is quite ready for a child with as loving a heart as she has. That scares me. - Anna's upbringing in America has given her love and security. - I'm very blessed that I have my parents here. They've done a wonderful job raising me, and I'm so thankful for my life here. - But there is still something missing. - Meeting my birth family would mean the world to me. I feel like that would put the cherry on top of my life and make my life complete. I've always wished I had siblings, and I would wish that my parents would've had more children, but they couldn't be able to, unfortunately. Just the way it is. I would love to have some brothers and sisters. I would love that. I think that would be amazing. I'd probably wanna... I would probably wanna bring them home with me and live with them. Or they can live with me. WARMLY: Alex. - Hello. - So nice to meet you! Aww. - Hello, hello. Nice to meet you. Bar`? - Barbara. Yeah. - Barbara, hello. How are you? - I'm good. I'm good. I can't believe you're here. Welcome. Welcome to Alabama. - It's beautiful. - It's surreal. Feels like a dream. - Can't believe I'm here as well. And is it OK, Barbara, if I bring Anna along for a chat? - Absolutely. - OK. - Come on. Let's go. - 'I've chatted to Anna online, but this is my first opportunity to sit down with her 'and find out exactly what she's looking for.' - So glad you're here. - You reached out to me because you're trying to find your family. - Yes, sir, I am. - So tell me about your birth family in Russia. What do you know? - Well, I know that my birth mother was 37 years old when she had me and she lived in a little town in Abinsk, but I don't remember the name of it. I wonder if I have any birth siblings or... I wonder about my birth father. - And that's important to you, to find that information? - Oh, it is so important to me. - Your parents are very open and supportive of you doing this. - Yes, sir. Absolutely. - I feel like we owe it to Anna to give her the opportunity to go back... - BARBARA WHISPERS: She's just beautiful. - ...to see where she came from. Cos we did take her away from her country and from her community. - And what about any siblings? Do you have any siblings here in Alabama? - I'm an only child, which is kinda sad. I wish I had siblings. - She used to look at us ` 'Why don't I have a brother? 'Why don't I have a sister?' Like it was our fault, right? So, um` I'd love that for her. - My parents just couldn't be able to have regular kids, you know. - I understand. - It's just` It's the way it is. But I might have some in Russia. I don't know. - What happened to your birth mother? - Well, I'm not really sure. That's the questions that I hold deep in my heart. I really wanna know what happened to her. - So tell me what it would mean to you if I managed to find any information for you. - I feel like that would be amazing. Like, I would absolutely love it, and I would just probably run in my birth mother's arms and just cry with tears for happiness and just feel like this is all a dream, but it's really happening in real life. - She's a loving person. She sees the best in everybody. Which is the scary part for the mom. I worry for her good heart. I worry that somebody's gonna hurt that sweet heart. That` That worries me. - And if I wasn't able to find any information, what would that mean to you? - Well, that would make me feel very sad, but at least I tried. Um, I would just.. I would just try to move on with my life. And I just hope you do. - 'I'm very aware that whatever I might find 'could have huge consequences for Anna and her family 'as I head home to begin researching.' - What if we gave you free power... to use however you like whenever you like, just for being a customer? (ENGINE RUMBLES) PHONE: You know, it's just freedom. You know, you just can't beat the feeling of gettin' a few smooth corners together. You're the one in control of your machine. (ENGINE RUMBLES IN BURSTS) You've gotta really own that control. - I've always known I've been adopted, since I was like 2 or 3 years old. I feel more different that I have Asperger's syndrome, because it's hard for me to have friends and socialise. - She won the... - (ANNA FUSSES) - ...'Best Baby On Board'. - Adopted across the world to Alabama, USA at 14 months... - PHINIZY: Wide-eyed, lookin'. - Anna has never known her Russian family. - Meeting my birth family would mean the world to me. I feel like that would put the cherry on top of my life. - She's come so far. She has a great heart and a willing spirit, and she just does not know the meaning of the word 'no'. Which is a good thing and a bad thing, OK? - Mm-hm. - But she tries. She perseveres. And that's one of the most awesome things about her. (TINKLING TUNE PLAYS, PHINIZY HUMS) - She's smilin'. - Anna's parents have documented everything about her childhood in America... (ANNA CRIES) - Hi, Daddy. You wanna play a little basketball? - ...but her early history in Russia is proving difficult to unravel. - Mwah! A flying girl. - I can't get any further in New Zealand, so it's time to jump on a video call. (ZOOM JINGLE PLAYS) Hi, Anna. Hi, everybody. - Hi! - Hi. - Hi. - How are you? - Hi. What time is it there? - Oh, 6 o'clock in the morning. - Wow. That's early. - Thanks for getting up. We're excited to hear from you. - I have been researching your case, Anna. - (EXHALES HEAVILY) I'm ready, yeah. I'm just dying to know. - Unfortunately, at this stage, we don't have any information about your birth parents right now. - Oh, wow. - Oh. - If we happen to not find any information about them, how's that gonna make you feel? - Well, that's gonna make me very sad, because I feel like I really wanna meet them. That's the whole point of this, is to meet them. - What about grandparents and aunts and uncles and such? - Well, we do believe that we have found either a brother or sister, though, in Abinsk. - Oh, man. - Oh my gosh! Oh! Yes! - (CHUCKLES) - (EXHALES) - You OK? You all right? - I can't` That` That` - Brother` Brother? - I'm thrilled! Oh my God! I can't believe it! Oh my gosh. - It's like you always said you wanted. - Mm. - I can't believe you found 'em. - I would wanna bring them home with me! - A real brother or sister. - (SHRIEKS) Oh my God! - (CHUCKLES) Not just the pretend ones that you used to have. - (LAUGHS) But real ones, like, I can touch and hug! I'm very excited. I've always wanted brothers and sisters, and I feel like that makes me feel a little bit better, even though my parents, you know, couldn't have biological kids. - You try to do everything for your children. I didn't give her a brother or sister. - I was wondering if you would be prepared to come with me to go to Russia and find out who they are. - Yes. I would love to go with you to Russia. - You wanna go? - I'll go. - Oh, yes, I would love to go. I would love to see the hospital that I was born at. I would just be so excited. I already am. - We need to, obviously, um, also focus on finding information about your parents as well... - Absolutely. - ...cos I believe that that is also very important for you. - It is. Absolutely. - So... Wow. Where are you going? - Abinsk, where I was born. - And do you know exactly where Abinsk is, Anna? - It's a little town in southern Russia where they eat crawfish, watermelon and barbecue, just like they do in the southern United States, which is really cool. - Are you ready for this journey, baby? - (EXHALES) I gotta brace myself and just, you know, trust in God but lock my car... - (CHUCKLES) - ...and trust in you guys that y'all know what you're doing, you know? Wow. - It's a good job, baby. This is huge for her. This` It's huge for us. And honestly, I'm kind of terrified. - We also have to understand that we... we also need to make sure that your brother or sister do want to meet you as well. So we're still in the early stages of research, and we just really hope that they are willing to say hello to you, Anna. - I hope so, cos I'd feel` - That's what we're aiming for. - I'd be very sad if they didn't want to speak to me for whatever reason. - I still don't know exactly what the outcome will be, and we just need to do what we can. - All right. - Whatever we can do. - Whatever we can do we will do, and be there every step of the way, even though it's gonna be` you know, might be challenging. Bye! - We'll be in touch very soon, OK? Do svidaniya. - (GASPS) - Oh` Do svidaniya. - Do svidaniya. - Do svidaniya! - Do svidaniya. - SOFTLY: Oh my God. Think it's amazing. Like, I'll have the best time in the world and get to see where I was born and go see Abinsk and Moscow and Krasnodar. I'm thrilled. I've` I haven't been in 20 years, since I was a little baby. - With journeys like these, you never know how they're going to turn out, and with Anna, I'm just worried that she might be disappointed. - Oh, I'm so excited! - Like, I'm not an only child anymore. Like, it's not even real. - I'm just so excited for you. - But I do know whatever happens, she has the loving support of friends and family in Birmingham, Alabama. - LAUGHS: That's correct. - (LAUGHTER) - Anna sees the world in a way that... makes you feel like you're seeing it for the first time. Um, it's a lot of fun. She's a lot of fun. Her love and her joy and all her emotions are very pure. And it` it gets to me. There's something you don't get to see a lot. - I don't remember much, no. - Of course. It must be... - It's been 20 years. - I think that's the most exciting thing in the world, that you can do this. - (LAUGHTER) - MAN: Aww. - I mean, I've been around a lot of children all my life, and undoubtedly she was the sweetest child I've ever known. (SOFT, PENSIVE MUSIC) - Hey, sweetie. - Hey. - You OK? What you thinkin' about? Thinkin' about our trip? Oh, sweetie. It's all gonna be OK, right? - (SNIFFLES) - I promise. - (SNIFFLES) I'm just so happy. - LAUGHS: I know! It's exciting, isn't it? - (LAUGHS TEARFULLY) (GENTLE MUSIC) - Are you overwhelmed a little bit, maybe? - It's a lot to think about it. - Yeah. It is a lot to think about. Yeah. Which is what you said... - (SNIFFLES) - ...you always wanted, right? - VOICE BREAKS: It's... - And now you're gonna get to have it. You'll be OK. - It's gonna be hard for me to, like, process it. - Yeah. - Cos now it's like, 'Is that real?' - I know. - Yeah. (SNIFFLES) - (KISSES ANNA) Baby. It's gonna be OK. - I don't know. - But Daddy and I are here, right? And Grandmamma. And everybody is going to make sure that you're gonna be OK. And you're gonna be OK, aren't you? You still wanna do this? - The next time I'll see Anna and Barbara, we'll be on our way to Abinsk, a small Russian town near the Black Sea and a place that holds Anna's only hope of finding her birth family. - # I've missed knowing you. # Have you missed knowin' me? I'd be complete if we could meet. # We could try to be # a reunited family. # - 'Russian-American adoptee Anna has always dreamed of having siblings.' We do believe that we have found either a brother or sister, though, in Abinsk. - Oh, man. - Oh my gosh! Oh! Yes! - (CHUCKLES) - Now I'm on my way to the small Russian town of Abinsk with Anna and her mum Barbara. (UPBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC) (TANNOY ANNOUNCEMENT IN RUSSIAN) - This is the first time I've left my husband for more than three days in 31 years. Pretty light. - PHOTOGRAPHER: Let's go. - 20 years after Barbara and her husband arrived in Abinsk to meet a 14-month-old baby girl, Barbara's back to show her Russian-American daughter around the town of her birth. - 'It is full circle for my journey. 'And when I think about that, I think, "I'm not really ready to do this."' (GENTLE, PENSIVE MUSIC) Look at this. This is a pretty place. There's something on the little thing down there. And look at that. Now, that is a monument. This eternal flame, they` Can you believe they keep it burnin'? It's been, what, 78 years since the end of the Great War? People are still bringing flowers after all these years. It's a beautiful place, though, isn't it? (PENSIVE MUSIC CONTINUES) (BIRDS TWITTER) - I really cannot believe that we're here. - Me neither. - (CHUCKLES BREATHLESSLY) That has to be the place. Does look the same. - Wow. - You're sure different. (LAUGHS) - Thanks. I've grown a lot. - Come on. Let's go see what else we can see. - OK. - Look. You were on the ground floor. That much I do remember. - Really? - Yep. We went in, we turned to the right... - (INDISTINCT CHATTER ON VIDEO) - ...and we heard this sound. - (WHINES SOFTLY) - And they said, (RUSSIAN ACCENT) 'Oh! that is the princess.' And we were` (LAUGHS) - (LAUGHS) - Daddy just laughed and thought, 'Oh, heavens.' - I am a princess. - 'Who is that?' - (LAUGHS) - But it was you. (POIGNANT MUSIC) (EXHALES SOFTLY) VOICE BREAKS: This is where I got you. You know that? This is where I got you. This where I met you. First time, Pumpkin. First time. First time I ever saw you. That building right there changed my life. - And you don't regret it, do you? - (SNIFFLES) LAUGHS TEARFULLY: Oh! And do I just count your teen years as regretting it? Of course I don't regret it, Anna. (SNIFFLES) (SNIFFS) It was a great leap of faith. Are you glad I brought you out of that door? - (EXHALES) Yeah. - Glad we brought you through the door? You sure? VOICE BREAKS: That's what I wanted to know. That's what I wanted to come here for. - Oh! - To find out if you were glad I brought you through the door, if I did right. - (BOTH SOB) - If I would've stayed there, then my life would been so much different, and I would've never known my friends, my family, you and dad ` any of those people. - We've told her the stories of where she came from. We've told her the stories of the hospital. She's seen the photographs. She's seen the videos. But it's not the same as when you're smelling the smells and walking on the ground and touching the trees and holding the fence. - ANNA: Well, this is a very special moment. - I love you, baby. - (BABY ANNA FUSSES) - We're pretty confident that Anna has at least one sibling here, but we're still trying to confirm details. In the meantime, I touch base with Anna and her mum. It's your birth city, Anna. So what does it feel like being here now? - Amazing. That I'm here, where I was born, is just, like... just surreal. - What are you hoping to get out of this trip? - I hope I find some family, and I just want to tell 'em all about my life, and I want to know them. But I hope they care about me, you know? And accept me for me. Cos who knows? Maybe they won't have Asperger's. - Yeah. - You know? Maybe they will. I don't know. - Let's find out. Let's find out. You always wanted to have siblings. - I did. - When Anna was little, she had pretend brothers and sisters. - Yeah? - So I'm hoping we can find some real faces so that they're not pretend people. - I'm just gonna be thrilled when I find them. I'll be like, '(GASPS) Oh my gosh!' - 'Wow.' - Like, 'It's really you!' - LAUGHS: Yeah. - Like, 'It's so nice to meet you,' and... - 'Ochen priyatna' ` 'Nice to meet you'. - 'Ochen priyatna.' - 'Nice to meet you.' I hope that she's not disappointed. You know, we` Again, you try to prepare her for anything that's possible, because we don't know. - (EXHALES HEAVILY) Like, I have mixed emotions about my birth mother. I feel sad that she gave me up... - Yeah. - ...that she couldn't take care of me. But I'm also happy that she gave me the wonderful life in Birmingham. - Yeah. - Because otherwise, where would I be, you know? - Yeah. - What's your birth mother even look like? Or what your siblings`? - I've always wondered, yeah. - What do they look like? What do they sound like? - Well, while you're here, let's find out, why don't we? Figure out what's happened. - You ready? - (INHALES DEEPLY) - Start growing some connections. - (BOTH EXHALE) - OK. - It's great to have you both here on the ground. The search is underway, and I hope to have some information for you both soon. - Thank you so much. We really appreciate you. - 'After I leave, I get good news 'from my assistant and translator Vera.' This address, it's over here. - Yeah. Here. - This one. So, that's the street where the mother lived. 'Vera thinks she's located Anna's sister.' We've been given a phone number. - Yes. Yes, we have. We can` We can call her... - Let's do it. - ...if you want. Yeah? - Yeah. - OK. (LINE RINGS) - WOMAN ON PHONE: Privyet. - Hi! - Russian adoptee Anna and her mum Barbara have travelled from Alabama to the small town of Abinsk, close to the Black Sea. - VOICE BREAKS: This is where I got you. You know that? This is where I got you. This is where I met you. First time, Pumpkin. - Anna's hoping to connect with her birth family. - So, I'm an only child, which is kinda sad. I wish I had siblings. - This address, it's over here. 'I'm hoping we can make Anna's wish come true.' ALEX IN RUSSIAN: - Privyet. - VERA: Privyet, privyet. - 'It doesn't take long to confirm our research.' - VERA IN RUSSIAN: - Anna. - BOTH: Oh! - Her name is Anna. - Anna. - Anna. - Did you already know anything about your sister Anna? - You remember? (SOMBRE MUSIC) - (SNIFFLES) (GASPS, EXHALES SHAKILY) (SNIFFLES) - Anna doesn't know that. - Ah. - 'I know this is something Anna has dreaded. 'I just hope finding her siblings 'will be enough to give her the connection she needs.' So, we have brought Anna and her mum Barbara here. - VERA IN RUSSIAN: - (SNIFFLES) - And Anna is asking so many questions. - (LAUGHS) - I'm going to waste no time in giving the good news to Anna and Barbara, but I also have to break it to Anna that she's not going to meet her mother. Anna, Barbara. How are you both? - Hey. It's nice to see you, Alex. - Nice to see you. - I do have an update for you. You do have siblings here in Russia. You have three brothers and two sisters. - Whoa. - Whoa! - WHISPERS: Three brothers. - Oh, yeah, I've always wished I had siblings. I would pretend like my cousin Matthew was my brother. Now they're not, um, you know, fake anymore. They're real. - They're not the pretend ones. - They're not the pretend ones. - Are` Are they older than she is, or...? - So, Anna is the last one. - You were the baby. - You were the baby. So, today, I met with one of your siblings, Alyona. - Alyona. - Alyona. Alyona. - She's older, and she is a mother. - Really? (GASPS) - (GASPS) You're an aunt! - Oh! - LAUGHS: Gosh! - Can you guess what her daughter's name is? - Anna? - Anna. - (GASPS) - Oh my God. - (ANNA, BARBARA LAUGH TEARFULLY) - That's amazing. (SNIFFLES) That's just... - Alyona does have the same father as you, the same biological father as you, so you are full-blood siblings. - Real? - Yeah. - Wow. - Real? Real? - And she told me about both of your birth parents. Now, unfortunately, your birth mother died in 2010. - It's OK. - Oh... - It's all right. All right. It's OK. It's OK. - Really? - It's OK. It's OK. Yeah. - (SOBS) - OK? That doesn't mean she's gone; that just means she's not where we can see her, OK? Right? - Mm-hm. - It's OK. It's OK. You all right? - (SNIFFLES) - OK? - OK. - I have worried in the past about loss in general ` it's a big, big thing for people who have been adopted. So she has felt loss and an emptiness and a loneliness that perhaps people who are not adopted don't feel. - Now, Anna, you've never seen a photo of your birth mother, have you? - No. - So I've actually got one here. - OK. All right. - (LAUGHS) - Now` Now it's a good smiling. - (LAUGHS, SOBS) - Oh, Anna. Look at you. It's you. - (LAUGHS, SOBS) 'I saw the picture of her, 'and it just looks like me so much.' I was, like, shocked. I'm still, like, stunned. I can't... I'm` I'm amazed. - Look at her eyes and her eyebrows. - (LAUGHS TEARFULLY) Oh! (EXHALES) - It's your face. (SNIFFLES) - How old is she in that picture? - I'm not sure, to be honest. - Can we keep it? - Yes, of course. - Oh! - And all five of your siblings are in this area, and they would like to meet you. - Oh! - I'm` I'm` (STAMMERS) I knew it! - Oh my God, you were right! Oh my God! I think that's really exciting. I'm so glad that they know that I'm alive and that I'm here. It's gonna take me a while to process all this, honestly. - Of course. That's what you should do tonight. - (CHUCKLES TEARFULLY) - Sit down, write yourself some notes, get yourself prepared, and we'll go first thing tomorrow morning. 'I'm so glad that Barbara is here to support Anna.' Tomorrow will be emotional for everybody as she finally gets to meet her Russian family for the first time. Get Google Workspace Business Starter on us for 12 months when you join Spark Business Endless Mobile (PENSIVE MUSIC) - Anna from Alabama has always been an only child... - Best baby on board. - ...in her adopted family. - A flying girl. Yeah! - Alex, please help me find my birth family. - You have three brothers and two sisters. - Whoa. - Whoa! - And they would like to meet you. - Oh! - I'm` I'm` (STAMMERS) I knew it! - Oh my God, you were right! - 'This is incredible news for Anna,' the being on the autism spectrum can make meeting new people a bit of a minefield. - What you see with Anna is what you get. Sometimes what you get comes out in a very different way. 'Course, she'll probably just be seen as another crazy American. So, sometimes that's how Asperger's translates, right? (CHILDREN CHATTER IN DISTANCE) - How are you feeling, Anna? - Very nervous. About this, about this experience. - Now, Anna, your sister and brother are just down there on that bench. - OK. This is just kinda new and a little... nerve-racking, you know? 'I wonder what they're gonna think of me.' - This is hard. - EXHALES: Oh, just... - This is one of the hardest things that you've ever done. But you can do hard things. You can do it. Are you ready? - Yeah. - All right. - Oh... - I love you, baby. - I love you too. - I'm so proud of you. Now we're gonna have (VOICE BREAKS) more people to love, right? OK? - OK. - OK. You ready? Let go? 'I got that one last hug. 'You know that "pushing the baby bird out of the nest" thing?' Yeah, there was` there was some semblance of that. Big breath. - EXHALES: OK. - Good luck. - Go. - Thank you. - She's gonna do it. - She's gonna do it. She's on her way. I am really nervous for her. - (ANNA LAUGHS TEARFULLY) Oh! Hey. (LAUGHS TEARFULLY) (SOBS) Hello. - (SNIFFLES) - (BOTH SOB) (POIGNANT MUSIC) - Hi. It's so nice to meet you. - IN RUSSIAN: - LAUGHS: Oh my God. - 'Whoa. Like, when I saw my brother, I was like, "Whoa."' To see him for the first time. (ANNA SOBS) - I think that took Anna's breath away. She did not expect to see her brother. - IN RUSSIAN: - (ANNA LAUGHS TEARFULLY) (BOTH SNIFFLE, SOB) - It's amazing. (SNIFFLES) It's really amazing. - VERA: Your brother. - (LAUGHS) - Your brother Maxim. Look how... how` - It's so nice to meet you. (LAUGHS) - Yes. Guys, look at your... - Alyona. - That's` - Alyona. - That's Alyona. - Nice to meet you. I'm Anna. - Yeah. - Your sister. (LAUGHS) - VERA IN RUSSIAN: And look at your faces. Both of you are totally the same, guys. Really. IN RUSSIAN: - (BOTH SPEAK RUSSIAN) You real, uh, look the same, girls. - Really? - He told you` Really. Yes! Look at your` You look... You can, uh, look to each other. - 'Wow. She's really pretty.' - (ALYONA, VERA SPEAK RUSSIAN) - And I've always compared myself and wanted to look like other girls. Sometimes I didn't feel pretty enough, but I'm feeling prettier now. Oh... We have different colour eyes. It's surreal. - (VERA SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - Yours is green... - Uh-huh. - ...and yours is blue. - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - The same eyes like yours, Mom had. - Oh, wow. - Yes. - (ALYONA, MAXIM SPEAK RUSSIAN) - Thank you so much! Thank you. - VERA: This is for you. It's a sweets! - (ALYONA SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - Aww. - And there's some present for you too. - (GASPS) Thank you! - VERA: (LAUGHS) Oh my God. Barbara. Let's come, Barbara. - MAXIM IN RUSSIAN: (BARBARA SOBS) - (GASPS FOR BREATH) - VERA: This is for you, Barbara. - Thank you, Maxim. Spasibo bol` bol'shoye. - ALYONA: Spasibo bol'shoye. - (GASPS, SOBS) - (MUFFLED SOBBING) - (SNIFFLES) - Look at your face. Oh my God. Look at you! (SOBS, SNIFFLES) Just like your mama. Her mama. - VERA IN RUSSIAN: - You're so beautiful. - Is 100% copy of each other, yeah? - Yeah. - Wow. - It's like a` You know? - Yes. The nose, the face, the forehead, the eyes. Especially the eyes. - Yeah. IN RUSSIAN: - BARBARA: I can't stop staring. - (VERA CONTINUES IN RUSSIAN) - The nose. Mm-hm. - ANNA: 'We look a little different.' - The profile, the face ` I'm` I'm stunned. (CHUCKLES) - Made these for her. This is for you. - ALYONA: Spasibo. - (VERA SPEAKS RUSSIAN) It's really beautiful. - BARBARA: Spasibo bol'shoye. - Spasibo za Annu. (SNIFFLES) - VERA: Thank you so much for Anna. I love her so much. - (ALYONA SNIFFLES) (VERA SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - MAXIM IN RUSSIAN: - And every` every birthday, Anna's birthday, we always thank your mother. We didn't know she was not here. We thought she was still here. - 'Take me a while to finally sink in' and understand what all this means. You know? - This is the oldest brother of the family. - Oldest? Maxim is the oldest? - Like first one, you know. - First` First, yes. - Yes. - BARBARA: When Anna was little, she always pretended that she had three brothers. - ANNA, LAUGHING: I did. I did. - (VERA SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - BARBARA: 'Alyona gave her an incredibly beautiful bracelet 'with nine stones in it ` one stone for each of the children...' Ohhh! Anna. - I love it. Thank you so much. - '...one for the mother and one for the father.' Amazingly thoughtful, and it keeps them right here. - You can, uh, be... like, you can feel every day like your family with you. - Yes! I'm so excited. - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - I can't believe it. - Today's reunion is just the start of a healing process for both sides of the family. - I just wonder what my life would've have been like if I'd have` if I had grown up with all you guys. And I wish I could've. I wish I could have known you all these years. I mean, did you see me... when I was born, or, like...? - IN RUSSIAN: - Did you know I was alive? - VERA IN RUSSIAN: - Mother didn't tell them? - IN RUSSIAN: - No? - No. She tried not to touch this question, you know. - Your mother ` what was she like? (POIGNANT MUSIC) Did you hear that, Anna? She was strict. She was just like me. (LAUGHS) - (PUFFS) Hmm. - Mm-hm. That's good. - But kind. - Kind, you know. - Strict but kind. - Yes. Yeah. (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - MAXIM: - (LAUGHS) - VERA: - (LAUGHS) - Street race. - Street racing. Ah, yes. - BARBARA: Street racing? - (LAUGHS) - Can you believe ` street racing? - They have so much questions for you. - Well, I'm just a singer. I've been singin' since before I could talk. - ALYONA: - She somehow found a video, uh, where you singing. - BARBARA: Oh, oh! Yes. - Really? - Yes. - (GASPS) (LAUGHS) - I... I'm so happy Anna has the brother and the sister ` and more brothers and more sisters... - ...that I'd always wanted. - ...that she wanted. And the coolest thing, yeah ` I think this was probably the coolest thing for Anna ` they'd been looking for her. They had been looking for her. (GENTLE MUSIC) - This is a huge day for Anna. She's starting to fill in the missing pieces in her story. - My heart's very full. I'm so glad that I came to Russia to see where I came from, and I wanna learn more Russian and learn about the Russian culture. - Before Anna and Barbara leave for Alabama, there's one last place to visit. (POIGNANT MUSIC) - We've just come to the cemetery where Anna's birth mother is buried, and it's a beautiful place. Anna wasn't sure she wanted to come at all, but she has to come and she has to come now, or it's not real. - I still think that she's alive. I still can't... I still feel like she's here on Earth. But she's not. Like, it's gonna take me a while to realise that and have it click, you know, in my head. - Anna has even more family to meet ` her two other brothers have come to share this emotional day. - TEARFULLY: Anna. - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - Pasha? This is Pasha! - (GASPS) Pasha! - Da. (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - Ochen priyatna. Barbara. - Ochen priyatna. Anna. - Serg` Pasha and Sergei, right? - (SOBS) - Aw. - Oh, baby. - (SOBS) - Sergei? - Sergei. - Sergei! (LAUGHS) - (VERA SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - Sergei. - Wow. (QUIET CHATTER IN RUSSIAN, ANNA SNIFFLES) (POIGNANT MUSIC) - (EXHALES SHARPLY, SNIFFLES) (SNIFFLES) - BARBARA: It's OK. It's OK. - Oh... (SOBS) 'I wish I could tell her everything.' - Let go. It's OK. - (SNIFFLES) - All of this is her. All of you are her. She's not gone. She lives on in all of you. Look at all of you. Look at all your family! - (SOBS) 'This experience was incredible.' I can't believe it. I mean, take me a while to finally sink in and understand what all this means. - Anna feels this now. And that's huge. That's huge for her. And in a way, it is a beginning for Anna. Now she can come to terms with who she is beyond our daughter. - I thought I wasn't ready for this, but... I am. I'm, like, strong. I-I can see it. I have a bigger, bigger family, and I'm the an aunt, and I have nieces and nephews. Thrilled. - She did say to me that she wasn't gonna be lonely anymore. That's huge. - The little girl that invented brothers and sisters for herself has found a real family ` and one that's just as keen to get to know her. - It's wonderful to be with the family. I feel like I'm much like Alyona. I see a lot of me in her. She and I are gonna talk about it more later and try to process it all, because.... it's a lot to think about. - Mate, I was so nervous that day. 'My journey to meeting my birth family....' Hello. Hello, hello. Hello. - (MUFFLED LAUGHTER) - ANDREI: - '...inspires my brother Andrei.' - Like you to help reunite me with my birth father and two sisters. - 'But there's a twist in this tale I don't see coming.'