If you want something you've never had, then you've got to do something you've never done. - Author Unknown

After confusion with my flight with one of the cheapest and worst rated airlines– China Eastern Air–I am finally on my way back to the homeland of my birthplace Seoul, South Korea. The tumultuous search for locating my birth parents began more than two years ago after being referred by another Korean adoptee, Melissa, who introduced me to, Dillion International, the organization that helped reunite her with her birth mother after her own five-year long search. She was a great help and source of encouragement for all of the information she shared with me regarding the emotions and feelings that only another Korean adoptee can relate too, because growing up you experience all sorts of difficulties that you often keep to yourself because you feel as though others cannot understand nor relate regardless of the circumstances unfortunately. Everything from the racial slurs as a child in school to feelings of inadequacy because of your mixed ethnicity and cultural identity–you never quite truly feel American nor Korean, but there is the feeling as though you are almost rejected by both cultures. I know that times have changed and I was extremely fortunate enough to grow up with a wonderful family with two other Korean adopted sisters, as well with my extended family that never once treated any of us any different and for that I am and will always be thankful to every single one of them for that. Also, I cannot thank my caseworker, Jan Dunn, the Director of the search program based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for all of the long hours, phone calls, and emails that she put in that has got me to the point of today. There are many things that I can say about being a Korean adoptee to a family in the United States, since this was the specific request from my birth mother at the time I was placed with Eastern Social Welfare Services in Seoul, but I will save that for a later entry as I have yet to even step foot in South Korea.


Before I knew it, right on schedule, Adam showed up just after 7pm. After telling Chan and his wife goodbye and that I was sure I would see them again tomorrow, Adam had already picked up one of my backpacks and we headed out in the slight cold for the ten-minute walk to his apartment. On the walk we exchanged a bit about one another, which I know for many people outside of the CS community seems odd, since we literally just met in-person less than five-minutes before and are learning about one another as I’m staying at his place for the next few nights. I’ve found that trust is a trait I’d rather continue to value rather than one of being skeptical and full of doubt.
