A Reunion Revisited: Korean Adoption
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A Reunion Revisited: Korean adoptee reunites with her birthfamily in Korea and finds she has a twin sister!
BEING ADOPTED By Seon ah Groditski I dedicate this story to people who wonder what it's like to be adopted and to kids who are embarrassed to talk about adoption. My story is about being adopted. First I'm going to talk about what my parents had to do before they could adopt me. My parents told me that they had to have fingerprints taken and background checks done. Social workers had to check out our house and interview my parents. My parents also had to do a lot of paper work. After that my parents had to be approved by the adoption agency and Korea. When the adoption agency approved my parents, they received a picture of me. They had to pay a lot of money. A few months later they received my arrival date. Soon a person from Korea flew with me to Seattle. Then a volunteer from United Airlines brought me to Colorado. When I arrived at the airport in Denver I didn't stop crying for hours and I wouldn't take a bottle. I was probably very sad and confused because I was in a new place with different sounds, smells, and sights. My parents told me that I didn't stop crying until I fell asleep hours later. The longer I was in the U.S. the more familiar I became with my new environment. My parents, aunts, uncles, and my parents' friends helped me to get used to my new home. My parents had chosen a name for me, but they decided to keep the name my birth mom gave me (Seon ah). My first memories are when I was 2 and I went to the zoo and rode on one of the elephants. The year I was in kindergarten is when I became a citizen of the United States. In first grade I remember that my teacher was going to adopt a baby and she asked me and another boy to come and talk about adoption to the class. The first few years of school kids teased me a lot about the way I looked, and who my "real" parents were. I felt real sad about how I was treated. Now that kids in school know me they don't tease me anymore. For the last 6 years I have gone to a Korean heritage camp with my family where I can learn about my heritage. I love it because there are more kids like me there, and I get to experience Korean music, dance, and food. Last year when I was 9, I started thinking about if I have any half brothers or half sisters in Korea. I also started to wonder about my birth mom. We have started a search for my birth mom in Korea. There are many feelings and thoughts you have when you are adopted. I sometimes think about whether my birth mom is dead or alive and if she even thinks or cares about me. It is also sad to know that my birth mom wasn't able to keep me anymore, and had to give me up for adoption. What I enjoy about adoption is I have parents who take care of me and love me a lot. I also get to have a special day to celebrate the day I came home to the U.S. We call this my "Coming Home Day," and my family makes it special for me. I love having a caring family. Adoption has taught me that no matter who we are, or where we come from, we are all the same. I hope when you read this story that you will understand more about adoption.
Click Here to Subscribe and Read These Great Stories too:Cover Stories: Spotlight on Korea Adoptions:
Adoption Agency Profiles -Various Agencies
Han-gook: The Land of the Han
Historical overview of inter-country adoption in the Republic of Korea -Whitney Tae-Jin Ning
Pioneers of Korean Adoption: Harry & Bertha Holt -John Aeby
Being Adopted -Seon ah Groditski
A Letter to My Son -Chris Winston
Resources for Families Touched by Korean Adoption -Various Organizations & Resources
A Reunion Revisited -Suzanne Switzer
Survey of Adult Korean Adoptees: Report on the Findings -Evan B. Donaldson Institute
Features:Journey Inside a Chinese Orphanage -Kathy Simon
Whose Right is it Anyway? The controversy over opening adoption records -Marley Elizabeth Greiner, David M. Malutinok & Tina M. Musso
An Historical Look at Foster Care in the United States -Jessica Medinger, MSW
So You Want to be a Foster Parent? -Greg Olson
Our Silent Heroes -Darcy Kiefel
Three Worlds, One Family -Caroline F. Daniel, MA
An Update on Health Issues in Children Adopted from China: Part II -Jane Aronson, DO
First Encounters -Chris Check
Loss & Gain in Adoption -Jane A. Brown, MSW
An Introduction to Domestic Adoption -Barbara Moe, MSW
Ratings & Reality: Adoption as Entertainment -Judy Woodruff
Poem: A Journey of Love -Nancy Dynes
Nuosu Revival -Marybeth Lambe
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