soul/sōl/
A person's moral or emotional nature or sense of identity.
searching/sur-ching/
Try to find something by looking or otherwise seeking carefully and thoroughly.
This story is 26 years in the making. I was adopted from Seoul, Korea at the age of six months to my American family in Colorado. In 2009 I received an email on Facebook from an adoption agency in Denver telling me my birth mother was looking to get in contact with me. Over the last two years my mother, sister and I had exchanged many letters and photos, always ending in "I hope we will meet one day."
To my surprise this October I received a nomination for a program organized by Eastern Social Welfare Society, and funded by the Korean government. A total of 9 adoptees from the United States and Australia were chosen and on November 9 I was on a plane to Seoul.
This film documents my journey, as a member of this first of a kind program.
The program consisted of, sightseeing and cultural immersion experiences. Many of us were able so see where we were born and taken care of during the first six months of our lives. ESWS provides many services for babies up for adoption, single mothers, and disabled children. I can not thank the staff of ESWS enough for providing us with this unique opportunity.
The nine of us adoptees became instant friends, with late night conversations about our individual experiences of meeting our birth families, participating in ESWS's cultural programs, and exploring the beautiful city of Seoul. We each shared a bond in our adoption experience, and it was amazing being able to gain such a strong support group.
My experience with my family was extraordinary. It was more than I had ever dreamed it would be. I have never felt so welcomed and loved by people I just met. We averaged about four hours of sleep every night, maximizing the experience and little time we had. During the days without a translator we communicated surprisingly well via google translate on the iPhone. We explored Seoul, visited palaces, the seoul lantern festival, a river boat tour, Seoul Tower, Nonsan (where I was born), the ginseng market in Geumsan, went shopping at the markets in Insadong and Itaewon. My mom surprised me with a tailor made hanbok (traditional Korean wedding dress), and I got my eyelashes done! The best part of the whole trip was spending time with my family, holding hands and being together for the first time. My life is forever changed.
Looking forward to the future, my dream is to have my own children. Sadly a year ago I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and we are unable to conceive on our own. We hope to begin our journey as parents through IVF one day.
Follow me on this deeply emotional journey as I meet my mom for the first time on 11/11/11 in Seoul, Korea.