Until We Meet Again

My last morning in Korea was a blur- I got up early and left around 7:30 for the airport. I didn't have time for a proper breakfast, but I had one of the apples my father had picked from his farm before I left. We had two volunteers take us on the subway, which was really helpful. I was so grateful that they helped navigate us through the airport, assisted with my bags, and most of all, provided translation services for me. A few cool things I saw at the airport:

These people strolled in with a crew of security and paparazzi so I took a quick pic. Later I found out she is a famous actress in Korea, Lee Youngae, who starred in 대장금 Daejanggeum - a very popular drama in Korea and Asia.

Little did I know, my birth father had also come to the airport to see me off. This was definitely not planned or communicated beforehand- I wouldn't have even known he was there, except when I was returning my rented Korean cell phone, I showed one of the girls a text message that had come through and she said, "Your father's here!" 

I spent the next thirty minutes in a mad rush to return the phone and exchange currency, all while looking for my birth father. Finally we connected, with about 5 minutes to spare before I had to get through customs and board. It was really nice to see him one last time, and I even managed to refrain from crying. He was worried about me traveling alone, but we were able to have a good quick conversation before I left. One of the volunteers even told him about the apple I had, and he seemed pleased. After we said our goodbyes, I was determined not to look back as I went through customs, but I did. He was still standing there, watching me go. His was the last face I saw before leaving Korea. Then the tears came.

I would have dressed a little nicer if I had known he was coming!

Since I've been back, we have kept in touch through a messaging system called KakaoTalk. He doesn't know any English and I don't know any Korean, so it makes for some really interesting Google translations. But, I'm really happy to have a way to contact him, and I've gotten more information about his family, including pictures, than I had before.

My half-sister Mimi, the fencing instructor. I think she's beautiful.

His family. I love their matching Hanboks!

He is so sweet over text messages and KakaoTalk. It is nice to see this side to him, as Koreans aren't naturally very expressive in person and he didn't show his emotions too openly when I first saw him. I probably wouldn't have known how he felt about me if we didn't have this means of communication, so I am really grateful for it. He is constantly telling me that he misses me, and loves me. 

Translated texts

What the texts actually look like- and why I need to learn Korean. He loves emoticons :)

We usually text at least once a day, which is nice and something to look forward to each day. But I do worry that his family may find out about me if he isn't careful. I don't know if he has told them yet or if he will ever tell them, but I worry nonetheless.

Since I've been back, I've also been able to share more of my life with him. Like my son's 4th Birthday party- which, in fitting with the theme of this month, was held at a Korean taekwondo studio this past Sunday.

Before the party

Both boys

With all his friends

Cutting his cake

Breaking a board

So proud, with his instructor Master Yi

I have not had any contact with my birth mother since returning. This is solely because of the language and communication barriers- she does not have KakaoTalk or email- and calling is futile. Eventually I will write her a decent letter, but I just haven't had the time or energy to do that yet. I need to contact her sister in France that speaks English, but haven't been able to do that yet either. And I'm definitely looking into taking a Korean class at a local community college, or at least buying Rosetta Stone. The language issue makes things so hard, but it's not something that can't be overcome.

My next post will be some closing thoughts on all of my time in Korea, the program, and how it's been since getting back home. I plan on updating the blog at least once a month after that, to keep track of any changes or major updates, and show the progress of the relationships I may or may not build after this experience. I will also post links to any media coverage, once I get them, like the Korean TV show I was on.

They liked to focus on my belly

Again, thanks for reading and following along. It means a lot to me that so many have been interested in my journey and my story. ♥♥♥♥