When I received this article, The changing face of Northwest families by April Lacey, I was struck by the title and the message in the article. We have articles about Korean adoption from when I came and it was this oddity then – look at what these strange people are doing. Even when my sister came, the articles were less about family and more about this phenomena called Korean adoption.

The faces of a typical American family have changed.

What people used to consider the norm - a mom, a dad and two or three children with similar features - has become just one option for the makeup of a family.

American families, now more than ever, adopt children from... more

There is no way that you can be interested in South Korea and not pay attention to what is happening in North Korea. When people ask me where I was born, I rarely tell them South Korea – I generally just say Korea. North and South Korea used to be one country.

It seems as if the leader of North Korea just can’t stay in the shadows for a moment. He needs to rattle chains and demonstrate his power. If you haven’t watched his biography or read a little bit about him, you should. On a strictly socio-political scale, he’s fascinating…on a personal basis, he’s frightening.

Mostly,... more

Link: A 20-year Road To Citizenship

I found this article from the Charlotte Observor by Danica Coto very interesting. It’s different than the standard “adopted as an infant” story. Here is a story of three siblings – older children – who remember when their mother had to place them for adoption. They remember the orphanage and the trip to the United States. Though initially, it sounds like their first days in the United States were rocky, they seem to have found their... more

I found an article “Americans look for their Korean past” by Tonya Maxwell on SanLuisObispo.com the other day and I was reading through it tonight. For the full article, follow the link at the bottom of this post.

It’s about the trip to Korea for Korean Adoptees and their families that is sponsored by the Chicago Arirang Lions Club. I found the article to be interesting.

I have always planned to travel back to Korea. We discussed it when I was younger and still living at home, but it didn’t work out and, truthfully, I lost some interest while I was making my... more

Link: Affording a Family – I have to say that I hate the headline. It leads to thoughts of buying children and other evil practices. I am always correcting people when they ask me how much my son cost us. I always politely remind them that my son did not cost us anything. We paid adoption fees to cover the cost of the paperwork, visas, travel, etc…, but we did not pay a cent for our son – he is priceless. However, I’m including this article because it does talk about ways to save and find money for adoption fees.

Link: The Lucky... more

We’ve been hearing a lot about immigration in the news lately. It’s everywhere. A lot of the focus is always on the Hispanic community. I found these articles very interesting because they spoke about the Korean American views.

As Korean adoptees, we are immigrants. We are not the stereotypical immigrant and people tend to forget that we did not come here as citizens of the United States. This country was built on the shoulders of immigrants and, because of that, I pay a lot of attention to what is happening right now. I also pay attention because the way people are reacting now to immigration could be an indicator of how people choose to react to minorities later.

Link:... more

On a daily basis, I don’t remember that I’m Asian. Until I started writing my blogs, I didn’t really think about being adopted much either. It is a part of who I am, but it has never been all-consuming. There were other things that seemed more important.

The other day, my co-worker said that she couldn’t imagine me angry. I laughed because I have a rather formidable temper. I don’t yell a lot, but I become very quiet and icy. What I don’t have is my mother’s Irish temper – lots of emotion and noise. It used to driver her nuts because she would yell and then everything... more

Article Link – Comparing Chinese and Korean Adoption

Blog Link – China Adoption Blog

I found this article and I almost overlooked it because I thought it was on Chinese adoption; however, something made me read it and I’m so glad. This article talks about a documentary in progress (produced by a Korean adoptee) that is all about the difference... more

At the Korean Picnic, while standing in line to try Korean food, I had this conversation:

“Do you like Korean food?” A Korean woman asked me.

“Yes,” I said.

“Do you cook it at home?”

I’m sure I looked a little sheepish. “No,” I admitted. “I don’t cook much of anything at home,” I admitted. “I’m rather fond of restaurants.”

She gave me a knowing look and nodded. “Me too.”

So, when I read this article “Koreans' Kimchi Adulation, With a Side of Skepticism” from the LA Times, I thought of her. Here in black... more

I’ve been thinking that I don’t spend enough time writing about birth parent searches. Because it’s never been a big issue for me, I don’t often remember that it is a big issue for other Korean adoptees (and their parents).

Link: Soldier Finds Her Birth Family In Korea

This article was extraordinary on several levels. First, this adoptee was not searching because she felt disassociated with her adopted family. She searched because she wanted to and not because she needed... more