On my birth certificate, Seoul is listed as my place of birth. I've always enjoyed answering the "Where were you born?" question because it was different than almost everyone else. I might not be able to say what hospital I was born in, but I could tell everyone that I was born in another country.

There is an ice breaker out there that I have suffered through many times since I reached adulthood. They give you a list and you have to find a person that fits each one the categories - find someone with green eyes, find someone who is left handed, find someone who was born in another country. I hate ice breakers, but I've never minded this one. Once you tell a couple of people that you were born in another country, people start coming to you - problem solved.

Any how, Seoul has often fascinated me because it is such a wonderful mix of old and new. On one side, you see the sky scrapers on the skyline and on the other side you have the Gyeongbokgung Palace (built in 1394). There seems to be something for every type of traveller - the city dweller, the history buff, the food specialist...

When my son arrived, a friend gave us a travel guide for Korea and I love to look through it. I have every expectation of making the trip. I suspect that it will be around the time my son is ten or eleven years old and our second is just old enough to understand the significance of our trip. I wish it could be different, we will most likely only have a couple chances to make the trip because of the cost.

For more information, check out the Korea National Tourism Organization (they wrote my tour guide). Their website is www.tour2korea.com.