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Molly’s KBS “I Miss this person” appearance
I was ridiculously nervous. I had a huge goiter on my lip. The headphones weren’t actually functioning (but looked cool?). My roommate was locked in her room for about an hour during the interview. I pronounced my name wrong, and i hate seeing myself on camera ….but what an amazing opportunity!! Thanks to everyone who helped in getting me here. We will see what happens. At this point its kind of a waiting game, and KBS will screen fraudulent claims made by people trying to pretend to be my family. If they get any serious leads we will do DNA tests!

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“Kosians”, a compound of Korean and Asian, referring to the bi-racial minority that is quickly growing!  Check out these quotes i pulled from the article and if you have a second, definitely check out the full article!

It is a similar story across South Korea, where hundreds of thousands of foreign women have been immigrating in recent years, often in marriages arranged by brokers. They have been making up for a shortage of eligible Korean women, particularly in underdeveloped rural areas like this one in the nation’s southwest. (WELL MAYBE IF YOU DIDN’T SEND ALL OF THEM HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD?!)

The surge in births of mixed children is the product of the similarly explosive growth here in marriages to foreigners, as a surplus of bachelors and the movement of eligible women to big cities like Seoul have increasingly driven Korean men in rural areas to seek brides in poorer parts of Asia. In addition, a preference for male babies has helped skew the population so there are fewer native-born women to marry.

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Life hit me like a freight train and its already been a month and a half since i got back from Korea. Its hard to believe it sometimes. Its crazy to think that i was in this magical place where life as i know it all started for me…. but its even crazier because i discovered that life isn’t at all what i thought it was, and im talking about both how the Korean people live, as well the experience really opened my eyes to the way that I look at life, love, family and some of the values that i idealized prior to visiting Korea. There was so much that i experienced in a condensed trip and i hardly even got the opportunity to really internalize and digest all of the discoveries and emotions in the context of my “real life” back here in the US.

If i broke down the different chapters in a non-linear fashion i would break it down to a series of themes and discoveries:

• Tradition/History
• Family Units
• The Larger Community
• Technology and disconnectedness
• People as “seasons” in a larger cycle
• Contentment & Expectations

Those are some of the reoccurring themes and thoughts that i pondered while i wandered across the Korean countryside throughout the months of September and October.  Ill probably blog more specifically around some of these ideas before i lose it, but ive really been trying to nail some overarching theme.  Everything all traces back to this idea of connectedness or belonging that i feel i got a little bit of closure around while visiting Korea and i really think that its all thanks to the people who i met  and the people who helped me along the way. Whether i was gaining a new perspective on how others live their lives, or they were giving me tours around their city, or sharing their food and their family with me, it was such a gift that i can only dream of paying forward in this lifetime.

As i’ve told many of you, though i have yet to find my mother, i truly found so much more than i could have ever dreamed of out there in Korea.  And again, it wasn’t just Korea itself, it was so much more.  The timing, the people, my childhood connection, where im at in life, and the people and things in my life back home all played a huge role in my personal discoveries.  So the question remains, do i still feel alone in this world, are there still questions and voids looming? I mean, that is why i went out there, to answer some questions and to get closure around my adoption.  The funny thing though is that upon departure from the US to Korea, i still didn’t even know what the questions were.  Ok, ok, do i still feel alone in this world, are there still questions?  Fewer, and a little less every day, and with each day the world gets a little smaller and i find comfort in knowing that i am supposed to be exactly where i am at right now…and in this moment find comfort in knowing that i chose it. …something that not everyone has the luxury to say. Knowing that alone is like being wrapped in a big hug and a warm snuggy.

Im still waiting for my big day to get called up for a webcam appearance on the Korean TV Show to give a big shout out to the entire South Korean civilization, ill keep you posted when that happens, i think its supposed to be early December!  Until then, ill try to fire up some more long winded rants and emotional vomitting… it is actually pretty theraputic for me.

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Puppy dreams never get old!!!!

Looking forward to more days like this in Seattle!

…and can you believe that they are making a Berenstain Bears movie now? ew, me neither. It could be either a good thing or a bad… im aiming for bad on this one.

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Today was my big day to impress the crew at KBS!  I really didn’t think much about my script or what i was going to say in response to their questions regarding my adoption…. i figured my heart would do all the work and it’d roll off my tongue…and that it did.

Meandering towards the studios we stopped the local authorities for a photo op!

I just liked how the fish and Amanda’s shirt worked so well together… thanks so much for holding my hand on this one Amanda, it was great to have some support on the other side of the camera today!!

First thing is first, paperwork!  When we arrived at the KBS studios we met with my volunteer translator Se Il.  Once the writers of the tv show arrived we waited a few more minutes and another adoptee named Daniel showed up as well… it was a group interview, sick!  So Daniel the Norwegian, Korean Adoptee and i filled out our release forms and after one of the writers explained how the afternoon was going to go down, we immediately headed out side for a 20sec video clip that would be used if our stories were accepted for the show.

I got my clip down in 1 take, and stood by as Daniel worked on his 20secs of fame.  This is basically what it was:

Hello, my name is Yoon, Yung Eun.  I am in Korea searching for my birth mother.  I was born on October 24, 1982 in Seoul South korea.  2 days after i was born my mother relinquished all parental rights and put me into care of the City Counseling Office and to Star of the Sea Children’s Home where i’d eventually be adotped to the USA through Holt Adoption Agency.

After the quick takes on camera we sat down again and the main writers for the show interviewed us in detail about our birth family search.  Much of it was basically review of what we kind of both already knew but they also had us provide additional details discovered since landing in Korea.  It was also an opportunity to share a little bit about my upbringing, motivations for the search, and other personal characteristics that might make my presence on the show compelling to their audience (all of korea basically).  There were 2 Korean writers, a English writer and a Producer from KBS all on the other side of the table… very genuine and interested despite im sure having seen i don’t know how many of us Korean Adoptees sitting on the other side of the table with the same ol’ story…. at least thats what i was thinking!

The main interviewer spoke very little English and spoke to my translator in Korean most of the time but i could tell based on her gestures and and infliction in her voice that she was drawn to my story, it was cool to see human connection supercede language barriers!  She dug and dug, asking about feelings and all the mushy stuff, but whats more they were almost more interested in ME… they even kept asking about my tattoos… why tattoos? what do they mean? Then after telling them about the one on my back of my biological Korean name, almost in a frenzy they hopped on the phone and next thing i know we were outside with the filmer again and he was filming the two on my arms and up came my shirt and they shot the one on my back.

They had told me that i would be on the show… i didn’t really hear it at the time, but after the interview and parting ways with the KBS crew my translator reiterated that someone would contact me with details and instructions.

Thanks to everyone who has helped to get me here.  I know i haven’t found my mom (yet), but like i’ve said already, ive found so much more in just being here, learning about Korean culture, building relationships with my people, and through this journey in general… i can’t say thank you enough to everyone who i’ve met along the way….especially you Kyunghee Toni Ma from Holt and Sebastian from G.O.A.L., you guys helped kicked start all of this!

G.O.A.’L has been working together with KBS since 1998 and on a regular basis for the past seven (7) years.  Previously, many adoptees went on the program “Achim Madang (아침 마당)” to search for their families.  Since early 2007, “Achim Madang (아침 마당)” changed its program format, and thereafter, G.O.A.’L has been cooperating with KBS “I Miss that Person” (그 사람이 보고싶다) to provide adoptees with family search assistance.

Next stop, live show on Wednesday October 14, 2009 @ 11am (Korean time).  Ill see if i can get a copy of it or streaming video that i can post! It will be very similar to this one.

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How nuts is this?! Check out the NY Times Article:

SEOUL, South Korea — Four years ago, when she found that she was pregnant by her former boyfriend, Choi Hyong-sook considered abortion. But after she saw the little blip of her baby’s heartbeat on ultrasound images, she could not go through with it.

“My brother said: ‘How can you be so selfish? You can’t do this to our parents,’ ” said Ms. Choi, 37, a hairdresser in Seoul. “But when the adoption agency took my baby away, I felt as if I had thrown him into the trash. It felt as if the earth had stopped turning. I persuaded them to let me reclaim my baby after five days.”

Families whose unmarried daughters become pregnant sometimes move to conceal the pregnancy. Unwed mothers often lie about their marital status for fear they will be evicted by landlords and their children ostracized at school. Only about a quarter of South Koreans are willing to have a close relationship with an unwed mother as a coworker or neighbor, according to a recent survey by the government-financed Korean Women’s Development Institute.

Read more!

Thanks for forwarding this joel!

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I just love these signs… they really make me love being in Jeju.

So i landed in Jeju on Sunday evening and awaited a rendezvous with my next couchsurfing hosts. I’d be staying a bit out of the main city with Joel, Moon and Joon (sp?) at their countryside abode! I was so completely excited to get away from the bustle of Busan and Seoul, as well they had lived in Seattle before moving here to Jeju so i was excited to talk about home!

The family had been hiking on Mt. Hallasan so waited at a coffee shop nerding out until they were done for the day. Joel picked me up and shuttled me off to the countryside where i actually got a chance to meet the whole family who had been in town for Chuseok. They were preparing leftovers from their Chuseok dinner and i got a chance to enjoy a 2nd special Chuseok dinner… SO good! I met Moon’s two brothers who spoke English, her mother who spoke VERY little English (but was super fun to smile and gesture to and try my 5 Korean words with), and Joon their 2 year old son who is bi-lingual. Joel and Moon are incredible human beings…so kind and gentle and it was awesome to see it in their son Joon, he was the highlight of my Jeju trip for sure! Joel is from the US and Moon is actually from Jeju, but they met in the states and lived there for quite a few years until having their beautiful son where they decided to move back to Korea for awhile to be close to Grandma and Moon’s family. They had a great little guest room for me and made me feel at home!! …. oh yeah, how did i meet them? Yup, through Couch Surfers! … im hooked!

So for the next couple days i guess you could say i took it easy. I did have some lofty goals of doing an Organic Farmstay and seeing all of the sites, but due to gettin’ scheduled for a interview with KBS to get on to the adoption tv show id be cutting my trip to Jeju Island a bit short… so instead of trying to condense everything into a couple days i just figured id take the time to chill out a bit.

I was lucky enough to spend some time with Joon and the family and got to learn a bit about them.  We even found some pretty crazy connections back home in Seattle! I was so happy to be able to hang out with Joon especially, he was such a smart kid and made me feel like i was part of the fam… he even called me “Imo” (aunt in korean), it was so cute!!

One day i rented a scooter from Mr. Lee’s Bike Shop. I thought about getting a motorcycle, but since i didn’t have my International Drivers License or insurance i stuck to a 50cc moped!

This thing maxed out at 80cc’s baby!

Scootering was way more FREE than taking a bus…i could step wherever and whenever i wanted! …like for example, at more Buddhist temples along the way!

…or on the side of the road to take in the scenery and a chug of water.

And at one of the largest “lava tubes” in Jeju…. yup, caves made of lava… where it all started for Jeju!

I eventually made it all the way to the eastern coast of the island to Seongsan Ilchubong (Sunrise Peak)

Mt. Hallasan in the background

CHEESE!

Anyone seen “Short Circuit”?

So fuzzzzzy!

Oh yeah, my last night i stayed at a Hostel… conditions were rough, im glad the weather was good.

…kidding. It was really nice, Yeha Guesthouse in Jeju-si. Super plush…highly recommend it!

View from the top of the Guest House (hostel)

Other than that one day on the scooter and adventuring i really just chilled out, read alot, did a bit of wandering the coastline via foot and shopping in the local markets… it was nice to slow down a bit and to really reflect on the past couple weeks. I realized that i am ready for home. Im not really homesick, but rather i think i’ve found what i was looking for in the past couple weeks…

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Friday we slept in a bit and I spent the better half of the morning making arrangements for the next leg of my trip in Jeju Island and catching up with the family via skype. That afternoon we walked to Haeundae Beach, world famous for the Pusan International Film Festival. The streets were laced with shops, markets, typical Korean “street food” and as with most touristy spots in Korea all of the usual western chains were present and accounted for… Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robins, Starbucks, Outback and Coffee Bean and Tealeaf. The weather was perfect and the beach was less than crowded which was perfect for my taste. It was nice to kick off the flippy flops for a few while we strolled, eventually making our way past the Busan Aquarium and down past the Busan APEC…..

After a nice, long, platonic walk (haha, sorry no Korean romance…yet!) on the beach with aaron my couch surfing host and I headed back towards E-Mart (korea’s version of Walmart) to get some budget-nice’ish clothes for Chuseok and some wine for both Brenda, and the host (her husband’s eldest brother). It was crazy, E-Mart was slammed. People getting their last minute gifts (as were we), cute traditional Korean dresses for the girls, last minute ingredients for the feast…

After that I met up with Go Eun & Arum (probably totally messed up the spelling, sorry girls!), Brenda’s daughters, and their cousin Sam. I was looking forward to hanging out with some younger generation locals not only because they were pretty on top of their English but because I was craving their perspective on Korean culture & traditions, Western influence on Korea, POP culture and so much more! We ended up back in Haeundae where we shared an ice cream fondue at Baskin Robbins and eventually found ourselves in the market where we dined on some street food…finally! Id been waiting for street food! They told me how street food was more of a staple to their diets in high school years. There would be stands out front of school and they would eat that stuff all of the time but as they got older it became a less prominent part of their diet. Anyhow, We had some pepper sauce dipped rice cake things, fried squid and shrimp, and some other thing that was a rice based item of sorts…all good…the squid was a wee bit chewy though. It was cool, we just stood around this stand and took whatever our hearts desired, and at the end we told them how much we ate, and we paid. All based on a honor code and trust. It was an interesting transaction… glad I was able to share in this.

As we continued to stroll the market we came across these pretty traditional dresses for sale, and these little pouchy thingys that they said were “fortune bags”. It was a korean tradition for the kids to carry these bags, and they would bow for elders, where then the elders would give them money to put into their fortune bag. The girls surprised me and bought me one as a gift, ill look forward to collect my “fortunes” here in the future!

Brenda’s family has really taken me under their wing and regardless of whether i find my birth mother or not i will always feel like i have a second family out here in Korea. As we wandered around Haeundae Beach and eventually back to Aaron’s neightborhood Go Eun would take me by the arm similar to other young women and girls here in Korea. I felt like i was a kid again, hand in hand with my best friends on the streets of Ridgefield, Washington! Hmmm, wait… did we hold hands? Surely we walked arm in arm!? Libby, i know we went at least 2 years seeing each other EVERY single day, going to the Clark County Fair on the bus, biking to Josh’s house, sneaking wine coolers, sleeping in the same beds, surely we strolled arm in arm??? Anyhow, it was cool to feel like Go Eun and i were “tight” enough to tow each other around town as if BFF’s! Thanks Go Eun for the fun night!

All right, Saturday October 3 was Chuseok. Brenda and her whole family showed up at Aaron’s place at 8am to pick us up where we headed over to her husband’s eldest brothers apartment (many many people live in apartments here -due to the population density i think). When we got there they were setting up and preparing to honor Grandfather. As seen in the photo above, they would prepare this great feast… the box with the scroll like thing on the back of the table is Grandfather’s name, and later all the men would gather around and honor him by preparing a plate for him, basically “feeding” his spirit. Most of the women (including myself) stood in the back watching on, handing over more dishes as needed to hand to the men. After each course we would bow twice which the women as well Aaron and i participated in… this pleased the eldest man in the house.

After honoring Grandfather they ladies set the tables and i got to sit at the childrens table in the back, the older ladies sat at the next table, and the older men hung out at the main table. The meal was incredible! So many fruits, rice dishes, fish, chicken, tempura style veggies, kimchi, soup, rice wine, beef and a lot more… haha, not your typical breakfast but it was pretty rad to have experienced this AND the food was actually really satisfying (despite no eggs, pancakes, or “sweets”).

There’s a ton to be thankful for…. i wish i could have sat up and shared my gratitude with interpretive dance or something cause words really could not describe my appreciation. Even the eldest man in the family (oldest brother i think?) who was in very fine traditional dress, made us feel so welcome. He was that quintessential traditional Korean “elder” that you so desperately dance around and seek approval from…with a smile that could make your day. I was super nervous around him at first but he spoke in English a couple times directly at Aaron and i..that was a nice ice breaker. Than after the meal we all sat around, and he asked if i enjoyed the meal, i responded with a “Yes, very much, thank you” and he smiled and said something in Korean… it seemed that they were very proud to have had us and that we were pleased with the meal. Again, i felt SO lucky to have shared this experience…. it was something out of the movies i tell ya.

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Catching the train from Seoul to Busan

South Korean Countryside

So the first night i got in later in the early evening and just decided to grab a Guesthouse (hostel). All of the guesthouses are makeshift units that can accommodate visitors, often times they are in people’s actual homes, and are merely converted with extra bathroom facilities, bunk rooms and common areas with computers. Sometimes in awkward locations off the beaten path and sometimes the buildings are “unsuspecting” or could even appear a little sketchy … but Korea is a very safe country from what i understand and ive had no problems with the guesthouses that ive stayed at so far. The owners are usually super friendly and accommodating, not to mention ive also enjoyed meeting other travelers at these places.

The next day i met up with my Couchsurfing host Aaron, grabbed a bite and got a chance to learn a bit about him and about Korea and Busan through his lens. Its been pretty cool to learn about everyone’s unique experiences here in Korea and i can see that Aaron has spent a lot of time immersing himself in the local culture. This is my first time using the Couchsurfing site to connect with locals for lodging but its a rad service. For those of you unfamiliar with it, CS is basically a website that connects travelers all over the world. On the site you can list if you are home and have a spare room, couch or floorspace for visitors. Travelers can send you a message asking if its available thru and you get to choose who stays or doesn’t stay etc. You can also do as little as list that you are available to just show people around, grab coffee and just meet up to help them out when they land in a city.

My visit to Busan has consisted of trying new Korean dishes for sure, but mostly what Aaron has given me access to Korean culture and exposed me to different aspects through his involvement at the local school that he teaches English at, through people that he has introduced me to, and through sharing his stories and experiences.

Aaron took me to school with him one day! It was a rad way to see what the education system is like out in Korea. He explained to me how the testing and school system operates, its still pretty complex to me but from what i understand the High School testing is super important and that the kids work their asses off in HS, definitely more so than in America from what it sounds like.

Aaron’s co-workers! Brenda and Miss Kim were so kind to me while i visited. They are both in the English department with Aaron and when i arrived they were both very interested in my story, and eager to speak English with me. They both made me feel so welcome! Brenda even took me on a tour of the school while kids were testing (midterms) and introduced me to a few different faculty members.

Killing time in the “English Only Zone” at Aaron’s school, practicing my Engrish skills!

That afternoon we ate lunch in the school cafeteria with Brenda and made plans for dinner later in the evening. Throughout our visit Brenda expressed her interest and support in my journey and continued to tell me that i am not alone and that i AM Korean because i have Korean blood. She told me though how lucky i am to have been adopted to Korea because the education system and all of the experiences and opportunity that i have had. Its crazy how interested she has been, it makes me feel really good and from a TRUE Korean to feel embraced and welcomed it means a lot to me.

After Aaron and Brenda got off work she took us to Haedong Yonggung Buddhist Temple on the coast. Freakin’ amazing…best site i think i’ve visited so far.

Buddha

That night we did dinner with Brenda and she took us to this fishing village where we had raw fish and soju! Brenda continued to share more on Korean culture, her family and her passions! She decided that she is my “Imo” Korean Aunt. It was cool, she really makes me feel like part of her family.

The next day i visited the Jagalchi Fish Market and Gangwali Beach while Aaron was at work.

For more photos from the market check out my Picasa Photo Album or check out my Facebook Album.

Ferris Wheel over Gangwali Beach

We actually joined Brenda and her husband Mr. Park after hanging out in Gangwali… we enjoyed some broiled eel and other spicy things and fishy things. Super good of course. We also got to meet their eldest daughter who is an English teacher who is close to my age… was cool to talk with her, especially since her English was so good!

Brenda invited us to her husband’s family Chuseok celebration this weekend, i feel really lucky. Its a super traditional celebration for ancestors. She had to fight a bit because its such a family oriented thing and being foreigners, we were especially lucky to be able to join. Anyhow, thats on Saturday… i didn’t really bring any nice clothes with me so Brenda’s daughter said that she would take me to an area where i can pick up some clothes.

All right, gotta roll. There are more pics so check out my Picasa Photo Album or check out my Facebook Album.

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