• Raise some capital (aka, save some money)
• Contact Star of the Sea Baby Home in Inchon (outside of Seoul) and make arrangements to visit
• Purchase airline ticket
• Find lodging
• Study Language
• Go

“Dear Mrs. Yoon Yung Eun :

Hi. I hope you are doing well.

My summer was busy with our summer programs and motherland tour groups. Many adoptees visited our office to reconnect themselves with their past. At first, it was quite overwhelming to follow their requests and assist them along the way, but soon this feeling was replaced with joy and excitement; I was grateful that they allowed me to be part of their lives even for a short while.

I have been checking with Mr. Lee, a police officer, about the progress of a search for the lady who brought you to the facility, but the result is negative. Without solid information, he is having great difficulty to locate her. The only thing we have is her name (Lee, Kil Ja) and old address (Seoul). What make the search more difficult is that her name is way too common. It is like Mary and Suzanne in English. The officer has been sending letters to ladies with the same name in the similar age bracket, but no body came forward.

A while ago, I called your orphanage to request your information via fax because I wanted to send you something that could shed lights on your adoption, something original and tangible. They released your information over the phone – the name and the old address of a lady who brought you to the facility – but refused to fax it. They stated that you could get a copy, but not me. Each facility has different policies. I need to respect it. They will be happy to give you a copy when you visit them.

I am sorry to share this disappointing news with you. I feel sad and even incompetent as a social worker. We receive many phone calls from birth parents. I will keep my ears and eyes peeled for you.

I will ask the police officer to continue to work on your case.

Sincerely and with respect,

Kyunghee Toni Ma”

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“Oh em gee” is right!   I’ll be following the evoTrip crew around in March on a sweet trip to the the Orient…Asian, i mean Asia!  The task at hand; be asian and capture lots of incredible video footage!  Hmmmmmm, let’s see here…i think i remember the site saying “Hakuba, Japan -Take one step outside the rope line and feed on all you can eat pow“… gosh sounds terrible?! and oh yes, “Bali, Indonesia – Surf, relax, experience rich ocean culture and have such a good time you’ll pee your pants.“  I think i peed my pants when i found out i’m going!

I don’t mean to brag and certainly not trying to boast (Beastie Boys anyone?!) BUT im pretty excited.  MOST excited to possibly stop in Seoul, South Korea my hometown.  This isn’t K-town we’re talking about here…this is the real deal.  There is a layover from Bali on the way back home to the states and i need to figure out a way to get my baggage off that transfer flight, and to get my ass onto a 1 way ticket home after i find my mom.  This could be it?!!!

I will be stoked to have seen sumo wrestlers, snowboarded Hakuba and surfed Bali but the icing on the cake would be Korea… we’re talking about checking off a “To Do Before i Die” list item….probably the top and possibly close to the last required one on the list.

So you might be wondering what a KAD is? A Korean adoptee or KAD is a person who was adopted from Korea through the international adoption of South Korean children as a child and raised in another country, often by adoptive parents of another race, ethnic background, and culture. Now we both know!

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