House of Sharing

 
On Sunday, I got up early and met a group of people who were all going to visit the House of Sharing (www.houseofsharing.org).  This is a place where some of the remaining "comfort women," live.  These women are just a few of the thousands who were put into sexual slavery by the Japanese, during World War II.  On the property, located outside of Seoul in a beautiful rural area, is a three-story building with meeting rooms, a museum, and a housing facility.

We took a train to one of the last stops on that line, then took a bus to a town a little ways away, then took cabs to the house.  It took us about 90 minutes to get there.  We were alerted to bring a lunch, because the location is so remote and there is no place to buy food or drinks.  When we arrived, we went into the upstairs meeting room where we introduced ourselves.  There were people from around the globe (UK, Australia, New Zealand, many from the US and Canada, and many Koreans).  I was surprised to hear that many of the Koreans had barely heard about the issue.

We saw a brief documentary film and then split into two groups for the museum tours.  Pictured above was a wall of pictures of some of the halmoni that have come forward.  Many of the women were killed at the end of the war before they could be liberated.  Many of them died because they were treated with mercury injections for STDs they contracted.  Some others survived but still bear the shame of their imprisonment anonymously.  Only a few have been brave enough to come forward with their stories.

The woman who led our tour has been volunteering at House of Sharing for nearly two years, speaks fluent Korean, so she can communicate easily with the remaining "halmoni," as they are respectfully called.  Translated this means grandmother.  She is passionate about doing what she can to get their issue resolved.  The third floor of the museum is a display of the paintings by the halmonis.  They painted these were part of their therapy to help them deal with their PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).  The paintings are extremely poignant.

After the two groups were finished with the museum tour, we had some time to eat our lunches and visit with each other.  I visited with a Korean adoptee from Denmark who is teaching a history class at a local university.  He brought some of his students to learn more about the "comfort women" and their plight.  I talked to a civil rights volunteer from New Zeland who is going to Uganda  for about six months.  He has volunteered in many places, and we chatted briefly about how there are civil rights issues everywhere.   I told him about Aunt Maryann and what she did for the people of CAR.   I also met two 1/2 Korean girls...one from near Chicago, and the other from the DC area.  They are here teaching English, and are planning on staying indefinitely, as their friends have mentioned to them how hard it is to find a job in the US.  The jobs they have either provide their housing or give them a housing stipend in addition to their salary.  So it's a good deal for them, they are able to save some money, and hopefully, in the meantime the US economy will improve.  They are both learning Korean and spoke it much better than me.

After lunch, we went into the home where the halmonis live.  I'm not exactly sure how many are there right now.  I think someone mentioned twelve, but we didn't see that many.  We did hear that some were getting IVs, so they would not be able to visit with the group.  The youngest of them is in her 80s...she gets around well on her own and seems vivacious and energetic.  The oldest of them is in her 90s, is wheelchair bound, and we were told her mind is weak, but her body is healthy.  We also met or saw three others.  One of the halmonis likes to have people sing for her.  They got three volunteers to sing songs, although one guy sang a children's song, and the halmoni said she didn't want any more childrens' songs.  That was pretty funny.  The Korean university students sang two songs...which was great, because they were in Korean, and the halmonis were clapping and singing along.  I asked and was told that some of the halmoni do have children/grand children living in Korea.

In a previous blog, I talked about some of the suffering these women endured.  It was just unimaginable.  They conduct weekly protests at the Japanese embassy, hoping for the government of Japan to meet their six demands which includes:  a formal apology, their admittance that the Japanese government knew about and perpetrated this crime, reparations to the victims/survivors, and a couple of other demands.  So far, they have been unsuccessful.  They have been protesting in front of the Japanese embassy for 18 years now.

Bits of Busy

 
So this week was a busy week for me.  I had my regular school classes, tutoring, language exchange, and then fit in a trip to Ilsan to see the Holt choir "Voices of Soul" perform, visited with a reporter from the daily paper "Focus," went to see the Rodin exhibit, and went to a wine tasting with Kate at Cafe Huh...a cafe run by a language school where Korean speaking was not allowed. 

The "Voices of Soul" is a choir made up of the handicapped and disabled residents from Holt's Ilsan facility.  They are mostly adults, but some children.  All have disabilities, some more dramatic than others.  They memorized their music and performed very well.  One of the residents even sang a solo for Ave Maria...it was very moving.

Two other choirs also gave performances--The Felice Childrens' Choir and the Namgalam Womens' Choir.  Each of these choirs performed on their own, although the womens' choir's choice of music was questionable...it was a song about a cat and they meowed the entire song.  It was just weird.  The children wore the traditional hanboks...they were so cute.  At the end of the evening, all three choirs came out and sang several songs together.  It was fantastic.  Although we could barely understand what they were singing, the music conveyed the meaning.

Afterwards, Molly Holt was beseiged by people asking for autographs.  She graciously signed their programs.  Many of the Holt choir's residents' families were in attendance and brought them bouquets of flowers after their performance.  I think it's so strange that the "orphans" (the families have relinquished all rights to their children) have family living close by.  I talked to Angela about it and she said that it's difficult for Koreans to have children with handicaps because people will judge them that they are not good people or were being punished, or they will be shunned.  Also, because the parents have to work, often the children will be left home alone...and that is not good either.  So, maybe having them live in the loving family environment at Ilsan is a better solution. 

Thursday morning I met with reporters and their videographer at the Holt office.  They report for a free daily newspaper "Focus."  They also have a website and the story about the Holt Homecoming Program and several of the participants will be featured in the article.  Two other adoptees, one from PA, and one from Belgium were also interviewed. Angela is on their board and suggested that they write this article in May because is it "Family Month" here in Korea.

I met my language exchange friend, YooSun and we went to the Seoul National Art Museum to see the Rodin exhibit.  Rodin is one of her favorite artists...and I love art, so it was a perfect way to spend our time together.  We rode the subway to the City Hall exit and found our way to the museum.  The city hall area is built up and seems very much like a big city, until you turn the corner, and tucked away in the middle of the buildings is the art museum, which is big and modern, but surrounded by gorgeous gardens, and it backs up to a royal palace.  The grounds have lush greenery, mature trees, and really fun art. 

We stopped for lunch after Rodin, at an Italian restaurant.  I can honestly say it was the worst pizza I've ever eaten, or tried to eat, in my life.  We got a "set" which included at CHEK (supposed to be chef) salad, 1/2 and 1/2 pizza and a drink.  The salad was fine, even with the strange yogurt dressing.  The pizza was barely edible.  The one side had bulgogi (bbq beef) which was tasty, but was topped with a sweet mustard (yuck).  The other side was supposed to be pomodoro.  I was picturing fresh tomatoes and garlic...uh...nope.  The pomodoro side had salad on top (as you can see) and under that was mustard and mayonnaise smeared all over the top of the cheese, and then more of that under the cheese.  Bleah!  It was the worst.  Neither of us could take more than a bite or two.  YooSun commented to our server that the pomodoro was very strange, and she was told that it is their most popular.  Obviously, this Italian restaurant is not frequented by Italians.

On Friday after school and tutoring, I met Kate at Cafe Huh.  It is run by an organization that runs English academies and hires teachers to teach English.  I think they also teach other languages.  But at this Cafe, Korean is not to be spoken.  It was a fun place with food and wine, and they did a nice wine tasting from many different countries, all for 10,000 won ($10).  We met people from Scotland, UK, Ireland, NC, FL, and of course, Korea.  As the food was mostly fingerfood and ran out quickly, we stopped for sushi on the way home.  Yes, I eat sushi (some kinds).  I got the tuna, crab, and spicy tuna roll.  It was really yummy and fresh and was served with a salad (mostly cabbage), a cold soup with buckwheat noodles, sesame seeds and green onion, three pieces of sashimi (one was salmon and Kate got that), the others were tuna and a mild white fish (kinda chewy).  Located in the Gangnam area, it is surrounded by street vendors and stores.  It's a newer, more modern area of Seoul with big streets and wide sidewalks...lots of people...oh yeah, there are lots of people everywhere.

It's Saturday today and I have no plans but catching up on things and exploring some more.  Have a great memorial weekend!

Did you know....

• In Korea, you are not served water at a restaurant unless you ask for it, and sometimes, you have to get it yourself.
• They use metal water glasses that look like the top to a baby bottle (that shape).  They hold about 4 oz., so you have to constantly refill.  But they don't break.
• They use metal (stainless steel) chopsticks and spoons at dinner.  Metal chopsticks are by far the most slippery and difficult to use, compared to the wood ones or lacquer ones.
• Men in Korea are not afraid to wear pink pants, pink shoes, pink shirts, carry pink phones...they are not afraid of the color pink!
• Couples in Korea wear matching clothes (it's so geeky)...matching shoes, matching shirts, matching pants or shorts, sometimes they even cut their hair the same (the bowl seems popular).
• The napkins here are the size of a piece of note paper...seriously small and paper thin...no big triple-ply napkins here.  So one must take tons of them instead of using just one.
• Koreans likes to dress up their dogs. and/or dye their hair (I've seen hot pink and purple already).
• If you need directions, it's almost always safe to ask a young person, because they are learning English in school.
• They have a melon here that I've never seen before.  It's the size of a potato, yellow skin with a darker yellow stripe, tastes like a mild cantalope.  Yes, I'm being fed it on a regular basis and yes, I'm eating it (hard to believe, right)!
• Not all kitchens have ovens.  My homestay has a cooktop, a broiler (hasn't been used since I've been here), a microwave and a refrigerator (called a Tank...believe it or not).
• Everyone line dries their clothes...if they have dryers, they just don't use them because energy is so expensive.
• There are more than 11 million people in the Seoul City, but because of the great public transportation, the traffic isn't as bad as you might imagine it could be.
• Seniors and small children get to ride the subway for free.
• I see people give their seats up for and older people on the subway on a regular basis (that is if they haven't already shoved you out of the way to dive into it).
• When you attend meetings, you almost always get a gift.  Popular gifts are soap, towels, facial tissues, toothpaste, socks, umbrellas.  My homestay parents have closets full of these things.
• Bath towels are the size of our hand towels.  The towels you get as gifts from the meetings always have the name and date of the meeting on them.
• You can buy socks for 500W (US equivalent of less than 50 cents).
• Koreans usually only drink 1/2 cups of coffee.  It's strange, but if they make coffee for you, it's never a full cup...usually only a half, maybe two-thirds.  One of the reasons is that the instant coffee that they have requires only a small amount of water.  LOL
• No one says "excuse me" or "sorry" when they bump into you or need to get by...they just push by.  The only time I've ever heard it said, is when it's from a foreigner...just habit for us.  We say it, even when we know they probably don't understand.

Well that's all for now.  It's been raining now for three days straight.  I hope it dries up soon.  Be happy!

Buddah's Birthday

 Last Friday was Buddah's birthday, which is a national holiday in Korea.  Everyone is off work and because it's a Friday, lots of three day weekend getaways are planned.   I had no class on Friday, so two other adoptees and I went on a little girls trip.  We decided to go to Incheon which is on the west sea and Woolmido, a neighboring town and small island.  We had a great time.

The biggest attraction in Incheon is Chinatown.  It was really crowded with tourists.  There are many delicious restaurants...we were lucky enough to find a mandu (dumpling) shop.  It was run by a mom and pop, and the mandu were the best we've had...absolutely delicious.  They are made by hand and we snapped a couple of pictures of them making them.

We visited a market in Incheon where there was lots of fresh fish for sale and beautiful, colorful mandu.  There were also open air cooking spots where the lines were really long.  It looked and smelled delicious.

There are several impressive memorials in Incheon and Woolmido.  In Jayg Park there is a memorial to General MacArthur who to led the troops in a successful campaign to drive communist forces out of South Korea.  Others include one celebrating 100 years of Christianity in Korea and the missionaries who brought it there.  One to the students who banded together and fought in the Korean War.  One to the naval soldiers who fought in the Korean War.  There was also a huge monument celebrating 100 years of good relations between Korea and the US.

The parks were beautiful...fantastic gardens, nicely maintained walkways, fountains, streams, waterfalls.  It was so fun just to walk through and see all the flora and fauna and people watch.  One of the parks was built as a "traditional" park.  Its buildings resemble traditional-style Korean buildings.  There are small rice paddies and the tools they use to water the fields, the contraptions they used to carry wood on their backs, traditional-style homes you can go through and see the various tools they used.  It's like going to an Amish village and seeing all the old-fashioned things.  Lots of families were there enjoying the beautiful weather, playing catch, playing soccer..it was really great.

Woolmido is a nearby island that we visited.  Their waterfront is built up and includes many restaurants, a small amusement park, a sound stage, a boat launch where you can take a ferry to several other nearby islands.  There is a nice place where you can sit on large boulders and watch the boats coming and going.  I snapped this picture of people relaxing...check out the old ladies with newspapers on their heads.  The Koreans are OBSESSED with white skin...so sitting outside is nice but they must still take shelter.  Under construction are a monorail and cable car that will take tourists around the island.  There are several other things under construction.  It's so strange to see that they leave their construction supplies, pallets of wood, bricks, nuts and bolts, just stacked neatly...no fences around them, no need to worry about anyone taking off with their supplies.  That is certainly something that is very different from the U.S.

After we left Incheon we stopped at an underground market that was enormous.  It's like having many little shops in the subway...as far as you could see in every direction.  They sell everything from Hello Kitty paraphenalia to cellphones.  They were having a run on umbrellas, as it started raining as we got there and when we left, the rain was pretty steady.  We got shoes for $10, shirts for $5...incredible buys of things we couldn't live without (of course).  I will add that the shoes, although plentiful, aren't always such good quality...but really cute.


It's a rainy Sunday morning.  This evening I'll go and help with the soup kitchen again.  I really like that activity more than feeding the homeless..it's well organized and the people we are helping seem like they really want to better themselves.  Until next time.

Ready, Set, Go!

So, the ball is rolling.  I've been in contact with KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) regarding going on their live TV program where adoptees make a plea for their birth family to come forward.  I have a pre-interview scheduled, and then hopefully, I will get on their TV show.  I've met several other adoptees that have been on the show or are going to be on the show, and I've heard the questions they are asked, and now I'm trying to answer them for myself.

They will ask me questions like:  Do I have birthmarks?  What kind of child was I? Why did I come to Korea?  How long have I wanted to find my birth mother? They will ask about siblings?  What I want to know from my birth mother? How I  will feel if nothing comes from being on the show?

Most of the questions are easy to answer.  Yes, I have a birthmark on my right thigh.  I was a wonderful child (isn't that what you were going to say, Jeff?)...I had a wonderful childhood.  I've come to Korea to learn about the land of my birth, learn the culture, meet the people, and a very happenstance (that's my mom's word), is that I have met so many awesome adoptees.  We have a connection that's hard to explain.  I've wanted to find my birth parents since I was a teen, but didn't think it was possible.  What do I want from my birth mother...now that's a more difficult question.  I want to meet her, to see if she's healthy and has had a good life, to see if we look alike.  I want to know if she's short like my mom or taller like me.  I'd like to find out the circumstances that caused her to give me up for adoption.  I'd like to thank her for that incredible sacrifice, because I've got a really great life, and because I am a mom and couldn't imagine giving up one of my precious babies.  And if possible, I'd like to stay in contact with her, maybe meet the rest of my birth family and relatives. 

Many years ago I thought about trying to find my birth mother.  I mulled every scenario and came up empty handed.  I have no information about my real name.  All I have is the city where I was found, Wonju.  The place where I was left, an old folks home.  And, the approximate date I was found, sometime around September 10.  I know I was taken to a nearby missionary hospital to be checked, missionaries called my dad, and the rest is history.   The day, month, year and hour of birth are very important to Korean people.  I don't know the day or the hour...but maybe my birth mother, if she is still living, will be able to tell me that.

So, again, it's not what you know, it's who you know.  I've been in contact with a woman who is friends of the producer of the adoptee show on KBS.  She has left a message or two for her friends to get me on the show before I leave.  Her connections got another adoptee who was here only two weeks, on the show before she left.  I hope her pull is as strong  for me as it was for her.  Yesterday, she called me and said she had some perfume she to give me for her friend at KBS.  She said if I don't hear from KBS in a week or two, I should call and having this gift would be a good excuse to see the producer.  Crazy, huh. 

Well, I'm excited and nervous, and hopeful.  I have a glimmer of hope about something I never dreamed was possible.  It's pretty exciting.  More to come.

Sunday Seniors and Singers

On Sunday just as I was getting ready to go  out for a walk/exploring,  Angela called me.  She said their church was having a musical presentation and would I like to attend, she would meet me for lunch.  Almost just like that...I think the question was more rhetorical.  I changed into the only nice dress I brought with me and met her for lunch.  We went to a cute little restaurant that was once a house but had been renovated into a restaurant (two stories), and had seating outdoors underneath their old growth trees.  We shared a pot of verbena tea (delicious), and two sandwiches, then rushed off to the church.

Their church has a congregation of about 2,000, but this past Sunday, they invited all the seniors from their area, as well as their own parishoners, to attend a special musical presentation.  Although there were several grandchildren, I was one of the youngest ones in attendance (just to give you an idea of who was there).

The first group played Korean folk music which at first sounds quite cacophanous, but the more you listen, the better it sounds.  They all appeared to be older than me, but they sat cross-legged on the floor.  It was really spirited and sounded good by the end (maybe I was just getting tired).  The second group of four women who came out all dressed in red, each played two drums with drumsticks the size of small closet rods.  They were pounding the drums and had some special moves choreographed in their presentation.  It looked like a lot of work to me.  There was a musician who had some really great magic tricks and even asked for audience participation.  Then started the singers mimicking famous vocal artists from past eras.  Apparently, it was MANY past eras.  The seniors seemed to enjoy it alot.  The last of the vocalists looked like a Korean Elvis...it was funny.  They had five volunteers from the audience come up and sing songs (karaoake style) There was a group of folks who played accordions...yes, they sounded just like the accordions we've heard before.  In fact, the music they played sounded like polka (oopah oopah).  At some point after the drums and before the Korean Elvis, I was fighting off sleep...maybe because it was all in Korean, or maybe because the music was not very good sometimes.  LOL

One of the things that Koreans do is to give presents to whomever attends special events or meetings.  The gifts of "choice" are small folding umbrellas, loaves of "bread" (similar to pound cake), towels (the bath towels here are the size of hand towels...maybe that's why people need so many), toothpaste, tissues, soap, and almost always carnations.  Angela said she has a large box of towels, and usually ends up donating many of them.  She also told me not to buy toothpaste or soap if I ran out.  Funny, huh?

We went back to the house and I changed into more casual clothes and decided to walk around my neighborhood.  I wanded past an area where a live concert was going on.  The lead singer is pictured in his red pants...which are the skinny jeans, but because he was jumping around so much...they were nearly falling off.  Not a good look.  The guitarist was a fantastic musician!  The neighborhood is full of wonderful little shops and cafes.  It's very popular and usually overrun with people.  On Sunday afternoon the crowd was moderate, and the weather was such that everyone was really enjoying being outside.

Later that evening, after dinner, I met my friend for dessert.  While waiting for her, I snapped a few "fashion" pictures for the reader's benefit.  The styles here are unusual.  The skinny jeans are really in style...but some of the wearers are SOOOO skinny...that it accentuates their thinness.  Many of the girls wear very tall high heels...I've seen them wearing high heels while we were hiking too.  It's crazy.  And guys carry bags.  Not the normal messenger-type bag, but what looks like a girl's bag.  And then on top of that, the new thing is to have your "boyfriend" carry your purse.  So, you often see men carrying purses and toting their own man bag as well.  Funny stuff!

I sent an e-mail and already received an e-mail response from a representative at KBS (Korean Broadcasting System), one of the largest television stations in Seoul.  I had contacted them regarding their live program where Korean adoptees will go on television and tell what they know about their birth, and then viewers will call in if the pictures and/or the stories match.  It's a great opportunity for me, although I will definitely have to take an interpreter with me.  Will share updates as they arrive.