Last hours in Korea

On Monday, after my class, my housemom and I picked up my friend Meehyang (she has Tuesday off) and we traveled to the East Sea.  Angela (housemom), "drives like a grandma."  She drives slowly, she drifts into other lanes sometimes, and she likes to park in the left lane, despite the speedy cars passing her on the right.  She also likes to leave her blinker on for a long period of time...I think it confuses other drivers, and she pumps the accelerator...so we bobbed back and forth all the way to the beautiful East Sea.

Did you know that 75% of Korea is covered with mountains?  The East Coast is no exception.  It has beautiful mountains and we stopped to take pictures of them.  There was a bit of fog, so the mountains reminded me of the Smokeys.  Because Mathias (house dad) was a veteran, they are able to get very reasonable rates on rooms throughout Korea.  Angela found us a nice two-bedroom condo, right on the water.  It had a kitchen, nice veranda with a view of the water, one bedroom with a bed, one bedroom with just the mats on the floor.  Angela opted to sleep on the floor, as her bed at home is made of jade...she actually sleeps on a rock.  LOL

We roamed around on the beach a bit.  The water is very clear, but the sea looks very deep...no sand bar here.  Adjacent to our condo was a small military outpost.  I guess you could definitely get worse assignments in the Army. Angela made us a delicious dinner of galbi with veggies from her own garden, kimchi that she made, and spicy sauce that she made.  It was a really nice dinner..we shared a nice bottle of barbera. On Tuesday morning after breakfast, we packed up and headed south.  We made several stops, including at a beautiful stretch of beach with white sand, lots of beautiful sea shells, clear water and a sand bar...so the water was pretty warm when we put our toes in it.  It was really tempting to jump in.

We stopped at two national parks, both of which had beautiful (and very old), Buddhist temples.  We also stopped for a lunch of "tooboo" (tofu).  It was really yummy, except for the dish of small anchovies, which I didn't try.  One of our stops for the day was a really old "hanoak" traditional-style Korean house that has recently been restored.  There are many buildings on this property, a water garden, and it was so beautiful!  It was a long drive home and because of noisy neighbors around the condo where we stayed, we all woke up too early. 

Back home, we settled for a bowl of spicy Korean ramen (yummy) and then I got to the job of packing my bags.  I hope they don't exceed the weight limit.  I'm actually carrying an extra tote (I brought along a little fold-up tote) on the airplane with shoes and misc. to take the weight off my largest bag.

John said he's picking me up from the airport when I arrive around 11:30 am on Wednesday.  It will sure be good to see him and be back home.

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So, it's my last week and I've been busy every single day and night.   There was World Cup on Tuesday and then World Cup again on Saturday.  I watched the last game with some of my fellow adoptees...it was a "European" group this time, with adoptees from France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and then three of us from the U.S.  The Korean team played great...and I think deserved to win the game.  Because of some bad calls...they lost the game, 2-1.re the

Before the game, I went to a cooking class at Korea House.  It's a place with traditional buildlings (hanoaks) and many weddings are held here as well as their traditional ceremonies.  The the cooking school, they taught us how to cook dalkgalbi (spicy chicken), cucumber salad, and seafood pancake (I kept the shrimp, but gave my squid to my friend).  It was all delicious and the chef even came by to taste my food and said it was good.  Yay.  I plan to make  a Korean dinner for friends and family once I return to the States!

Today, I met Yiyi and we went to visit the DVD man...someone she knows has good quality DVDs.  I got 6 for 10,000 won (less than $10).  Then we went to the Franciscan church for the Italian lunch.  They served us lasagne to start...with a tomato and meat sauce, and green noodles...the noodles looked and tasted homemade.  They were light and fluffy and tender.  Lunch was beef stew in a tomato sauce with carrots and potatoes, baked mashed potatoes (you could taste the parmesan that was baked on top), sauteed spinach and a green salad.  For dessert, it was a chocolate cake.  Wow...we were stuffed when we left.  We said our goodbyes and parted ways and then I went to visit the National Museum.

It was built on land that was donated back to Korea from the Army base.  It's a huge, beautiful, modern building, surrounded by botanical gardens, a reflection pool, water gardens and children's play areas.  It was such a beautiful place, full of national treasures.  I'll share a few of my pictures with you, but I have so many, there's no way you can see them all on my blog.

Back home, my feet are tired, and I'm kinda tired.  I started packing my bags...one is full already and one to go.  I think I will be able to get everything packed with no problem.  My house mom and dad invited me to dinner at a restaurant out tonight...they are so nice.  We had a nice dinner, and then went for a walk around the neighborhood.  What a lovely evening--the temps are good, it rained today and wasn't too hot.

Monday I have one more class...then I will travel with my homestay mom to the East Sea.  We will stop at Soraksan, spend the night, and then come back on Tuesday.  I leave on Wednesday.  What a wonderful trip it's been.  My heart is full of appreciation for everyone that helped make this trip happen.  My head is full of wonderful memories, sights, smells, and sounds of my birth country.  But I'm really looking forward to being home. 

My KBS Adventure

KBS is a state-run TV station that has a program called "I Miss the Person(그 사람이 보고싶다)" It's a show that has helped a number of other adoptees find their families.  It also helps people find sisters, brothers, and other relatives who have somehow gotten "lost."

On Wednesday they e-mailed me a script for the show.  I was to be at the station on Thursday morning.  Nice that they gave me less than 24 hours to work on that.  I arrived at the subway exit and had a greeting party:

I walked over to KBS and met my interpreter for the day...I had my script in hand.  We do some practice runs with her asking me the questions, and me trying to remember the scripted responses.  So, we began and she asked me the first question...only it was a completely different question that what I had on my "script."  I pointed that out, and she said she got a different script...hers included emcee's comments.  But I didn't understand why her questions were different.  Anyway, we had some back and forth until we finally figured out how to together best.  I needed her to ask me the questions in a similar way that I had learned the answers from the script.  It was stressful day for me and she made it even worse.  The director was talking to me (in Korean) for what seemed like a minute or two...I asked what she said and she distilled all that into "just look at the camera."  

We were taken across the hall to the TV show's set...there were four of us.  Three people who would speak, and the wife of one of the participants.  There was also a reunion of two long-lost sisters.  I didn't get any details (from my interpreter), just that two sisters had found each other.  (Thanks for that helpful explanation.) When I asked my interpreter what the story was on the other two people, she told me "the man wants to find his sister, and the lady wants to find her parents."  Wow...she will make a great interpreter.

In the audience were two rows of ladies who seemed to ooohhh and ahhhh and laugh on cue, in unison.  There were two emcees...one man, one woman.  A secondary male host, and then two people on a "panel" that talk about and show pictures of people who are looking for family members, but couldn't be on the show.  Anyway...each person's segment was very emotional.  The two sisters hugged and cried on stage.  Everyone was so happy for them, I'm sure there were no dry eyes.  The woman looking for her parents had a little diagram of what she can remember from when she was a child...a diagram of a house, a nearby lake, etc.  The man looking for his sister had been filmed apparently going back to visit where they used to live...which is now just farmland.  As he told his story...he too cried.  

Did I cry...yes.  You know, I'm not sure why I get all choked up when I talk about finding my birth family.  It's not that I "miss" them...as the show's title may infer.  But rather, it's been so many years that I just thought I had no hope of ever finding them...this is a little spark of hope for me.  When I was a teenager, I remember thinking, well the only way I could probably find my birth mom would be to do a spot on TV.  At that point in time, that was just a pie-in-the-sky dream.  Who would have ever thought it could be true.

Anyway, after the show, all of us who participated wished each other luck, and the emcees even stopped by to tell us that they hope we find our families.  I'm glad I did it and I'm really glad it's over.  

Tomorrow I go to give DNA so if someone comes forward to say they are a family member, they will have to be DNA tested before they contact me with any news.  I think that's great.  Also, I've agreed that if there should be a reunion, it will be on the KBS show.

When I got back to my homestay, I received a "reality check" e-mail from another adoptee.  He told me that out of the 200,000 adoptees that have gone over seas, only about 2500 or so have found their birth families.  He wished me luck and told me not to get depressed if I don't hear anything.

Honestly, I knew the pros and cons of going on a program like this.  But I compared it to the lottery...if you don't play, you can't win.  Or...nothing ventured, nothing gained.  So, I will wait and see.  I think it would be great if I find someone.  If nothing happens, I can say at least I tried.  But I have nothing to be sad about, as I have great friends and family, and although I have room in my heart for new folks, I don't feel empty without finding them.   

I return to the States in less than a week.  I am looking forward to going home.  I'm packing a lot into my last days...because who knows when I'll get to come back.

Met my Army friends for dinner on Wednesday (awesome Italian...picture of the chefs above), KBS and tutoring on Thursday, then attended a performing arts show called "Chef"  (gotta love the chefs).  It was so fun with the performers doing tae kwon do, making the funny noises with their mouth (beatbox), mime, combined with a video that the performers went in and out of, traditional music, and a story line of about to fix bibimbap.  After the show if you filled out a survey you got red pepper paste and sesame oil.  I'll be bringing that home.  Sorry...no pictures from the show.  I uncharacteristically followed the rules of no cameras this time. Friday is last class at one of my schools, DNA donating, dinner with friends.  Saturday is a cooking class, traditional dance performance, World Cup. Sunday is Italian lunch at the Franciscan church again, a visit to the DVD guy (6 for 10,000 won...that less than $10...put your orders in now). Monday, last class at one of my schools, then leave with Angela (house mom) to the East Sea.  We will stay the night and come back on Tuesday...I will pack and go home on Wednesday.  Whew.

So beautiful!

how many people do you see on this rock

 I arrived in Jeju on Friday evening, took a bus to the guest house, found my room.  It was a dormitory room with two bunk beds, small lockers for money and stuff, a little refrigerator, a bathroom to share and an a/c unit at the foot of my bed.  LOL

Anyway, the girl on the top bunk across from me spoke a little English and was really nice.  She was getting up early on Saturday to hike Mt. Halla, so we both turned in around 10 pm.  At 2 am, the ladies occupying the lower bunk beds came in.  The one girl must have had about 300 zippers on her bags...zip zip, zip zip, zip zip, then crinkle crinkle, crinkle crinkle...I think they had some clothes wrapped in cellophane.  Then they were opening and closing the doors.  Oy!  They made so much noise.  When they finally got into bed, I was relieved, until one of the girls started using her Blackberry...click click, click click, click click.  Then at 6 am, they both got up, turned on the lights (yikes...not only was the a/c at the foot of my bed, but the light was about a foot from my head).  So...I woke up...they proceeded to get dressed, making lots of noise, so I was trying to be nice and said good morning (in English).  I got a dirty look...and no response at all.  So I just turned on my computer to do e-mail.  I did mutter "you are very noisy" in English, again no response. 

Saturday after the noisy folks left, I went downstairs and got toast, made scrambled eggs, had some coffee.  Met two people who were going on the tour with me.  One guy, Kai, from Germany and one girl, Maz, from Orange County, CA.  Both were nice, although Maz was intense.

There were 7 of us on the tour...we went several really beautiful places.  Our tour inclued: Hallim Park (included botanical gardens and a folk village), O'Sulloc Tea Museum, Jusangjeoli Rocks (formed from the volcanoes), Yakcheonsa--the largest temple in Asia, OeDolGae (rocks that are suppose to look like a grandma), and  Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls.  We also stopped for lunch along the way...see the picture of the gi-normous hamburger.  Three of us shared it and couldn't finish it.  Our guide also took us to this little "Do It Yourself" Coffee Shop.  You make your own tea, coffee, hot chocolate or juice, wash your own dishes, and leave money in a box...all on the honor system.  Think that would work in the U.S.?

When I got back to the guest house, I met my roommate and we went to dinner.  I got some yummy gogi guksu (beef noodle soup).  Delicious.

Sunday, I visited Hongik Child Welfare Center, took them the towels, soap, socks, etc.  They were very grateful.  I was told there are about 150 children at this facility.  It broke my heart to see so many older children with no families.  From there I went too Wolji-ri, as I was told it was a beautiful beach, and indeed it was.  Smooth white sand dotted with black lava rocks.  Apparently, this area is the end of one of the lava tubes...it looks like it was left there recently, but I know the lava is very old.   There was also a little coffee shop at the end of the beach.  I was told it was run by two sisters...so I stopped there for a hot chocolate.  The ladies there were so nice, and I met an "artist" who spoke English.  We had a nice visit...and before I left, they gave me a "sweetie" (that's what they call candies, cookies, etc.) for the road.  How nice.

I took a cab over to the Haeyon Museum.  Haeyon means water woman...the women divers that Jeju is known for.  They dive for everything...fish, oysters, abalone, seaweed...everything.  I even read where a European woman who also dives started bringing up garbage from the ocean floor.  People laughed at her at first, but then it started catching on...and it helps the sea beds thrive. They mostly free dive and have been doing this for many years.  The museum is small, but I got some great pictures.

After that I took a cab to the airport and knew immediately something was up because it was packed...long lines of people everywhere.  I got into a line and learned that the flights had been canceled because of fog...check back in 90 minutes.  I checked back and no flights were going out.  I called around and found a guest house for 20,000 won (less than $20 a night) and they came and picked me up at the airport.  It's right on the water, at the end of a runway...but it's a little rough.  Only one night, I can do it.  There is a picture above from the little porch on my room.  Before it got dark I walked quite a ways to see the area.  Lots of waterfront parks, beautiful lava rocks and people fishing from them, families out for a walk, couples strolling, even though it was misty and foggy.  The one picture above is called "dragon's head rock."  If guess if you look at it long enough it will start to look like a dragon's head. 

Back to the guest house I chatted with some guests from France and England...lots from Korea.  Some spoke English, some did not.  All of the women, bar one, in my room were so noisy.  Arrrgh.  I'll be glad to be back to my homestay soon (hopefully).

Sunday morning I got up early and headed for the airport in hopes that I could get an early flight out.  No such luck.  So I cabbed it to a nearby place to get my nails done...the lady at the Information Desk told me that's where she goes.  Then back to the airport, checked in, flight was on time.  Got a bowl of udon noodles while I waited at a little snack bar...it was SUPER busy.  When I went to my gate, I didn't see my flight listed, so I checked with them and they said it had been moved to a different gate (glad I checked).  I also checked about a seat a little closer to the front...he was clicking away and then handed me a new boarding pass for seat 1A!  Wow...if this had only been for my flight back to San Fran!

Got back to my homestay after 4 pm...had dinner with them, watched the first half of the Portugal v. North Korea game...and fell asleep.  I was soooo tired.  Slept all night, didn't even wake up.

Today is Tuesday and I have my language exchange.  She is going to show me how to cook japchae (noodles with veggies).  It will be my last language exchange.