Upon first meeting me, people can easily conclude from my features that my ethnicity is Asian. I have thick black hair, small monolid eyes, and a flat nose. My 23 and Me DNA test came back as 99% East Asian, which didn't drop anybody's jaws as a surprise. But for the first twenty or so … Continue reading Being a Korean American Adoptee in the Peace Corps (Zambia)
The last gathering with my birth family before I left Korea after teaching English for three years. Article written for Gwangju News Magazine
Last-minute goodbye dinners with my aunt and uncle, who happen to live a few minutes from myself. It's a small world, isn't it?
Went up to Jeonju to visit my birth family on a day off from school.
Even though America is a “melting pot”, I still felt like I got different treatment than white people, especially when living in the south. They are usually subtle, but occasionally blatant. After hearing “I bet your mom makes better Chinese food than what we have here” and “You’re Asian, can you figure out how to … Continue reading Being Korean in Korea, but Not Really Korean
As discussed in my recent post about adoption, I am one fortunate human being. First of all, I was adopted as an infant, leaving me free of traumatizing memories of being taken to a new land as a school-age child, when memories are retrievable. My adoptive family is wonderful and supportive; never did I feel … Continue reading My Parents Meet My Parents
On being a Korean American adoptee
My Korean birth family's first letter to me.
Chuseok and a temple stay in South Korea
Making Kimchi with my birth mother in Jeonju, South Korea
