Thursday June 19th
We saw a lot on this day.
We started at the National Museum of Seoul in Yongsan. It was beautiful. Lots of art and artifacts. Our tour guide was sweet and made really intense eye contact while she was giving the tour which helped me stay engaged in what she was saying. She talked a lot about the different dynasties and the impact of Confucianism and Buddhism on the history of Korea. These Buddhas were breath taking. I was in awe at their size.
Last stop was N. Seoul Tower. Seoul was the biggest city I have ever been in. It sprawls for miles and miles. It's unlike New York, London, or Seattle because it is street after street of business upon business. I have never seen anything like it. N. Seoul tower reminded me a lot of the Space Needle but it was high on a hill so you could get excellent views. They also have this crazy elevator and shoots you up and down the tower super fast.
After leaving the tower, we went to our hotel. We all went out for dinner to get "Chicken things," this was our guides way of saying, "We're eating friend chicken tonight." We also shared some ginseng chicken soup that Korea is famous for. I was excited to try it...and of course beer and soju.
It was the first night we could let loose, have a few drinks, chill with some Koreans, and bond with each other. It was great. I really needed a night to let off some steam and relax. Everyone was surprised because by the end of the night, I was standing on the couch at karaoke singing "Always Be My Baby," by Mariah Carey. This surprises no one at home, but on the trip, I was pretty guarded, organized, and quiet. It's funny how different experiences give people different impressions of who we are.
In some ways, we all bonded instantly because we had to- we were a group, travelling together in a foreign country. We relied on each other because none of us spoke the language and we had the common bond that we're all adopted. On the other hand, we were all different people, from different places, processing the same event in totally different ways. It was important to recognize and respect that as well.
That night we returned to the hotel. Emotions were on high because the next day we were doing birth file reviews at our adoption agencies and some of us were going to the orphanage. We all sat together in one room, let down our guard, and cried and shared our hopes and fears for the following day and the trip as a whole. We shared our experiences of being adopted and growing up different. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced.
I will always be grateful to the members of my trip for allowing us all to share the grief we hid for so long and for opening our hearts and minds to the unknown. We all grew by leaps and bounds on this trip.
It was NOT a vacation. It was exactly what it was called: a Journey.
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