Day 9

No new pictures today. Sorry. Spent most of the day working at Holt PAS, and visiting GOA'L, an organization run by mainly European Korean adoptees. Angry European Korean adoptees, who don't like Holt Korea or Holt International. Apparently, we're simply evil. No matter what I said, how I described our services, and how we want to work with them not against them, the adoptee I met with didn't hear a word of it. It was eye-opening, and disappointing. They really are fostering the dislike for all adoption agencies, not trying to work with them for the benefit of the adoptees.

Had lunch with Eun Hee - some chicken/veggie dish that was fantastic. The tenderest chicken I've ever eaten, all drenched in a thick spicy sauce. I ate too much, but we walked it off later. We went to Namdaemun Market for a little shopping, but had to go back to the office to finish our meeting. It's going to take me a long time to write the report of this trip, I learned and experienced so much. I'm tired and looking forward to seeing my family again, but sorry I have to leave.

I did learn a few more lessons the past couple of days: If you've been waiting at a red light for longer than you think you should, and there aren't many cars, it's ok to go ahead through the intersection. Yellow lights are a suggestion, red lights are a slightly stronger suggestion. It's ok to drive in the on-coming lane if you're going around another vehicle and can get back into your own lane before the on-coming cars hit you. There isn't a taxi driver in Seoul who knows where Holt or the Somerset Hotel is, even though they all have the latest GPS systems. It's also ok to park on the sidewalk if you can squeeze in and won't be staying longer than a couple of hours.

I'm sure I'll be posting more after I get home and remember more interesting things about the trip. The cultural differences are even clearer to me now, and I can see how important it is for our families and adoptees to understand that. Americans are the impertinent teenagers, from a very young country created by many, many cultures. Korea, Thailand, Philippines, China, all of these countries are the older generations, with rich histories and long established cultures that should be honored as they honor their elderly. Regardless of how modern they become, their culture will always be unique to themselves, and should be respected, not ridiculed. That's what we need to convey to our families and adoptees in a gentle but persistent way, so that they can also respect the birth parents' culture and understand the birth parents' actions.

Okay, I gotta go pack and sleep. I have so enjoyed this trip, and am so grateful for the opportunity that I've been given. And I can't wait to continue sharing it with all my family and friends. See you soon!