Our last full day - and what a day it was

Tuesday was a wonderfully tiring day. We criss-crossed Seoul and ventured into areas we had never experienced before.


OK, we did hit up Itaewon once again to get one last name scroll from this incredible artist - and it was worth the trip.  When things settle down, I'll add photos of the artist at work and showing off the scroll he made for Ella (Hee Ra) - with an image for "Happiness" up at the top.  He was absolutely incredible to watch and had a personality to match.


Our next stop was recommended to us by my friend Brian Song, a native of Korea.  He said we HAD to visit the COEX Center to see their amazing aquarium and one of the largest shopping malls ever.  The Korean people love to shop and there are malls within malls showcasing the latest luxury goods, Western clothes, electronics and more.   The aquarium was amazing and had the most unique aquarium displays - coke machines, fire extinguishers, refrigerators and even a toilet.  My personal favorite, the (actual) vending machines selling bottles of Pocari Sweat.  Yes, thank you, I'd love to purchase a bottle of sweat for 2000 won.  (Note: the humidity and heat has been oppressive.  I have never sweated  glistened glowed as much as I have on this trip)


After COEX, we trekked to this HUGE Buddhist temple and walked around the grounds to admired the architecture.  


Amy wanted to visit a fish market so we flagged down a cab and finally got one to take us.  We *thought* he knew where he was going since he said it was right by the World Cup Stadium, but after crossing a few bridges, hearing him say "Mapo Pfish Market" on the phone numerous times - and he finally handed me the phone where an interpreter confirmed that we were headed for the Mapo Fish Market.  30 minutes and 20,000 won later, we had arrived.  At least we were in air conditioning and got to cool off for a spell.


The fish market was very cool. So many different types of fish for sale. Dried fish, live fish, squid, and rays.  There was an entire agricultural market as well, so we could see the spices, noodles, everything used in daily cooking.  We hit up a grocery store there and bought some spices and snacks for the kiddos so they'll have some comfort food when they get home.


We finally headed back to the hotel to freshen up (again) and then have dinner before heading out to Namdaeum Market.  We successfully maneuvered the subway system only to realize we had gone back to Dongdaeum by mistake.  Bunny Mumbles.   So we grabbed a cab and wandered around the massive outdoor market place for a few hours before heading home to start getting ready for tomorrow's adventure.  We had one of the best cab drivers tonight - he spoke great English, but sadly not until we were in eyesight of the hotel.  He asked if we were on tour (no, adopting), asked where we were from -- United States of America -- Oh yeah! (with fist pump) ... That is your hotel? Oh. My. Goodness -- just a steady stream of excited conversation.  Then, when I paid and told him to keep the change (tipping isn't expected, but we love doing it here) -- he said "Ahh, Oh, Oh My! Thank You" and as we got out of the cab, he shouted out "See Ya"!!  I wish I had thought to ask him if he could be out driver to the airport tomorrow.  That would have been a hoot.


It is hard to believe our time in Seoul is coming to an end and in a few short hours, we will be getting everything packed up and heading to the airport where the next phase of our journey will begin with our children.  Seoul has been an incredible place to visit and I have grown to love the people and the culture -- and an thankful to have shared it with Amy.


The journey continues...

Going back to where it all started

Monday - the day we have be waiting for, our opportunity to go to Korea Social Services (KSS) to see our children and to meet the wonderful staff of KSS, the Miyashita family from Ohio who also traveled to bring their daughter home and the three staff members from the Michigan office of FAC that will be escorting the other three children back home to the US.


We started our day with breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and headed back to one of our favorite shopping areas parts of the city, Insa-dong.  I was on a mission to exchange the hanbok I bought for Joseph Sung Min for one in a larger version since the one from Omma and Appa can be used for another year or more.  The woman was kind enough to exchange it with no hassles, even without the receipt I left back on the table in our room.  Ooops!! Somehow we were able to pick up a few more items for friends and family and again enjoyed strolling through the streets finding the truly unique items among the more standard touristy items.  This trip has definitely given me a much deeper appreciation of the Korean culture and their arts.  Truly stunning, with an incredible history.  We headed back to the hotel to get ready for our trip to KSS.  (One thing I am not going to miss is the oppressive humidity.  I thought it was bad back in Ohio, but this takes it to a whole new level!!)


The taxi ride to KSS took around 45 minutes and we saw some beautiful mountains and scenery that we hadn't had the pleasure of seeing up close during our previous days in the center of Seoul.  We chatted about our expectations - Amy had been forewarned by her social worker that Elena is very wary of strangers (she is VERY attached to her Omma) so she is not expecting a warm reception but is eagerly anticipating seeing and holding her daughter for the first time.  I, too, am expecting Joe to cry and be squirmy and head straight for his Omma.  We arrived at KSS the same time that Elena In Hee and her foster mom, as well as Jack (Amy's son's foster mom) so she had a nice little reunion right there in the parking lot.


We were taken inside the main building of KSS and waited in a little room with the Miyashita family, their six year old son, Max, is adorable and kept us entertained.  The Miyashitas and Amy were taken upstairs to meet with their kids while I went on a tour of the KSS grounds with Michelle, one of of the escorts from Michigan.  She has been to Korea over 60 times over the past 25 years, so this is very bittersweet for her to see KSS closing.  I can only imagine how beautiful this was back in the day -- even with the grounds needing a little upkeep, I thought the campus was very stately and could picture it filled with kids, being treated so lovingly by the staff.

 The main entrance to KSS

 The placard on the building

 The "famous" rug seen in all of the update pictures

 Another one of the buildings where the older children lived

 The clothes lines that used to be filled with diapers

Me in front of KSS

After the tour, I went upstairs to wait for Omma and Joseph Sung Min and to take pictures of Amy interacting with Elena In Hee.  That girl is absolutely stunning -- and looks like a Monchichi doll.  The cutest. thing. ever.

It was great to see Kyung Sook and Joseph Sung Min again.  He was understandably hesitant around me and sought comfort and safety from his Omma.  He is a very curious boy and checks everything out.  He did let me hold him and I found out that he LOVES to be thrown up in the air and have "up/downs" just like Olivia did when she was younger.  He also likes to be swayed and swung around a little while being held.  In all, it was a great visit and were so surprised to learn that not only Appa and their son (I don't know how to spell his name) and Holmoni came to see us.  It was great to see them again and I had to take a picture of Appa in the Indian's shirt we brought him.  They are just too cute.  I love that whole family.

 Amy holding Elena for the first time. How precious

Amy comforting Elena In Hee

 What a cutie!!

 Elena and her Omma

 Me and Joseph Sung Min

 Omma and her little man

Appa and their little cutie

The ladies at KSS called a cab for us and we headed back to the hotel to do a quick change and head back out to Itaewon to have dinner with the FAC ladies and the Miyashita family.  We had a great dinner (Italian) and got the low down on everything that we needed to do on Wednesday at the airport.

We ended up our evening in Myeong-dong doing some more shopping (Brian sent me on a mission to bring home some music and DVDs for the little big man.  Mission accomplished.  It also afforded us amazing people watching and a glimpse into the Korean night life.

With our agenda all set for our last full day in Korea, we headed to bed with hopes of a good night's sleep -- that will be a commodity from here on out.

A day (or two) late and a dollar (or more) short - but here is Sunday's story

Sunday morning, after our usual breakfast at the hotel, we decided to head over to the Itaewon area of Seoul.  There is a US Army base in Itaewon, and as a result, there are many English speaking expats and tourists that flock to this region.  It was a totally different experience to see and hear more American tourists, as well as for the workers in the shops and markets to be fluent in English.  They are a persistent bunch! :-)


Our first stop was the Hamilton Market where an amazing artists will paint beautiful scrolls to decorate the walls of your home.  I had him paint one with Joe's name (Sung Min Kim) painted in the Korean characters and one that said "Welcome" using Korean images.  Absolutely amazing.  When I get home, I'll add some pictures.  He painted 4 or 5 scrolls in 30 minutes as we shopped inside.  And shop we did.  I'm pretty sure that after today, Amy and I will have most of our shopping done.  In addition to decorative items for our home and souvenirs for friends and family, we have been picking up little items to give to Elena In Hee and Joseph Sung Min on the day we celebrate their joining our family.  We should be set through their teen years... (and we did some good haggling to boot.)


Next on our list was Eden's Pottery - this shop was amazing and the proprietress was SO sweet.  She remembered Amy's friend Lisa from a few months ago, when she came to pick up their second son -- so we got some extra special deals there as well.  Our arms were full and our bellies were empty so we headed for ... wait for it ... The Outback Steakhouse!  Yes, after a few days of kimchee, bulgogi, bibimbab, it was time for a change.  And yes, they have a Blooming Onion!!  We had a great lunch, took a cab back to the hotel, unloaded our bags and headed right back out to visit the War Memorial of Korea.


This was an incredible museum and had information on (and relics from) all the different wars that Korea, has a nation, has endured.  I was especially interested in the section on the Korean War as my dad had spent some time in Korea when he was in the Air Force.  Not only were there displays of uniforms, but boats, planes, tanks -- it is amazing and humbling to learn more about what the Korean people have endured.

After the War Memorial, we headed back to the Hamilton Mall in Incheon to try to get another scroll from the scroll man, but alas, he was gone for the day -- guess we'll need to head out there another time!  Our trip home on the subway was once again eventful, as we couldn't remember which of the 16 exits was the one that we use EVERY day.  We did not choose wisely, but DID stumble upon an outdoor concert we wouldn't have seen otherwise.  We  soon realized we were headed in the right direction and were at our home away from home, exhausted and ready to relax. 


We were too tired to head back out for dinner, so we decided to order a pizza and the front desk ordered us a pizza from Dominoes.  It was actually quite good!  Over dinner, we talked about our experiences so far, and the big one that will be taking place tomorrow afternoon - going to Korea Social Services and seeing our kids.  For me, it would be a continuation of the bonding that began on Saturday at Joe's dol; for Amy, it would be the first time seeing her absolutely stunning daughter Elena In Hee.


Here's hoping for a good night's sleep -- we've got a big day ahead of us!

What an amazing experience ..

I am writing this after I have had a few hours to fully process the enormity of what happened yesterday.  After facing the same jitters of getting ready for a first date and more emotions that I expecting to encounter in the hours leading up to our meeting, our time with the family was pure joy.


The Choi family (AKA the best foster family EVER) came to pick us up at the hotel.  Appa was driving (this man could be a NYC taxi driver -- he is THAT good), and Omma (Kyung Sook) came into the hotel to meet us.  She was holding the beautiful 10 month old son that they had adopted (they were fostering him with Joseph Sung Min).  After brief hugs and bows we gathered our gift bags and headed to the car where we were welcomed warmly by Appa.  And to my surprise, little (and when I say "little", I mean "big") Joe was lying down in the back seat.  So, one of my first duties (I mean joys) was to be able to hold him in the car on the way to their apartment.  For the most part, he was VERY good, knocking on the door and window, pulling at the tissue paper in the gift bags.  We made some small talk, and Appa explained that he puts his hand in his mouth when he is nervous or anxious.  Yep, getting held by someone, the likes of whom he'd never seen, definitely fits that bill.  He got fussy and I handed him off to Omma and she was able to make all things right.

Soon we were at the Choi's house and after a quick introduction to their daughters and Halmoni -- that's Grandma, to you and me, it was time to start getting the man of the hour ready for his doljabee.  Omma and Appa got him dressed in a beautiful hanbok, he had a quick bottle to help him power through the festivities and watched a little PoRoRo to get relaxed.  I picked up a teddy bear in a hanbok for him and he really enjoyed having it give him kisses or whispering in his years.  In the Doljabee ceremony, different objects are placed in front of the children and that they choose is supposed to let you know what their future will be like -- if they will be rich, hard working, have a long life, study, etc -- much like what we do in our family, from Brian's Polish roots.  Little man choose the money, "BIG MONEY", Kyung Sook explained to us.  Sung Min will have much money.

Big Money!!

After the party, we had a delicious, traditional Korean dinner.  It was the best bulgogi ever and the side dishes were just as good.  Omma can cook!!  We opened presents and watched the kids play while Omma cleaned up the kitchen.  It was a heartwarming experience.  And the daughters or Halmoni would bring Joseph Sung Min over to me so I could play with him and learn about his daily activities.  He really is a sweet, sweet boy.  But big. And strong.  And I can't wait to bring him home to join our family.  

We visited some more and then said our goodbyes -- it was time for the boys to start getting ready for bed.  So Appa piled us in the car, and I had the pleasure of Joseph Sung Min falling asleep in my arms -- so sweet.  Appa was kind enough to drop us off at an all night market (or so we thought) so we could explore some more.  It wasn't what we thought - we obviously weren't looking in the right place, but we had a fun night in all.

Stay tuned...