Hello Friends and Family,
I decided that I'll start a blog page for those who are curious about my first trip to Korea. You can read about my adventures here. I've never been one to condone blogging but I guess there is a reason these things were created.
Just so you know I'll be 16 hours ahead of PST, which means I'll know the future. I'll try not to blog about these things so that you have a candid reaction and I do not screw up your natural path in life :-)
It is indeed the eve before my long plane ride to Asia...and no I am not packed yet. I tend to procrastinate on things like packing, although I am proud to say I started gathering everything together about 3 days ago. This type of behavior is unusual, but I try not to go too crazy so that I do not freak out my roommate. :-)
To answer some of the questions I have received when hearing about my trip:
No, I'm not going to North Korea, only visiting the South, as I doubt anyone is allowed in or out of N. Korea.
I will be gone from August 1st-17th. It takes an entire day to get to Korea, so i'll land there about 6pm on the 2nd. My flight is a little over 12 hours long. I plan on watching lots of movies, eat lots of junk food, read, work, and sleep. If my reservations hold up, I am fortunate to have an aisle seat.
The main reason I am flying all the way to Korea in the peak of the summer is b/c there is an adoption conference that is put on by IKAA and this only occurs roughly every three years in Seoul. If you are now confused as to why I'd go to such a conference it is indeed b/c I'm adopted. And yes that is why my brother and I do not look alike.
The conference lasts for one week. I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing during the conference but I do know they have a film festival, soccer tournament, seminars, a symposium, and other activities planned. I will try to participate in most everything, as that is what I'm known to do when I travel.
Yes, I am nervous about visiting "the motherland", as it is known when you're visiting your birth country. I do not know what to expect b/c I've never been anywhere in Asia before but I expect it's much like the South Bay (of SF) but multiplied by a few million. The idea of being around millions of other people that sort of look like me freaks me out, seeing a group of Asian tourists with 20-30 people freaks me out enough, so I can only imagine I'll be ready to jump out of my skin. Luckily I heard that Korean people are the "Irish of the Orient", they are social fun people who love to drink, so I'm sure I'll survive. :-)
Yes, Erik will be meeting me in Korea after the conference ends, so he will be flying out a week after I do. Other than explore Seoul we plan to visit Kunsan City (the town I was found in) and visit Pusan as well (2nd largest city in Korea with roughly 4.5 million people). Erik will have a really hard time finding me if we separate in crowd. :-) Hopefully I'll be a couple inches taller than all of them.
So I hope this brief post gives you some insight as to what I'll be up to in the next 2-3 weeks. Hope to hear from you all soon. I will miss all of your smiling faces. Wish me luck and pray that I do not get taken hostage by the mean next door neighbors.
Peace,
e
