Family | Adopted

Hiking Toward Koreanness: An Adoptee Returns to Her Motherland

Adoption is one of those forks in the road where many of us try to glimpse through the trees to the other path, the other world.

That’s

*

KoreanAmerican

was

Korean

photo courtesy of the author

It’s because you’re white

be

Are you alone? How old are you? Wow, you’re tough!

.

(be) manly, valiant, brave, courageous, gallant, vigorous

photo courtesy of the author

When I started my job, I constantly worried that my co-teacher thought I was lazy, bad at my job, mannerless. All those hook-sharp insecurities, tugging at the back of my mind. One day, he told me: “I think you are very brave, to come to Korea. It’s not easy.”