When I adopted to a family from Portland, Oregon, USA, I would have never thought that my story would bring me back to Korea. I was always told that my birthday was April 18th. Fast forward 35 plus years and I finally decided that I’m going to move to Korea to conduct a Birth Family Search. The only things that I thought I knew for certain, were my birthday, my Korean name (that was given to me by the police that found me on the police station steps), and that I was from Busan. All of that changed when I landed in Seoul, South Korea on February 5th, 2016. I spent about one month in Seoul, to explore this new world of wonder. The bitter bite of the wind and cold coming off of the Han River, to the bright lights and the warm street food carts pouring out onto the streets and sidewalks during the night. And talk about people. Mind you, that I came from a State where everyone values their personal space. But, I needed to be restful and not let my anxiety of the crowds overtake the personal experience of another way of life. It was quite a bit to take in, but I’ve adapted, and it’s become a life norm.
During that month in Seoul, I spent quite a bit of time gathering information about who I was and if there were any hope of successfully conducting a Birth Family Search. Working with G.O.A.’L., we managed to put together a flyer of who and how I was doing, and how I turned out, in general. Life was brutal in that adopted family, both physically and mentally, thus the greater desire to conduct this search. When I visited Holt International in Seoul, I found out that I only had half of my records and Holt Korea had the other half. I guess that in the year 2000, Korea changed the laws and made it so that companies operating in South Korea needed to be owned by Korean Nationals. So, Holt International (which is headquartered in Eugene, Oregon, USA), never forwarded adoption records to Holt Korea and vice versa. Holt Korea was amazed that I had original paperwork, x-rays, and doctor’s notes from my departing medical records from when I was approximately 3 years old. After visiting Holt Korea in Seoul, I decided to move to Busan.
As soon as I arrived in Busan, I was greeted by a University student (which G.O.A.’L. had set up) to show me around and take me to the police station where I was abandoned, the hospital that conducted my final medical check, and the orphanage that I stayed at while in Korea as a child. The police station and hospital didn’t have any records, as it is the law and practice to only maintain and keep records for 10 years. When we visited the orphanage, my eyes were opened, and I was flooded with a mountain of questions. I was told by the current President of the orphanage that my name was not given to me by the police, but rather the orphanage itself. They think that my Korean name was actually my given name, due to the fact that if I didn’t have a family name, then I would have been given the family name of the present orphanage President’s name, and since my Korean family name was different, then he believed that, that was my actual name. As for my birthday, that’s wrong as well. I was actually found by the Korean police on April 17th, and taken to the orphanage on April 18th, thus this was the date that my records were created by the orphanage, and not my birthday. For some reason the transition during the adoption process transcribed my records for the U.S. courts as my birthday, when that was not the case. The hospital records and notes at the orphanage state that my birthday was estimated at February 5th, and thus I had an epiphany of, “Wow, I arrived and came back to Korea on my Korean birthday”. So many question I still have, but the search after 5 years is slowly drying up, as there a very little records to trace and follow.
I have adjusted well in Busan. I am currently an English Teacher at two different public elementary schools. I really enjoy teaching. Though the pay may seem low (especially coming from the U.S.A.), it’s actually very affordable to live comfortably in Busan and save some money on the side. Food is inexpensive and restaurants are cheap, so going out to eat isn’t a problem. You can order almost anything online these days and have food delivered to your door by almost every restaurant, for free. Imagine free deliver from your local restaurant in America. That’s never going to happen.
I love the beach and the water, and living in Busan, I’m almost always at the beach in one fashion or another. I am also a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor and work with 씨월드다이브센터 Seaworld Dive Center (Busan Scuba on Facebook). They’re located at 14 Naengjeong-ro 6 (yuk) beon-gil, Jurye-dong, Sasang-gu, Busan. I was extremely fortunate when I arrived, because the English speaking Instructor was getting married to an English Teacher from Florida, and they were going to move back to the U.S.A. within a year of my arrival. So, I was offered the position to take over for her.
We are currently the only Dive Center in South Korea that offer courses and classes in English. Last year, Seaworld Dive Center bought their own building and built a brand new pool within their facility. With COVID-19 still present in Korea and around the world, we’ve taken precautions to adhere to the Korean Government’s rules and regulations while operating. Limiting the class sizes and proper sanitation of equipment and classrooms are extremely important for us to stay operational.
The diving in Busan can be great, but due to a lot of Korean divers not following the rules of the area that we do most of our Open Water training dives, there’s really not too much sea life in those waters. It’s quite sad, because you will see people spearfishing where it’s supposed to be a protected area for aquatic life. It makes my day when the police show up and cite and ticket those individuals, and I wish the police would be more present, but I’m guessing they just do not have the resources to commit to the area. The best scuba diving in Korea is outside of Busan though. If you are a scuba diver and want to advance your skills and certification, then we will take you to Pohang, Ulsan, Yeongdeok, and or Yangyang areas where there are huge cubes that fish swim through and about. Many different shipwrecks to explore and a giant crab statue underwater that you can swim in and around are some of my favorites. The waters are warm during the months of May through November, but from December to April, you better have a Dry Suit. Overall, there are many different sites to see while scuba diving in South Korea.
When I’m not scuba diving or teaching, I try to visit with fellow Korean Adoptees. There are currently between 10-15 of us down here living and working in Busan. Some have lived here for 20 years and still loving life in Busan. The mix of Korean Adoptees in Busan range from people in the U.S. military, professional photographers, engineers, and educators in public and private schools. Our ties to each other are bound by our vast experiences and desire for connection. Where we came from and our histories, whether positive or negative do not define us, but instead has carved the path to where we’re going. I would like to leave you with this quote. I truly do love what I am doing and hope that each and every one of you that have read this find your happiness.
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful”.
~Albert Schweitzer
