UWT

So, unrelated to my adventures with Korea... I have started my 4th week at school at the University of Washington Tacoma. So far, I have been able to have my schedule all days Tuesdays and Thursdays. It has been overwhelming with the amount of work that comes with upper division classes, but at the same time, the challenges are really exciting.

My degree that I'm pursuing is Urban Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies. These topics deal with public policy, social rights, civil rights, urban planning and development. I find the program to be really awesome and engaging. I have a little less than two years to finish, so I'm trying to take in all that I can in order to fully gain every experience this program has to offer.

I am commuting this quarter down to Tacoma, although in the future I will have the opportunity to use the Bothell and Seattle campus. Right now I'm able to use the Sounder train, and I must say it is a great experience! To be able to drink some coffee, do some reading or even surf the internet instead of fighting traffic is so awesome!

Right now I am finding the balance between having a relationship, working 3 days a week, being a full-time student and getting in my hours of writing and the endless reading... oh lord the reading! It seems easy enough, but finding time to be able to truly engage in the reading is a challenge in itself.

So, I am pretty much surrendering to my education at this point and hope to at least be able to get in my yoga once a week and get out on a social level once a month. There are strange guilty feelings when I'm not spending my time with my nose in an article or paper. Don't be upset if I can't make it out for drinks and basically any fun activity. School and grants for school have me on serious lockdown. See you during the break!

BIG NEWS!!!

Yesterday I decided to write to the woman from WACAP (the adoption service that my parents used, who work with HOLT in Korea) to tell her how great my trip to Korea was as well as how much I appreciate the work that she does. I just felt it important to let her know how her services had really touched my heart, and how it changed my life.

When I got home from school, I checked my email - and the woman from WACAP had written me back. She told me that my foster mother was sad that I had to leave early because she remembered me when I was a baby and had wanted to meet me all grown up. I thought that was really cool until I got to the next line...

(Here is the email)

Hello Tami,

I’m so glad you had a good trip. Ms. Toni-ma told me that your foster mother was upset that you had to leave early. She remembered you as a baby and wished to meet you again someday.

Your birth mom called Toni-ma after receiving their telegram. She admitted being you birth mother immediately; some mothers are in denial at all times. She stated that she would be interested in corresponding with you but needed some time. "Not much, just a little bit of time" to prepare herself and children. She has already told her daughter about the you, but not to her son yet.

Your birth mother got divorced and lives with two children – one daughter (24 yrs old) and one son (20 yrs old). Recently she received an operation (do not know which part of her body) and is recovering from it now.

Holt will surely send the her letter and photos when they hear back from your birth mother again.

Good news!

Best wishes,

XXXXX

I am obviously thrilled to find out this information and cannot wait to find out more! It is hard to explain, but when you have an chunk of time in your past that you have no knowledge of - it is something that you feel is missing. Some people deal with this differently, I chose to not really deal with it, and focus on the good things in my life that I did have. But finding out just this little piece of information has filled my heart and it is all I can do to keep my energy at bay. I have a half brother and sister! My birth mother is open to connecting with me! I can find out medical history, who my father is, what exactly my heritage is... so many things.

Stay tuned!!!

Reflections on Korea

I have been back home now for 3 weeks. It took me a few days to get back on track, the jet-lag coming home was pretty brutal. I left Seoul on a Thursday at 6pm and landed in Seattle on the dame day at 12pm. It was pretty wild! I basically came home and slept for 2 days straight while Greg took extremely good care of me. He brought me food, water and let me sleep on and off all weekend long.

Some highlights of my trip included:

Getting to meet some young locals and enjoying conversation and sharing normal activities with them. You find people are just like you wherever you go, and there are slight cultural differences, but there is a comfort in being able to relate to all people no matter what background they come from.

Traveling alone... I never thought that this would allow me to reflect in such a way and give me the confidence that it did. It was scary and liberating to be able to do it on my own.

Having a friend open her life and home to me without really knowing me all that well - Jin was so generous to give her time and space to me and take care of me when I was super hungover ;o)

The food, oh God the food! Kimchi, Korean bbq, and Bi Bim Bap was amazing!

The architecture of the old temples and palaces were incredible, the detail and infrastructure was a piece of art - it is hard to comprehend the history behind it all.

Upon my arrival home, I experienced some pretty severe anxiety that was hard to deal with. I think that absorbing what the trip meant to me was a hard process that I didn't expect to experience after the trip. It wasn't that there were any negative feelings of seeing where I came from, but I did find that my emotions of realizing where I could have ended up is a tough reality. It is hard to describe what comes up from deep within, knowing how different your life could have been.

I have a new appreciation for the many opportunities that my life has allowed me to experience. My parents have always given me everything that I need: love, support, travel, and instilled the importance of free thought, work ethic and education. I cannot express enough how lucky I feel to have had the type of parents who could truly give me all of these qualities and lessons.