SEOUL IN TWO DAYS
Julie Laatsch (A special thanks to Julie Laatsch for donating this most beautiful story.)
When my husband and I first decided to adopt our baby from Korea, we knew we would travel to Seoul to pick him up. We felt it was important to meet the Foster mother first hand to get a better understanding of the life our son had before we became his parents. We also wanted to tour the city to which he was born so we could learn more about Korean culture and his heritage.
We received the call to travel to Korea on Thursday August 24th. I had anticipated receiving the call around that date, so I had booked a flight out that weekend with the hopes I would be right. Thankfully, I was and we left Saturday a.m. at 9:30 from Providence. Now, this obviously was short notice, but we had been prepared for weeks. We had the diaper bag packed, the room ready and even had formula, bottles and an area in the kitchen to put all of these items. This was essential upon our return as we are now finding out, once the baby is home, there is not much time to do these things.
Our NW flight left from Providence, through Detroit, then Tokyo and finally to Seoul, South Korea. It was a long flight, but we would do it all over again in a second. We arrived in Seoul on a rainy windy night and took a taxi to our hotel. The airport is like any other and the taxi drivers are the same as what you would expect in New York City. My husband and I joked about what it would have been like if we rented our own car and tried to find our way to our hotel with all of the Korean signs.
We stayed at the Sejong Hotel in the heart of the shopping district of downtown Seoul. The hotel is “Americanized” but mainly Japanese and Korean business people stayed at this hotel. The staff was friendly and helpful and would not accept tips because it was all included in the price of the hotel. Our room was $170 a night and was a standard room with a fridge, good working air conditioning and a nice view of the Seoul Tower. We ate a few meals in the restaurant of the hotel and they were all very good. They had both Korean and American food items to choose from and their desserts and bake goods where fabulous. We felt very comfortable at this hotel and in the city itself we never felt afraid and found it was very easy to get around especially if you like to walk.
Because we arrived on a Sunday night and we left on Wednesday at 9:30 am, we were able to meet with our son Jacob Jin and his foster mother on Monday at 10:30 am and pick him up at 4:00 pm on Tuesday. If you travel it is very important that you schedule your flight out in the early morning so you can bond with your baby the night before prior to getting on that long flight home. The Holt agency will not allow you to pick up your baby the night before unless you have a flight out in the morning, otherwise you can only pick up your baby a few hours prior to your flight.
With only 2 days in the city we decided early on to see and do as much as we could. We were in Seoul in the summer so it was very hot and humid, almost unbearable. The first morning we set out early so we could get to the Holt agency for our first meeting with Jacob. We walked about 3 miles that morning, through the Namdeamun Markets where most of the shops weren’t open yet. There we many street vendors selling food and the streets were just beginning to get crowded. We walked past the China Embassy, the Myung-Dong Cathedral, City Hall and many parks. We also stopped at the Song Je Myo (shrine) but it was closed that day. After about 3 hours of walking in the heat we were ready to take an air-conditioned taxi to met our son.
We arrived at the Holt Agency to meet Jacob about 35 minutes early. We were told that Koreans are generally not punctual, but Jacob’s foster mother was already there waiting in the meeting room with our son. Words will never be able to describe how I felt when I first saw our son. Even before I saw his photo I held him in my heart and when I finally saw him and held him I knew he was our son. I tried hard not to cry, as did Jim because we had a lot of questions to ask the foster mother in a little bit of time. The foster mother was very young and pretty. She did not speak English so the Social Worker, Ms. Chen translated for us. Jacob’s foster mother was very attached to him and you could tell he was very loved and well taken care of. The foster mother was so happy that we came to pick him up so she could meet us. The other two babies she took care of prior to Jacob were escorted home and she wished she had met their parents.
Traveling to Korea is not for everyone, but it is definitely something everyone that adopts from Korea should consider. Jacob’s foster mother was sent from God to take care of Jacob before we could bring him home. Our picking him up in Korea gave her a sense of comfort and we were proud to tell her about our home and what a happy life Jacob would have with us. She especially wanted to make sure he had a nice yard to play in since most families in Seoul live in Apartments or Condos.
We spent about an hour and a half with our son that morning. We met the pediatrician that had been taking care of him and saw many other waiting babies and their foster Mothers. Everyone was very nice and watched us closely as we held Jacob. All to soon it was time to leave Jacob until the next afternoon. Leaving him after finally seeing him after all of this time was difficult, but I was glad his wonderful foster Mother would at least have one more day with him.
We spent the next 28 hours keeping ourselves busy with sightseeing and shopping. The next day we visited the Seoul Tower and the Namsan Park. We also took the subway, which was very efficient and clean, to the other part of the city where the Olympics were held. We then spent the rest of our afternoon shopping at the Lotte and back to the Namdeamn Market. We wanted to bring a lot of souvenirs home for family and friends as well as some artifacts for Jacob’s room. Although the heat was extreme, we prided ourselves on doing and seeing as much as we possibly could and left with the feeling that we accomplished just that.
We both loved the city and plan to go back someday, either to adopt a sister for Jacob or for a vacation with our son. I have such fond memories of that trip that when I close my eyes and think of Seoul, I actually feel like I am there. I have never felt that way about any other of the many journeys I have had in my life and I doubt I ever will again.
