Korea Day 2- Emotional Day!

Hi everyone. It is currently 4:46 am in Korea and I was officially up almost an hour ago because apparently I just can't sleep past this hour here. We did hit the bed around 8:45 pm last night though, so thankfully I did get about 7 hours of sleep. Yesterday was one emotional day and we haven't even met KatieJoy yet! WARNING: this is one LONG post!


We got up and headed to breakfast around 9 am to hang out with some other families from our adoption bb. It was a quick visit with both families as Robin and her family were making their way home that day. We took a couple of quick snapshots of the two of us together and then headed back up to our room to prepare to be picked up by Calen's Foster Family.

Let me tell you... getting to hang out with the Foster Family for an entire day is a privlege... this is not something that most families get to do when they visit Korea with their children. A normal visit would have been for us to meet at Holt with the foster mom for about a 1/2 hour. We spent time with the ENTIRE family from around 11 am to 6:30 pm! Very blessed is what Allen and I were yesterday... The oldest sister met us at our hotel and her boyfriend drove up about 10 minutes later to take us to the family's home. The sister spoke very little english but did her best to communicate what they had planned that day. I can't even explain to you how much it doesn't matter that we don't speak the same language here...somehow, through God's grace, we are able to get our point across just fine and understand one another- it is the most amazing experiance. Anyhow, her boyfriend picked us up and he was our translater for the day. He said that he learned English from middle school on and studied for a year in Canada for his job.

Calen's "Korean" family's house (this is what we refer to them as in our home- our Korean Family) was about 30 minutes away from our hotel. We got to see an entirely different side of Seoul while driving... same style buildings and all that but just awesome to get to go somewhere that we probably wouldn't have on our own. Once we got to the family's home we were taken up and the family ran out to see Calen- they were so excited to see him!!! His omma (mom in korean) tried to scoop him up in her arms but Calen was a lot apprehensive and wouldn't let her. She was very gracious and the whole family let him get used to them for a while as they cooked us an entire feast for lunch! I am not kidding when I say that we were treated like family. The family made us something called Bibimbop along with several other side dishes. Allen was in heaven as he had wanted Bibimbop the moment we had walked off the plane! It was delicious!

During lunch we communicated back and forth about what Calen had been like in their home. We learned so many things from them that we had not known before... things that you can only learn from an entire family telling you things that they remembered about their special son/brother. We learned that Calen was a favorite amongst our agency's staff, that he was a little celebrity in their neighborhood, that he would crawl all around their home making the sisters follow him to play. We learned that the sisters all had a curfew because Calen would not sleep until they were all home with him. These sisters were in their mid to late 20's when Calen lived with them and they abided by these rules because they loved and adored him so very much! We learned many other things too- but the curfew thing killed me off...

After lunch they presented us US with presents! They had invited us into their home, picked us up, drove us there, made us a feast and then they had presents for us! I about dropped to the floor bawling but I held it together. They gave Calen a beautiful new Hanbok for his 4 year birthday and they gave us some traditional Korean bookmarks along with a traditonal Korean light that will have some very special place in my home once we get back to California. I was so glad that I had taken time to think about some gifts that they would like... I only wish I could have done more for them along with gotten the oldest and youngest sisters boyfriends something... I might have to put a care package together soon! Once dessert and gift exchanges ended, we learned that the sisters and boyfriends wanted to take us some place special in Korea. We were all for it! However, here is where it got emotional. This meant that I had to leave their home... I had to leave the woman who took care of Calen before he joined his Forever Family. Calen went up to give her a hug because he had finally warmed up to the idea of being there... he finally relaxed and it was almost as if his body had remembered where he was. He melted into her arms when she hugged him... she talked to him softly in Korean and started to cry quiet tears, his sisters were all softly crying too. I teared up but didn't start to bawl. Yet. We talked a bit more while getting ready to leave and everyone calmed down- no more tears just smiles and laughter. Then it was time to go. I went to hug his omma and tell her thank you for all she had done for our son and our family and I lost it. She hugged me very tightly and we both were crying. I finally let go of her and she of me and when I looked around the room there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Allen was even crying... crying harder than I had seen him cry in a very long time. How do you thank a family for their hospitality and love for your son who they cared for as their own? HOW? I still don't know- other than knowing that bringing Calen with us to Korea for the soul purpose of seeing our Korean Family was the BEST decision we could ever have made. We finally made it down the stairs to the cars and then hugged a few more times with some more tears and thank you's... It was so very hard for me to leave Omma Song.

Us with our Korean Family- aren't they wonderful!?!

Calen with the whole family, including both boyfriends! :)

Once in the cars (we had to take 2) Allen and I were still silently crying and tearing up. Our Korean family was so kind... they just let us do what we had to. Calen was just fine and didn't even notice how we were feeling- thank goodness! Once Allen and I pulled it together they told us where we were going. They drove us all the way out of Seoul almost all the way to the North Korean border to a place that most tourists didn't know of because it was about an hour away from Seoul. It was called Heyri- prounounced like Hey-e-di- and this place was a HOT spot for families! I don't even know what to compare this place to back in the US... it was huge- I mean probably miles huge and all spread out on these hills. It was basically a place for the Arts... lots of art mueseums and kid friend places to play. I wish I could explain it better than that, but I don't think I can. We were told that this was a place that the family thought would be neat for us to see because it wasn't the normal thing to do when in Korea. They were totally right! I loved it- how did they know that I loved the Arts so much? We spent the entire afternoon just walking around and letting Calen hang out with this precious family. They all doted on him the entire time... it was so amazing to witness. They wouldn't let us buy anything the entire day... they invited us so it is customary to pay for everything from Calen's little "donkey" ride to our sweet treats at the end of the day. I was so humbled yesterday... and comfortable at the same time. I felt as if I had known these women and men my entire life- the language barrier was not an issue- just being with one another meant the world to all of us...

First sign I saw that I loved at Heyri- it says "At here, I hope you can be proud of yourself because you are Korean."

Some of the Buildings

Some of the Art

Calen's "donkey" ride :)

A popular Kid's cartoon in Korea- her name means Strawberry
Calen's Sisters

I know this isn't the most wonderful picture- but I love it. This is Calen's youngest sister's boyfriend and he helped care for Calen too. Apparently they loved each other and he worked so hard to get Calen's affection yesterday and Calen wouldn't give it until the end... the pure happiness on his face meant the world to me yesterday- this is one of my FAV pictures from yesterday and probably our whole trip...

I don't think I'm making the emotions of what yesterday was like clear and I'm sorry. I wish you could see my face as I think about it- either I'm glowing from the amazingness of it or I'm crying. See, I really don't think I'm putting the right words to this...

Once it was time to go, we had to say goodbye to the middle and younger sister and her boyfriend as they had driven in another car. That was hard again for me, but I just teared up- I didn't bawl... We drove back to the hotel with the oldest sister and her boyfriend and it took a little over an hour because of traffic. Traffic in Seoul is Crazy! Seriously, I've never been to New York but it's what I imagine New York to be like (we were told yesterday that 16 million people live in Seoul!). While we drove I took some pictures from the car of the Han river and it's barbed wire fences surronding it. Remember I said we were close to North Korea? Well, there was all this barbed wire that had been set up nearly 30 years ago and is still there today as a caution to keep out North Korean spies. There were even some bunkers and little outpost buildings that had South Korean military with GUNS in them for safety. It was pretty amazing to see that.

There are buildings like this everywhere! We were told they are apartments and that in Korea you buy and apartment like you would a house in America.

The Han River is HUGE and there are many many beautiful bridges that cross it.

The Outposts with Soldiers along the river- see the barbed wire?
Once we got back to our hotel we had one more set of goodbyes. These were a little easier just because we were so tired, but hard to watch them drive away just the same. We had Pizza Hut delievered to our room thanks to the front desk ordering for us just because we were so tired we didn't want to have to find a place to eat. It was delicious- actually way better than in the states! :)

After our day yesterday, Allen and I realized just what we were up against this week. We had to do this all over again with KatieJoy in just a few days. These families love on our children until it's time for them to go home to their Forever Families, but they don't ever stop thinking about them or loving them. Most amazing thing in the world to witness. Again, I just don't have the right words... We get to meet KatieJoy in a little less than 5 hours. Please be praying for us! We are so excited and yet so emotional about what we will be doing to her and her Korean Family this week. I have a good friend that told me to remember that this is what's in God's plan for our little ones lives and that it has to be fulfilled- that is what I'm stowing away in my heart right now- that God see's the big picture on Calen's and KatieJoy's lives and that we are the MOST privleged people in the world to get to raise these children as our own. Thank you Lord for your most amazing gifts that are our Korean born children and thank you for amazing Korean Families that we get to become apart of through our children and the wonderful care that Holt International provides...

Yesterday was one of the most memorable days of my life and I will treasure it my heart always!

We love you all,

~Mandy~