여행하다 (To Travel)

This morning there was a garage sale type thing outside Holt. My friends and I went down to support them, but it looks like they were alright. We couldn’t get to the tables to even look.

Also, since I don’t believe I told anyone yet, McDonald’s delivers here. Can you imagine if that was the case in America? Can you imagine?! Here’s the delivery scooters. (Also, scooters in Korea are terrifying. I feel like they’re going to run me over all the time)

And, not for the Han River. We got to go here in the evening. It was really nice. One of the girl’s on the trip has a brother in the military here so he and a couple from his job joined us. It was amusing to say the least. Also, obviously, beautiful. The weather was amazing.

(Cotton Candy truck!! There were a bunch of food trucks all along this walk)

Alright, so Thursday we went to the Korean War Museum. 

The museum didn’t only have information on the Korean war like you might assume but they also had an entire floor dedicated to the time periods up through the Japanese invasion. If you didn’t know, Korea was invaded and taken over by Japan for a period in time. Japan forced Koreans to learn and speak Japanese as well as change their names to Japanese names and much much more.

(A flag with some of the names of people who fought to keep Korea free from Japan)

(Display of some Korea’s Fortresses. Historically, Korea has some grand fortresses)

And here are the pictures from some of the Korean War exhibits. If you want to here what I know about that, scroll down to my DMZ post. Otherwise, here’s my museum photos.

(Important people from the Korean War)

(A fraction of the names of the Korean soldiers who died in the Korean War)

Also, we went to Itaewon which is a more international shopping area of Seoul. I’m pretty sure I saw just as many non-koreans as koreans in this neighborhood. But anyway, here’s a cute photo of Claire and me.

And now for Wednesday. First things first, my file review went well! They do have enough information to search for my birth parents, however, I’m going to wait a little while to go ahead with an actual search. The social worker suggested this since my mother is still on the young side and there’s a higher success rate if you wait until they are around 50, currently she’s 38 so I have some time to wait.

Now for Insadong. As I’ve mentioned there’s another girl on the trip with us who is also adopted. She has actually already found her birth mother so she joined us on Wednesday which was really cool. One of her family friends was her translator and actually shoed us around Insadong area. It’s still a very traditional area. The housing is old fashioned. The area has government requirements for it to stay Korean so the only two Starbucks that have Starbucks written in Hangul on the signage are in this area. Every store had to have their name in Hangul. We also got to go shopping a bit and I found another cute skirt! 

(THERE WAS A SPIDERMAN)

Following this a couple of us went with Claire and her birth mom to find a Hanbok for Claire. A Hanbok is the traditional Korean dress that’s usually worn for big events in one’s life, specifically for a wedding. I don’t actually have pictures from this. Whoops. But they’re really pretty and it was a lot of fun.

So, Tuesday we went to the Korean Folk Village near Suwon. We got to watch quite a few traditional performances including an acrobat and a horse stunts. 

We also got to see a poor persons house versus a rich persons house and the filming site for a couple Korean dramas. 

(Poor family’s living quarters)

(Rich family’s living quarters) 

Then we found a space with traditional torture devices.

(That’s Kim, he’s a employee of Holt Travel Services. He apologized after pretending to torture Alysia. xD)

And finally we got to watch a traditional wedding ceremony.

Alright, first things first. Monday morning I joined Claire (the other adoptee on the trip) for her file review in order to know what to expect for mine. I got free makeup out of the deal! Plus, we got to see the little babies up for adoption from her agency. Oh my goodness, they were the most adorable and precious little babies. Like, oh my goodness. Also, we crossed the river in the subway on the way there.

But anyways, after that we came back to the guesthouse to meet with everyone and then headed back out to the Coex Mall. Some of our girls went to visit a Buddhist Temple but a Alysia, Claire, and I passed and instead went to the AQUARIUM!!! For those of you who don’t know me. I love aquariums. Any aquarium. I used to have some nice ones. Then I got busy with school and life and I’m down to just a small 3 gallon with some neon danios. But anyways again... Here are my aquarium photos.

I found Dory!!

Mantantee ;) (You know who you are)

Okay, so this aquarium had like... land animals too. They had chipmunks and guinea pigs as well.

Sleeping on the job...

Tiny Jellyfish!

Snapping Turtle

I don’t remember what these are called but I like them.

It’s smiling!!

I got to pet a starfish!

Hi there!

Feeding time!

And finally, of course, we were in a huge mall, so we went shopping. I bought mostly gifts for people and then one shirt for myself. Here are the bags between the three of us girls...

The mall was also working on some book walls. There was a big open space that had bookshelves on the four corners. It was amazing.

And finally, while waiting for the other girls I realized we were right outside a SMTown building. For those of you who don’t know, SM is an entertainment company. It happens to be the label of three of my favorite k-pop bands. So yeah. That’s Yesung on the poster. He’s got a really nice voice xD

So, Sunday we had a free day. I got to sleep in (7am is still sleep in in, thank you 14 hour difference) and just hang out for a bit before Alysia and I decided to go out. First we really wanted to visit a puppy cafe so we walked over a neighborhood and found one. Later, on our way back, we realized that their was one a block or two down but oh well. We adventured a bit and I found a GPA thing that actually works in Seoul (Google Maps does not).

(The dogs like jumping onto the tables)

And then we found a kimbap place! I don’t love kimbap (seaweed wrapped rice and eggs and veggies and whatever else they decide to put in it) so I ordered some chicken ramen. We had gone to this place because we heard it had the beef soup Alysia and I had the other day but when we ordered it they were out. The menu then happened to only be in Korean so I got to use my little knowledge (I know the Korean alphabet) to find the words Ramyun and Kimbap and Kimchee and Chicken and then we were set. Turns out, just knowing the alphabet can be helpful.

Finally, we came back to the guesthouse for awhile and hung out until dinner time. Then we went out to Hongdae (neighborhood over form ours) to walk around and see some more night life, maybe shop a little. It was pretty fun! 

I think the college festivals were still going on. Here’s some street performers we walked past. We watched them for awhile. It’s like my kpop dream xD

Also, I bought this skirt! Yay!

So, yesterday we got to see a palace. Junbae, my professor’s foreign exchange student came with his mother to show us around. Unsurprisingly, it was beautiful. We mostly just walked around so I don’t have a whole lot to say about it. Here’s some pictures though.

(Living quarters for the royal family. These were in the center of the palace for understandable reasons.)

We also got to visit a the National Folk Museum and the Contemporary Art Museum. I didn’t really get pictures at either of those but here’s me with my zodiac symbol, the rat.

Most importantly street vendor tteokbokki from the subway station. It’s rice cakes in a spicy sauce (with fish cakes). Nom nom nom.

Alright, as many of you probably now know, I’m adopted from Korea. The adoption agency I was adopted through is call Holt International and the Holt Guest House is actually where we are staying on this trip. On Friday we got the opportunity to volunteer at Holt’s Disability Orphanage, the Ilsan Center.

First things first, some information about the Holts.

Harry and Bertha Holt were a farming couple from Oregon. They had six kids of their own. One boy (the oldest) and five girls. After the Korean war, Dr. Bob Pierce, president of World Vision, was going around the country showing documentaries of the aftermath. He specifically talked about the orphans of South Korea. He showed a documentary of the starving, homeless, and abandoned children that wasn't even the worst of it. It wasn't more than 3 days after hearing Dr. Bob Pierce speak before the Holts and their children were sponsoring a total of 13 children in Korea. 

However, Harry Holt's heart was still heavy for the children he had seen. After a lot of prayer and discussions with his wife, he decided to fly to Korea in hopes of adopting 8 children, 4 girls and 4 boys. Many road blocks stood in his way. His heart was physically weak and he had bad hay fever to worry about, but their greatest problem, United States law only permitted a person to adopt 2 children internationally. Regardless of all these factors, Harry left for South Korea in faith that it would all work out if it was God's plan.

On his way to Korea he had to make a stop in Japan. As he sat in his hotel room that night, still unsure if he could do it, he flipped open his bible. The verse his bible opened up to was just what he needed to hear.

“Fear not: for I am with thee:I will bring thy seed from the east,and gather thee from the west;I will say to the north, Give up;and to the south, Keep not back:bring my sons from far,and my daughters from the ends of the earth” -Isaiah 43:5-6

(The bible Harry used on his way to Korea, opened to Isaiah 43)

I have to admit, I cried the first time I read that verse in relation to the Holts and still tear up a bit when I hear it. It’s the perfect verse that God had for Harry that day, just when he needed it.

Harry went onto Korea and spent quite awhile there. He found his eight children and brought home 4 others as well for other couples. While in Korea he experienced a lot of heart break. He only chose ones to take home for himself that he knew no other would want; the ones too sick and too mixed. Some children he cared for didn’t make it in Korea. Most all of them came to him very sick and he and Ms. Cowan (a World Vision nurse) did all they could to bring their health to the point where they could travel to the United States with him.

(All the different awards Harry received from the Korean government)

During this time, Bertha Holt and her family did all they could in the United States to change the laws and allow the international adoption of more than two children per family. 

When finally the bill was passed and the children in Korea were ready, Harry flew to the United States with 12 children and Ms. Cowan. They arrived safely in Oregon on October 14th, 1955, around 4 months since Harry left. Thanks to the publicity that Harry’s journey received, hundreds of couples were asking what they had to do to adopt a Korean baby. They would get couples flying from across the country to talk to Harry about what it would take. Eventually, Harry left for Korea again to set up a small office in Seoul. A church lent him some property so he could build an orphanage that accepted mixed-babies from all over the country. Meanwhile, one of his daughters set up an office in the Holts’ home and started arranging home investigations for the families that wanted to adopt a baby. The first 18 children to arrive were escort by Dr. Bob Pierce to Los Angeles. Now, after many more years and many more problems and solutions, Holt International is active in 11 different countries with family strengthening, orphan care, or adoption. 

(Pictures of the Holts)

Note: If you want to read all about Harry’s journey, Holt sells a book called a Seed From The East which I highly recommend you read. It is written as told by Bertha Holt. In it there are many of the letters Harry sent to Bertha from Korea. I adapted it into docudrama form for a class last year which is where some of this blog post came from.

Without this couple obeying what God told them to do, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I don’t know where I’d be. I don’t know if I would have been born. Holt International is why I live with a family who loves me, the fact God is Who drove this organization is no surprise.

So, that was a lot about the Holts. Now about the Ilsan Center. This center was built because the Harry needed much more space for the children. It eventually turned into a facility for children with disabilities. Any orphan with disabilities that comes through Holt in Korea now comes to this center until they are either adopted or until they are independent enough to stand on their own, even if that’s never in their life time. 

We got a chance to volunteer in the afternoon after our tour in the morning. I spent my time with a woman who couldn’t speak so the language barrier was even harder. I think she was trying to speak in sign language to me but the little sign language I know is American Sign Language so communicating was more or less impossible. I’m thankful for the little I did know. “Are you okay?”, “It’s okay.”, “I love you”, “Yes”, “No”, “Hello”, “Thank you”... Apparently these phrases are enough when most importantly she just needed a hand to hold. Plus, with just these and her sign language I was able to somehow figure out she needed a tissue so that was pretty good.

The Ilsan center is also where Bertha and Harry Holt are buried. We got a chance to visit their graves.

(The stairs that lead up to their memorials. There’s 59 stairs, one for each year Harry lived. Also, that’s Jon. He was our tour guide.)

(On Harry’s grave Isaiah 43:5-6 and 2 Timothy 4:7 and on Bertha’s grave Proverbs 31)

The home of Molly Holt is also at Ilsan. She still lives there but she’s very old and not in good health. That day she was out at the hospital so we weren’t able to say hi but that’s okay. I got a chance to meet her when I was younger at KAMP.

Alright, still playing some catch up.

On Thursday we got a chance to tour Sookmyung University. This is an all women college in Seoul. It was a really pretty campus and our guides were really nice! She said all the classes are taught in English and apparently there’s a three week summer program (watch out mom and dad, considering this after graduation). 

Then they also have a couple museums: Threads of Splendor and Sookmyung Women's University Museum. 

Threads of Splendor was focused on historical Eastern Asian clothing and accessories. 

(I believe this was a Chinese garment that would’ve been worn by the emperor. It was made from peacock feather thread. This type of garment was worn by either royalty or lawyers)

(There are subtle differences between these to dresses which are unknown to me, however, the one on the left would be worn by a married woman and the one on the right by an unmarried woman. These are Japanese.)

(Another garment worn by Chinese royalty. They wore blue when they were in need of rain)

(This is a woman’s garment. They weren’t allowed to be members of the court, so instead they wore their husbands badge, the square in the center of the vest, on their clothing.)

Sookmyung Women's University Museum was focused on historical Korean women’s clothing, accessories, and other belongings.

(These are hanbok, traditional Korean dresses)

(This would be worn into war. The right sleeve buttons on and off to make it easier to shoot a bow and arrow.)

Following all that, my friends and I went exploring a bit more and found a mall. We met up with a guy one of my friends knew from back home who happened to be here for the semester and got some dinner. All in all it was a very good day.

Also, remember interesting tidbit0? Here’s what I was talking about.

Interesting tidbit? (I’ve already lost count): Their speed limit signs don’t say speed limit on them. It’s just a white circle sign with a red border with a number in the middle.

The further I get into this trip the more I realize there are two disjoint subcategories of tourism. Things that are put on for amusement and things that are opened up to share something with the world. Now don’t get my wrong, you can enjoy learning at the latter, but you shouldn’t treat them like an amusement park.

All day at the DMZ people were disrespecting the history and culture that was being shared with them.

When a tour guide says photos aren’t allowed here, you don’t take pictures.

When a tour guide gives instructions and times, you follow them.

When you’re given a chance to walk around the conference room where the Korean War was put on hold, taking silly photos with the guard is not being respectful of that space. I don’t understand how people can treat the room so lightly. Do they realize where they stand? Do they realize the significance of that room? Do they care? They really should.

I’m not saying don’t take pictures, but maybe you consider the nature of the photographs and sometimes a photo doesn’t need a person. Sometimes the subject says and is enough in its own right. 

So, I got a little behind because I accidentally posted this post on the wrong blog and didn’t realize it so tonight is catch up night. Starting with Wednesday.

We got a chance to tour the DMZ and JSA. For those of you who don’t know, those stand for The Demilitarized Zone and The Joint Security Area. With recent media, a lot of people are more aware of North Korea’s existence right now but what you might not realize is that there’s no national border (in the official sense) between North and South Korea. Instead there is a zone about 8km thick that separates the two countries. 

Another fact a lot of people probably don’t realize is that the Korean War is not actually over. It’s just at a stand still. In 1953, an armistice was signed between the two sides and a cease fire was issued. The DMZ was established and whatever side of the country you happened to be on, you were stuck in. Countless families were separated and have never got to see their loved ones since. 

(This is an alter where South Koreans come to face and honor their ancestors in the North)

The dream of South Korea is unification, bringing the two countries to be one again. They have set up a train station inside the DMZ that they hope will one day connect South Korea to the rest of Europe.

(It reads: Not the last station from the South. But the first station toward the North.)

(Their dream: Trans Eurasian Railroad Network)

(A list of the donors for the train station)

Political Tidbit: A student from Korea told us that the new president is democratic. This concerned him since the democrats here are much less likely to take a hard stance against North Korea.

Something that’s goes along with the DMZ are the tunnels. South Korea has found four different tunnels that North Korea was digging in order to organize an attack against Seoul and they suspect there could be somewhere around ten more. 

On our tour we got to go down the 3rd tunnel which is the closest one to Seoul at 44km away. (That’s less than 30 miles). It was discovered when a North Korean defector made it to across the border to China and then found his way to the protection of South Korea. In their investigations to make sure he wasn’t a spy he told them about this tunnel. When they discovered it and accused the North Koreans of digging it they claimed that it was for coal mining. Interesting note: they rock there is all granite. They painted it black to make it look like coal. This tunnel was wide enough that 30,000 men could make it to the South per hour along with light weaponry. It was 73m or so below ground (21 story building) and for tourists the South Koreans have put in a monorail to go down and see it. We got to walk most of the 435m of the tunnel under on the South side. (Can you all tell I’m a numbers person?)

We also got to go up into an observatory. From there we were able to see over into North Korea the villages inside the DMZ (each side has one). 

Another interesting tidbit from the DMZ is that both sides have put up speakers in order to blast music. It’s not just any old music though, it’s in fact propaganda. 

(This is South Korean propaganda)

Also, did you know that North Korea now requires both men and women to have mandatory military service. For men it is ten years and for women it is seven. For comparison, in South Korea they require two years out of all their men.

And finally, the JSA. The JSA is where the conference rooms are. They are buildings that lie on the Demilitarized Line.  So, yes, I got to step over on to North Korean territory (inside a South Korean building) and yes, they let me back over. 

It used to be that JSA was a neutral zone where both North and South Korean soldiers could roam freely. However, in 1976 there was an Axe Murder incident where the North Koreans attacked South Korean soldiers without being provoked. They axed to death two Korean soldiers. After that, South Korea removed the North Koreans posts on their side of the DML and each country stays on their own side now. 

And here’s the rest of our photos...