The journey of an adoptive mother's heart; the journey to understanding. Our first trip to South Korea, our son's first trip back. "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand" - Confuscius.



Adopting our son from South Korea changed our lives forever. We became a family, an international family, and embarked on a journey of discovery. Between baseball, basketball, scouting, church, and school there was Korean culture camp, Korean books, cooking, celebrations and friends.



This summer we visited South Korea. We spent two weeks in Jindo at the Namdo Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts. We studied traditional Korean instruments, dance, and language. We ate traditional foods. We were welcomed in a Buddhist temple and visited a green tea farm, a salt farm, a ship building yard and a steel mill. As we were immersed in the richness of Korean culture and the beauty of the country we were once again transformed.



We spent four days in Seoul, a big, modern city. Not unlike many other big cities in the world, its distinct culture is diluted by the blend of many other cultures, apparent in the food, dress, and design. As tourists we shopped the markets and visited the sites, seeing the contrast of old and new.



It is possible to visit a land, but never see it

...never taste its flavors,

...never inhale its fragrances,

...never hear its heartbeat,

...never feel its passions,

...never experience its life.

In Seoul we are tourists,

but in Jindo ...we are family.