the gleasons come to korea
Ever since the beginning of this search I knew that my parents should be involved. When I was 19, I remember sitting in the office of my small college home trying to wrap my head around this massive undertaking. I knew that searching was possible, but I also knew there was a lot of red tape, bureaucratic procedures, foreign government involvement and a huge language hurdle. I was young and self aware, I knew that I would need to work to make this happen, learn more of the language, and enlist as much help in the process.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I knew I wanted to be established on my own two feet before I began the search. I knew that I wanted to have a life and a career that was prosperous, yet reverent. I wanted to be able to communicate with my parent(s) that their decision to give me up did not go wasted. This proved to be a lengthier process than anticipated.
My adoptive parents had their own reasons for adoption. In short, they were very thankful for the opportunity to have a child, and were also aware of the immeasurable sacrifice my biological mother had made. I had come to visit Korea at age 22 for a few weeks and my host family had offered to help me start the search process. Jaehoon’s father was enlivened by my situation and wanted to start the next day. He made it sound so simple. I was afraid of succeeding while I was on vacation, and much worse, having to meet my mother without my biological parents accompanying me. I knew that this moment would be significant for them as well, so I politely declined his father’s offer, and put the search out of mind (for several years).
I hope I haven’t lost your interest yet. Fast forward to last year, the Army decides to put me in Korea for a year and gives me a solid opportunity to do this. I’m 20 at this point and have been “waiting to start” for a decade. There is never going to be a perfect time, so I just dove in with whatever preparation I had. I spoke better Hangul at 22 than I do now, but now I feel more prepared. I have a clarity about my life and upbringing that keeps me balanced and pushing forward no matter what may come.
So just last month my parents booked their first flight to Korea. They’re no strangers to international travel, but I think part of them was waiting for these stars to align as well. I’m married, living with my wife in Korea, and we have the ability to take our time. The only setback is my mother never reached out. Instead I took them on a weeklong tour. We started in Seoul, and I tossed them into the deep end of Korean culture. Every meal I tried to show them something different; pickled foods, fermented foods, cold soups, pig parts, roots, and mushrooms. Apryl showed my parents around Camp Humphreys and my military-history-buff father got to see the 2ID museum as well as a live flight line that had planes, helicopters, drones, etc. coming in and out every day.
This long entry winds up back in Jecheon. The weather was great, the trees were green, and the weather had just begun to cool off from the Summer heat. We took the cable car to the top of the island, and ate whole fish. Taking my parents to my birthplace was a treat. It was a place they had never connected with to this extent. They only knew the province I had come from, but the name of the town escaped them. To them I think it was just another confusing name in a stack of documents.
When we arrived to Jecheon, we walked unexpectedly into a street festival. One covered street was lined with tables, and they were all full of local people drinking beer and eating. When we walked up there was an old ajumma on stage in her cooking apron singing a song, and she was followed by the old-lady samulnori ensemble. The whole thing felt like a fever dream.
Accidentally booked all four of us in a sex-hotel. Our room was vaguely bondage themed, but in a way that was innocent to a casual observer. My parents had this lavish, over-the-top room that looked like Santorini in the charming manner that only a sex-hotel could provide. At least we knew the room was clean.
I’ll put up some more photos when I get through the film.
