The End Has Come ...

Pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/megshep09

This Year Around the World…

2008 Beijing Olympics

North Korea threatens the World

The Swine Flu Pandemic

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon died

In Korea …

Yuna Kim tore it up in the Figure Skating World

Dokdo Island’s ownership battle between Korea & Japan

Former Korean president commits suicide

50,000 Won Bill was introduced

In My Life …

Became a proud Korean-American-Adoptee

Developed a relationship with my Korean Family

Can finally say I have true Korean friends

Bottom Line ...

After 378 days and 27 years, my Seoul has is filled with answers and perspective.

안녕하세요 대한민국

Goodbye Korea .. We'll Meet Again!

My Favorites...

Name: Ruby (left)

American Age: 7

Years at ECC: 3

Highlights:

1. She is proud of her “recorder” looking instrument in her hand. She serenaded us in the teachers room

2. While I am teaching a lesson, she’ll feel the urge to come to the front of the room, do the splits…. And go sit back down

3. Her pencil case is a fuzzy lion with red all over its face b/c she puts “lipstick” aka red pencil all over its face during my lesson… oh and the fuzzy lion has an opening in it’s butthole for children to stick the pencils through if they’re too lazy to open the zipper.

4. She tries to use her smile to avoid answering questions but I’m not phased by her cuteness ... most of the time

5. She’s really good at air jumping rope in place

Name: Alice (right)

American Age: 7

Years at ECC: 4

Highlights:

1. She gives me hand massages during class

2. We have snorting wars

3. She has a band aide on her cheek like Nelly because apparently a glue gun attacked her

4. She thinks she’s fat so she jumps rope everyday

5. She checked out a book titled “The Best Teacher Ever” so she could read it and then tell her Korean elementary school teacher how he could be the best.

6. She asked me “Meghan Teacher, why don’t you have blue eyes because you’re American person and American person has blue eyes?” … I said I was Korean and stupidly tried to explain adoption.. then she said “You must’ve studied English a lot because you’re a good speaker”

If they're not at ECC next Tuesday... it's because they're in my suitcase :)

How Many Tears?

With t-minus 10 days left.. I have opened the flood gate and am hoping I wont be a complete mess by the time I leave.. my eyes are already squinty enough and tear filled, poofy eyes wont help my image or my eye sight! But I think it's going to be inevitable...

I had my first goodbye this week with my Korean friend. I cried and it was contagious. Me crying with 2 Koreans and a white girl... doesn't sound like me huh!? They gave me a korean/english book called "Courage," some very Korean stickers and post-it notes, and a pair of really cute earrings. They are so sweet and I told them they were making me "more girly than I ever thought I could be"!

I tried to go to Dr. Fish one last time, but it closed :( It was a sad realization and a sign my time has come to an end.

I just hung out w/ birth father and Ju Hee. Only 1 bottle of soju this time so he was more pleasant. I am going to miss them so much. I held back the tears this time, but our last meeting is going to be a doozie I think..

My last 10 days consist of 4 meetings w/ brother, 2 w/ birth mother, 1 w/ birth father and Ju Hee, 1 w/ Betsy and Gary, 1 w/ my Korean friend Min Jeong, 1 w/ my Korean friend Hye Jin, a theater performance, a work party, a foreigner friends’ party, sad goodbyes, packing, cleaning, and a manicure.

This whole leaving thing is going to be harder than I thought...however, after all the goodbyes I am going to do, I cannot wait to throw out some long awaited "hello's" to my American family and friends.

Side Note: "Meghan Teacher is pretty. Meghan Teacher is pretty and ugly." "Why am I ugly?" "Meghan Teacher hair is pretty but Meghan Teacher is ugly because peach skin is pretty and your skin is DAAARRRKKK." -------- says the 6 year old Korean Boy.

Thank you Korean boy for adding to my already diminishing self-esteem! haha.. and shame on you Korea for instilling such crap into the innocent little minds of your youth!

Soju = The Root of All Evil

Soju = W1,000 green bottle of alcohol and a good friend of my Birth Father’s (and thousands of other Koreans and foreigners).

Friday Night = Getting first hand-experience of what it’s like having an "alcoholic" parent.

Birth father was happy… drinking… saying “I like you very very much” and hugging me which was not a new sight for me. The difference was when he was raising his voice at Ju Hee and her friends and making a scene. He was trying to force beer upon them and making them pour soju shots for him. I guess he was pissed because he found cigarettes in Ju Hee’s room and decided to let everyone in the restaurant know.

Then, he was slowly passing out, dropping food on the floor, and raising his voice again when he got a 2nd wind. I was embarrassed and annoyed. It got worse when he put a piece of meat and some spicy looking vegetable between his chopsticks and put it to my face and said “MOGO (eat).” I said “no too spicy” and he said “MOGO” again and I said no and we went back and forth for a few seconds until he was getting forceful and almost angry. I finally ate what I could out of his chopstick and the rest fell on my pants. I was PISSED!

After dinner, he was stubbling around outside. I ended up walking him home. He bought some random street food, went into a dry cleaner’s store that I don’t think was his usual place, wanted to stop at the store to buy beer and I said no. I steered him home and he wanted me to sleep in the same bed. That didn’t happen. Then he managed to get himself undressed, went to the bathroom, and passed out in his room (at 9:30pm). After he was asleep, I “snuck out” of the house and met back up with Ju Hee.

The night was salvaged by hanging w/ Ju Hee’s friends. We played pool, raced through the alleyways, and were home by 1:30am. Birth Father had no idea where his daughters were… great parenting huh.

In the morning, nothing was said. He made breakfast like nothing was wrong. He drove me home and I asked what he was doing with his friends he was meeting at 2pm and he said with a smile “drink alcohol” …

Now, I can see why my birth mother and brother don’t speak to him. It breaks my heart that my sister has to deal with this alone. I hate that he decides to meet his friends and drink at 2pm on Saturdays and let his 14 (American age) yr old daughter roam around Seoul unattended … and then yell at her for cigarettes and getting bad grades… And that he has been great to me for the last 11 months and this is one of my last memories with him. I still care for him and hope he figures life out and realizes he’s problem is hurting and pushing away those who love him.

If only I could tell him what I really think………………………. But I can’t.