Sometimes it takes years to grasp what has happened to your life. ~~Wilma Rudolph

Well, we are back! The trip that we planned for, saved for, and prayed for is over. But the effects of this trip will be processed by all of us in many different ways and different stages. Now as I pray, there are faces to the people I pray for...I like that.
If we had to measure the value of the trip today I would say that it was very good for many of the adopted persons and extremely valuable for their parents. As parents it gave us a glimpse into the heritage of our children, a sense of being a minority (it's weird to be the one stared at, whispered about), and insight into the process that our kids must go through to figure out their identity. Many of the parents would talk about how this was "their child's journey." I reminded them that they really couldn't separate themselves and it was their journey also. Many of our children had had to make family trees in school and they chose (maybe because their was no choice) to use the family history of their adopted family. It truly is their heritage. So too, the heritage of our children is completely our heritage. I will be forever connected to Korea and it's people. For the kids, the journey really has just begun as they sort out all of the experiences and emotions they encountered on the trip. I pray that this trip will have a settling effect on most of them, making them proud of the heritage and people they came from.

Some of the things I will miss about Korea:

• hotel rooms with doorbells
• motion lights for everywhere, in closets, at homes...Koreans are very concerned about saving energy and it was so cool to see some of the ideas that really make sense. (And I'd never have to bug Austin about turning out lights again!)
• the efficiency of Korea. They seem to really think things through when it comes to making things go smoothly.
  
• The respect the Koreans give their elders. Even in the smallest of ways, such as waiting to eat until the oldest person gets served and begins to eat, Koreans show their high regard to those who are oldest.
• the BLUE BUS!! This is the bus that I was "bus leader" for and we really connected. The families were special and we had a lot of fun together. We especially loved our Karaoke!
• Chopsticks! We ate every meal with chopsticks and spoons. No forks or knives. Cutting is done with the chopsticks.

Some of the things I won't miss about Korea:

• Chopsticks! I did miss the ease of forks and knives!
• The humidity...believe it or not it's even worse than here. Even when it is cooler out (i.e.-- 75 degrees) the humidity is still very high.
• Different social customs...knowing what is appropriate and what's not. For example, even handing money to a sales clerk with your left hand is considered rude but banging into people as you are walking in a crowd is common and never even considered rude. No one ever says "Excuse me" for something like bumping into you.
• Eating the same type of food at every meal. Veggies, rice, and fish are breakfast foods as well as lunch and dinner.
  

I will miss a lot of things, and yet I am glad to be home and in my comfort zone again. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this blog. It meant a lot to me to be supported and prayed for me while I was gone. God really did bless me and the families that I got to work with and I know it's because I had a terrific support group.

This is my last blog on the Korea 2006 trip!
Peg