Going Home for my 1st Chuseok

I am sitting at Express Bus Terminal having hot soup and rice for breakfast (cheonggukjang and bap) and thinking about my life in Korea.

I came here 6 years ago because I wanted to learn about Korean Culture and to find my Mother (Omma).

As many of you know I am adopted but I first lived here for the first 5 years of my life- the first few were spent with my mother and then I lived with my father and stepmother for about 1 year. Then I was sent to an orphanage and later adopted by my parents in America.

When I came back, I was able to accomplish what I came here to do. I found my mother and we have a great relationship. I have been able to learn about Korea and I have come to love it dearly. But today, I am scared.I will be going to my mother's house for Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) for the first time and I will be meeting her husband and his children ( I am my mother's only child. She married late in life.)

It will be the first time for us to formally meet and I hope I will make a good impression. I have gifts for the family and money for my mother (which is a typical offering in Korea). I wonder if I should have brought more. Also, I don't know the type of city her family lives or even if it is in the country.

All I can do is tell myself to relax and take in the experience.

Have a Happy Chuseok everyone!
행복한 추석 되세요
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Location:Banpo-dong,Seoul,South Korea