Incheon

I will be leaving for Korea from John F. Kennedy airport. The flight will be about 14 hours. I am not much a traveler, so this is all going to be new to me! We will be flying into Incheon in South Korea. At this time of year, Korea is 13 hours ahead of us.

In one of my travel books Incheon is called "Korea's transportation hub." It is 25 miles west of Seoul. It is a located on a harbor and is Korea's 4th largest city. It is important for shipping and air travel. The airport is actually located on a small offshore island. Construction on the airport started in 1992. Near the airport is an international business center with luxury hotels and high-rise office buildings. The site of Incheon is also famous for the role it played in the Korean War (General MacArthur landed US troops there, which was a turning point in the war). Older parts of Incheon offer shopping, inns, and fresh seafood. Incheon also has Korea's only official "China Town.'

I don't yet know if I will be spending any significant amount of time in Incheon. The first thing we will be doing is a 3 night home stay with a Korean family. I do not know where I will be staying. My guess is that we will be traveling onto Seoul, but I am not sure.

In a couple of weeks my husband and I will be traveling to New Jersey for a fundraising dinner for Sejong Cultural Education. I am hoping at that time to learn more about the trip and meet some of the other people I will be traveling with.

My life has taken me in directions I never expected. If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be planning a trip to Korea this summer, I would have told you that you are crazy. Totally insane.

My husband and I struggled with infertility for over 4 years. For us, international adoption was a good fit. We thought we learned a lot about the process and the issues related to transracial adoption prior to welcoming our children into our lives. As my husband and I have continued to educate ourselves, we have come to understand that the social and cultural aspects of transracial adoption go well beyond what we initially learned about. While adoption has brought us much joy, we have learned that there are also elements of pain, loss, and grief associated with it.

I am a school psychologist in a large suburban high school. The school I work in is largely homogeneous in terms of race and socio-economic status. My own parenting experiences have prompted me to look closer at how we, as an educational community, include those students who are "different." How do we address issues of race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, or socio-economic differences? Is our school climate accepting of those who are different? Outside of school, I am active with a local adoption support group called Love the Children of Rochester (LTCR).

In July 2013 I will be traveling to Korea. I am very, very grateful to have been granted an educator's scholarship through Sejong Korean American Cultural Education, Inc. (in collaboration with the Grace and Mercy Foundation). Through this trip educators learn about the history and modern culture of South Korea. There is the expectation that when I return I will use what I have learned to educate others.

In order to prepare for the trip, I am planning on researching the areas I will be visiting. I am hoping this background knowledge will allow me to make the most of the experience. In addition, I hope to continue learning about ways to address the issues associated with race, culture, and adoption that I encounter in my personal and professional life. This plan is ambitious, given the fact that I constantly struggle with the exhaustion that comes from working full-time and raising two young children! I am going to do my best, though, since I feel it will be a valuable learning experience for me. I understand that this blog won't have a large readership, but I am hoping that a few people will enjoy learning along with me.

Trip Itinerary

Arrive in Incheon International Airport

3 night home stay

Sight seeing in Seoul

Visit adoption agencies

School visits

Korean folk village

Jeju Island

Visit Jeju Disabled Children's Home

Visit Hongik Child Welfare Center

Tour Gwangju City

Program with Jeon Nam University students

Visit Song Gwang Sa Temple in Soon Chun City

Visit 5/18 Memorial Museum

Tour Kyoungju City/Pohwang/Daegu

Visit industrial site

Tour DMZ

Korean musical show

Visit Royal Palace/watch Guard Exchange Ceremony