The Flight and Arriving in Korea for the First Time

On July 4, 2013 I set off on one of the most amazing adventures of my life. Many adoptive parents have traveled to Korea to pick up their children. Both of my children were escorted to New York City, so I have never had a chance to visit their birth country.

I flew down to John F. Kennedy airport on July 4, 2013. Many of the trip participants were from the NYC area, but a few of us came from other areas of the country. The flight to Korea was at 1 PM, and our group was meeting at 10 AM. I needed to come down the night before to make sure I was on time.

Honestly, I am not much a traveler. On most trips I have relied on my husband to work out the details of navigating and transportation. I was a little nervous to be solo, but I encountered no difficulties. I arrived around 5 PM and was able to take the AirTrain directly to my hotel. I settled in for a night of uninterrupted sleep, take out, and Korean drama.

Since I was nervous, I ended up checking out and going to the JFK Asiana terminal several hours early. I just parked myself and engaged in a lot of people watching. Soon the other trip participants arrived. We chatted and checked in our bags.

The flight was long, but not fully unpleasant. They feed you a lot, so I had several Korean meals and watched some movies. My biggest challenge was being seated in the middle of a row. I am a wiggly person who frequently has to go to the bathroom! The man next to me slept a lot (except when I was waking him up!).  I slept a little bit on the plane, which was helpful later on.

We arrived an Incheon Airport. The airport is nice, clean, and was noticeably quiet. There was not the usual clamor of luggage, feet on the floor, and loud voices. We quickly made our way through customs and were on our way.

We had the first of many excellent meals (although I promise not to talk about the food in every post!). The drive into Seoul was interesting. There is a lot of traffic in Seoul, all the time. As we drove in I noticed that there was a lot of farming areas kind of mixed in with urban areas. In the US farming areas are usually located away from city areas. Here I could see family fields and greenhouse within view of skyscrapers.

On the bus ride we are introduced to the president of InKAS and her daughter. They told an amazing story of the many generations of their family who dedicated themselves to helping children in Korea. I will write more about InKAS later, since I was so amazed at the support they offer adult adoptees who chose to visit or live in Korea.

We arrived a Youngsan Camp. It was called a "camp" but it was more like a hotel or retreat facility. We visited an English language program, run by InKAS volunteers for children from impoverished families. Children who come from economically challenged families, or from families whose parents must work long hours, do not often have a chance to learn much English. The camp is new and, at the current time, the children only attend for one night. They had a performance of the songs they learned (Isty Bitsy Spider, Chicken Dance).

I was pretty tired at this point! Although I could not get wifi, I used my cellular plan to FaceTime Pete. I  wanted to let him know that I arrived and had no difficulties during the trip.

Unfortunately in the morning I battled with a migraine, but it passed quickly. We packed up and were on to our next adventure - the DMZ.