Where to start?

Hello Everyone,

So I have spent the last day trying to figure out how to begin this self-centered story.  A blog is all about yourself, so it should be fairly easy to come up with topics, but why do I spend hours typing and erasing?  Since I have started school and spent the last 13 months finding out how screwed up I am, along with everyone else, it's been easier to pinpoint the root of my anxieties and fears.  Except jazz hands (typing it even makes me cringe), I still haven't figured out why that freaks the shit out of me.

Okay, so I have decided to start out by letting you know all I know about the first 660 days of my life.  I'll be giving you the information verbatim from the paperwork that came with me at the time of my adoption. This information is from the Social Welfare Society, Inc. located in Seoul, South Korea.

I. Identity Information


Name of Child: Dong Hyeok AN 
Sex: Male
Race: Korean
Date of Birth: September 7, 1977 (Presumed)
Place of Birth: Unknown
Present Address: Foster Home in Dae-Goo
Natural Parents: Unknown
Custodian: Social Welfare Society, Inc.
Case Number: 78-1364/WMH


II. Sourced of Information and Dates


Dec. 7, 1978: 
Our agency tool over the child from Ahn Dong City Hall and placed the child at a foster home in Dae-Goo.  The child weighed 9kg and had a bad cold.


Dec. 9, 1978:
Our worker visited the foster home, and because of the bad cold, the child was treated at a hospital.


Dec. 18, 1978:
The child had a medical test at Dr. Song's Hospital for children, and it showed normal.


Jan. 4. 1979:
The worker visited the foster home and the child looked healthy.


Jan. 18, 1979:
The worker visited the foster home to have an interview with the foster mother, and the child could walk a little.


III. Background Information


According to the child's information obtained from Ahn Dong City Hall in Ahn Dong City of Kyung Book Province, the child's natural mother was found in front of the gate of an orphanage home, and at that time she was wandering near the home, and then she disappeared, leaving the child alone.  Immediately the child was under the care of the Home, and they tried to locate the child's natural mother, but in vain.  Finally the child was brought to us for love and care, and our branch office took over the child from them by the request of the city hall.  Nothing is therefore known concerning the child's family background.  His name and date of birth were given from our worker.  His name means Dong-east, Hyeok-brightness and AN-family name.


IV. Foster Home  


The foster home, by whom the child is well cared for at present, consists of 5; foster mother age 50 who is healthy and diligent, her son aged 34 who is a merchant, daughter-in-law aged 30 who is a housewife, and grandsons age 3 and 1.  Foster mother's husband died at the time of Korean War of 1950 and this family has received relief fund since.  Foster mother's son set up a branch family in the neighborhood and often visits to see foster mother.  A married daughter of foster mother, 31, lives in the same apartment area and helps foster mother to care for child of our agency in many ways.  This family is all healthy and cheerful and faithful.  Foster mother lives in the small apartment which has two rooms, kitchen, floor and the other.  This home is suitable for child to be cared for.  It is clean and quiet always.


V. The Child


Physical Appearance:


He has a round face, broad forehead, flat back of head, medium eyes with single eyelid, medium mouth and nose, big ears, thin, short hair with brown, and has a small scar of 1.5 C, in diameter on his left forehead.  He has well-shaped forehead and normal complexion.  He has 6 upper teeth and 6 lower teeth.  He looks gentle and cute.


Health Condition:


When the child was placed at his foster home, he was suffering from a bad cold.  After treatment, he recovered from it completely.  He is growing well with good digestion and taste.  His medical test showed normal and he was inoculated against several diseases.  Enclosed you will find his medical report.


Personality and Habits:


His main food is boiled rice, and daily he takes his snack three times.  He likes to drink a cup of milk for his snack and he also eats rice soup and noodles, biscuits and fruit with good digestion and taste.  Especially he likes candies best.  He falls asleep at 10 p.m. and he gets up at 4 in the morning.  In the day time, he does not take a nap.  He sleeps deeply.  He makes his bowel movement once a day and uses his diaper.  He cannot distinguish his excreta, so often he enjoys playing with his own dung.  He mutters to himself and he cannot speak any words yet, but he can understand a little what one says.  He can point to his nose, mouth and nose with his own finger and he can play a baby's hand-clapping game.  And he can also walk a little with the help of the foster mother.  He fixes his eyes to other's eyes and he sees them twisting his nose with a smile.  When he takes a bath, he likes dabbing in the water, and he also likes playing with a toy car.  He is gentle, but he is stubborn.  When he is angry, he cries bitterly.


VI. Worker's Comment


As a foundling, this child has never known the blessings of a normal family life.  He is growing well under the good care of the foster mother.  He needs warm love and proper care in the future.  I hope that he will be soon adopted by a good adoptive family.


Mrs. Myung Hee WON
Case Worker
Child Welfare Dept.


Translated by:
Mr. Byung Ha CHANG

Well, now we are all on the same page about what we know of the first 660 days of my life.  There were no other records or documentation talking about the initial steps of my adoption. So there is an additional gap of about 5 months.

I'm tired and don;t feel like typing anymore.  In the next blog I'll talk about the moment my outlook on life changed, and why my childhood could help a complete stranger.

Until next time: Show a kind heart to everyone, because you just don't know their story.
Mikey