Foster Mothers

I had a question about the foster mothers (family) and thought it would make for a good post.

The foster mothers vary in age but most tend to start fostering when they have teenage children. It's common for them to foster many children over their lifetime. I've heard of women fostering anywhere from 1-25 children over the years. A large portion of the cost of adoption is for the care of our child for his first 8-10mos, which includes the foster family.

The motivation to foster (as far as I can tell) for many of these women is the love of country and love of children. The foster mothers seem to feel a sense of duty that they help give the children of South Korea the best chance for a good life from the beginning, wherever they end up in the world. There is a feeling that they are very much part of Korea and always will be. They realize the importance of foster care over life in an orphanage and take their jobs very seriously.

Not only do these amazing women make daily sacrifices to care for these beautiful babies, they truly love them. Our social worker told us a touching story from the Korea Party. If you recall, there were a few foster mothers that were reuniting with the children they fostered. The reunions happened in the afternoon and in private. During lunch, before the reunion, one of the foster mothers was sitting at a table and looked across the room in a sea of Korean children and instantly recognized an 8-year-old girl that she had fostered. She didn't hestitate and ran up to the girl to give her a big hug. This is a girl she hadn't seen in 8 yrs and last time she did, she was a few months old, and she's probably fostered 8-15 babies since then. That, my friends is LOVE.

We know our baby is being well taken of and loved by a special woman we don't even know, half way around the world. We look forward to meeting her, thanking her, and learning about our baby from her.

Some people have kept in touch with the foster mothers/family over the years. We hope we have that opportunity, but we understand for families that have 1-2 babies a year over many years...it may not be possible.

Let's Learn about Korea on Tuesday-Lesson #9

After last week's heavy lesson, we're gonna lighten it up big time today.

Celebrities
There are many Koreans and Korean-Americans in sports, tv, and movies. Here are a few:

Shin-Soo Choo
Major league baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians. He was born in Pusan, South Korea.

Lindsey Price
Her mother is a Korean adoptee. You may know her from the shows Lipstick Jungle and the original Beverly Hills 90210.

Rain
VERY popular singer, actor and model in SK. He was recently in the movie Speed Racer and is gaining in popularity here in the U.S.
Sandra Oh
Actress best known for her roles in Grey's Anatomy and the movie Sideways. Born in Canada, both her parents are Korean.

Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim

They play Jin and Sun on Lost. He was born in America to Korean parents. She is a very popular actress in Korea.

John Cho

Actor best known for his role as Harold in the movie Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. He was born in Seoul, but grew up in L.A.

Michelle Wie

Professional woman golfer, born in Hawaii to Korean parents.

Margaret Cho

Comedian and actress, born in America to Korean parents.

Click HERE, to see many more Korean Americans you may know.

So, now what?

Now that we're paperwork ready, you may wonder what happens next. We are currently waiting for a referral. I use that term a lot, but I don't know if I ever really explained it. A 'referral' is a baby that our agency calls us with to consider adopting. Once our social worker calls we will go (immediately!!!) to the agency to review the baby's file. In the file will be:

• pictures (!!!)
• Korean name, birthday
• current weight/length
• measurements taken over the past 5 mos (remember the babies cannot be 'referred' before 5mos)
• general information about the birth mother and birth father
• health history of the birth mother and her family (and father, depending on how much is known)
• baby's routine for the past 5 mos
• baby's likes and dislikes
• general description of his personality
• other health information and tests taken

After we've reviewed the file, we'll send our acceptance to Korea. Then there will be more paperwork and more waiting (3-4mos worth) until we can bring that cute little baby home!

We hope to get that call in the next 2-3 months. Stay tuned!

Approved!

We got our I-171H in the mail yesterday, much quicker than we expected. If you recall, this is the federal government's approval for us to adopt from abroad. Now, if you take a little looksy to the timeline on the left, you'll notice the next thing on the list is a referral. At this point, we've done all we can before we find out who our little guy is. On one hand, it feels good to be totally paper ready. On the other, we have nothing else to do but WAIT.

Let's Learn about Korea on Tuesday-Lesson #8

Though North and South Korea are different in terms of government and quality of life, the people in both countries are Korean. Our child will be from South Korea, but it is also important to know about North Korea.

North Korea

The border of the 2 countries is known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ. After World War II, the Korean peninsula was divided by the 38th parallel. North Korea followed a communist ideology similar to the Soviet Union and China. South Korea followed a democratic ideology similar to the United States. On June 25, 1950 North Korea crossed the 38th parallel to move into South Korea to gain control of the Korean peninsula and spread communisim, thus starting the Korean War. Ceasefire was called on July 27, 1953 and the border became known as the DMZ. Tensions still exist between the two countries and the border is still heavily armed. Just this week the ongoing threat and tension was in the news .

Today, North Korea is ruled by Kim Jong-il in a self-described Juche (self-reliant) state. North Korea has the 4th largest military in the world and is often in the news for it's threat of nuclear power. North Korea has come under international criticism from human rights groups for it's oppressive regime. North Koreans are very restricted including: lack of food, government controlled media, no international news, no freedom of expression and no freedom to leave the country. If people don't follow these laws, they may be put in concentration camps or executed.

Where South Korea is a free country, North Korea is quite the opposite.

As with all my lessons, this is a brief snap-shot. Obviously this is a much bigger topic that can be a bit tricky to fully cover. Click on the following links for more information:
The Korean War

DMZ

Human Rights

North Korea

8 Months In...

Today marks 8 months since we signed up to adopt from South Korea. 8 months waiting for our first child, whoever they may be. The process has had its ups and downs, but mostly ups. The first 7 months were fairly easy...everything was so far off. But as it gets closer to knowing who our child is, the wait is getting pretty difficult. Mostly, because we don't know when the wait will be over. As each day passes though, we do feel more prepared and at ease.
Of course, we are anxious to see and learn about our child. But, we feel very relaxed and at peace and have faith that our child is waiting for us too...even if s/he doesn't know it!!

Fingerprinting

We had our 2nd round of fingerprints taken yesterday at USCIS. The first round, back in June was for the state of Illinois to do a background check on us. The fingerprints yesterday are for Homeland Security to do a background check. After they check us out and it's determined that we're not terrorists or have other shady dealings, we should get our I-171H. This basically is approval on a federal level for us to adopt a child from abroad. We hope to get it by March 1.

Let's Learn about Korea on Tuesday-Lesson #7

South Korea is a wealthy, developed country. At the heart of SK is the capital, Seoul, which is- you guessed it-today's lesson.

Seoul
Let's start with a gorgeous, night-time photo:

Ten million people live in Seoul, making it one of the largest cities in the world (Chicago has 3mil, and NYC has 8mil). Seoul is the chief economic, political and cultural center of SK. Some popular sites include the Gyeongbokgung palace and the National Folk Museum, the Seoul Tower, and various shopping districts (all of which will be probably be future lessons).

Eastern, the adoption agency in Korea, is located in Seoul. So when I say we'll be traveling to Korea to pick up our child...we'll be going to Seoul. Not only can we not wait to meet our child there, we're so excited to have the opportunity to travel to such a vibrant, world-class city.

Lovin' the Letter T

Last week was an active bloggin' week, but this week has been a bit slow. To spice it up again, I'm joining my waiting buddy Rachel in a fun game. Here's the deal:

If you want to play, leave a comment on this post letting me know, and I’ll assign you a letter. You write about 10 things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on!

Rachel gave me the letter T:
Tuesdays: I love writing my Tuesday lessons on Korea. It's fun to think of topics, research the info, find pictures, and write the short paragraph. It helps me to learn and hopefully keeps your interest.
TV: I know it's not always a popular thing to say...but I do. Some of my favorite current shows are : Mad Men, 30 Rock, Lost, Psych, Top Chef, Jon & Kate, How I Met Your Mother and Dexter. Recently I've been searching Direct TV on adoption and Korea and have run across some pretty interesting shows. See, it can be educational!
Trucking: The trucking business has been very good to me and Dave. It's how we met and both make a living. For the past 13 years, and my only job, I've loved talking to drivers, dispatchers, moving loads and making great friends.
The White Sox: I'm a die-hard fan: I holler from the stands, wear all the gear, listen and watch games, pay attention to trades, know how many games out of first they are, go to opening day, etc. I got that from my dad, and was lucky enough to marry into a Sox family to boot. The 2005 World Series was seriously one of the best moments of my life.
Tea: I love drinking a cup of hot tea on a winter night. It's a great way to end the evening and relax. I've been buying Korean tea lately. Korean tea can be leaves in bags, powdered, or like jelly. My favorite is the jelly type with lemon and honey. You just put it in the hot water and it dissolves.
Tomatoes: Dave grows them every year, and there is nothing like fresh, garden-grown tomatoes. Tomato sandwiches are one of my faves: fresh tomatoes, mayo on challah. Yum!
Tivoli: Tivoli is an amusement park in the middle of Copenhagen, Denmark. I spent a semester there my junior year at U of I and absolutely fell in love with the country. I adored the family I lived with and still keep in touch with them. My host sister is a Korean adoptee, coincidentally. Tivoli Gardens is a wonderful, magical place that you can enjoy at any age.
Travel: Along those lines...I love to travel. Being transported to another part of the world or country and learning about what makes a place special and unique is thrilling to me. I collect postcards and have a very large collection on display that I cherish.
Tunes: I love to hear a good tune on the radio, in the store, in a movie, etc. Music has an amazing power to lift your spirits, let out a cry, make you nostalgic, get you moving or give you a smile. My mom's family is chocked-full of musicians and I so admire their talent. I'm glad appreciation of music has rubbed off on me.

Last but certainly not least....

Time with Family and Friends: We have such a large network of friends and family that truly enrich my life every day. Whether I'm chatting with a friend, or hanging out a family party...I'm beaming. Talking or being with my loved ones is an automatic mood enhancer!

If you'd like a letter, post away in the comments. Even if you don't have a blog, maybe you'd like one just for fun. I'm an equal opportunity letter giver!

Let's Learn about Korea on Tuesday-Lesson # 6

Happy New Year class!! You may say "but Teach, New Years was a few weeks ago." That was the solar new year. On January 26 this year, Koreans celebrate the lunar new year.

Korean New Year
Korean New Year (Seol/Sol/Seol-ral) is celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar, which this year falls on Monday, January 26. It is one of the most important holidays in Korea and lasts 3 days. People wear their hanboks and spend time with family. Children pay respects to their elders by doing a deep traditional bow, the practice is known as sebae. Parents and grandparents then reward their children with crisp new money. Many people also play traditional games.

Korean New Year is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year and does follow the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese zodiac is a 12 year cycle, with each year represented by an animal. Each animal has different personality traits and characteristics. A person is said to have the traits of the animal associated with the year they are born. This year is the year of the OX. Some of the traits associated with the OX are dependable, calm, ambitious, steady, modest, and logical. Dave and I were born in the year of the Tiger. To find out what your sign is, click here.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year! See ya next week...