all accounted four (with a little extra)

one of the most difficult things about any adoption journey is lack of information...be it about when you'll get a referral, how long it will be until you can hold your child, how all the paperwork is being processed, how your child is growing and being cared for, your child's birth parents and their life and circumstances, or your child's family medical history.

way back in may of 2010 we were presented a gift...the possibility of the opportunity to learn, firsthand, more about where leo's life began. WOW!! (click to read) aptly describes what we were feeling at the time. and WOW!! still seems appropriate today. we were given such a wonderful gift - the chance to travel to the city leo was born...to talk to the people who cared for leo's birth mom...to see where she lived...and to gain further insight into the culture and way of life of leo's birth families. when we realized that we could actually do this, it was like a dream come true. and, today it still feels like an amazing gift. we are so glad we ventured out of seoul to see the place...the actual place...where leo's life began. it's huge for us...and, i know it will be huge for leo when he's older.

despite how happy we are with having gone to busan, the trip down there was not exactly what we had planned. last minute changes had us travel down there the same day we met leo - our first day in korea. we would have liked to have been more prepared for the meeting (in terms of prepared questions, activities to entertain drew, and in hindsight, should have hired a translator). and, we would have liked more time there to check out the infamous beaches, the aquarium, and other shopping districts and markets. but, in the end, all that really matters is that we got to explore more of leo's story. what we did see and hear, we loved. and, cannot wait to go back.

[i just pray to god that our lack of preparation, jet-laggedness (if that's a word), and wild child did not put a big stop on allowing other families after us the opportunity to travel to 'mo sung won'. i hope they liked us. i hope they understood that we were there because we care...really care...about leo and his birth mom. i hope they know that the time we spent with them was absolutely priceless to us. i hope that know how grateful we are.]

from the three & counting blog, 9/2/2010:

Korea: Day One - the day we met Leo (part 2)

After we said goodbye to Leo and his Foster Mom, it was time for us to continue our Korean adventure.

Chapter 3 - Busan, back to the beginning
We learned from the agency staff that Busan was not affect by the typhoon and that our trip there could continue. Up until the night before we left home, we thought we'd be going to Busan on Friday the 3rd and be able to spend the entire day there. Plans changed. We'd take the 11:40am fast train out of Seoul Station and arrive in Busan at 2:20pm. At 3:00pm, staff from 'Mo Sung Won' would pick us up and take us to the campus that Leo's birth-mom stayed at and delivered Leo. And, we'd head back to Seoul that evening in time to be back to our hotel around 10pm.

We got to Seoul Station, got our tickets and enjoyed a delicious lunch of New York hot dogs (Damon's at least had bulgogi on it) and strawberry smoothies while waiting for our train to depart. It was Drew's first train ride and it was obvious he was very excited. He talked really loud and could hardly sit still. Trains are not like planes. Traveling on a train is like sitting in the quietest library you can imagine. Drew's loudness stressed me out. I so did not want to be the loud and rude Americans with a bratty kid. I so wanted him to nap so that the odds would be in our favor that he'd be good and patient at 'Mo Sung Won'. He did not nap.

Other than Drew really just being a kid and most likely annoying the other passengers, we really enjoyed the trip down to Busan. Seeing the some of the Korean countryside drew me even closer to this beautiful country. With the mountains and green vegetation, Damon even commented that it reminded him of Hawaii. I totally agree.

Busan is the 4th largest port city in the world. The city is built into the mountains. We loved it instantly. The city kinda reminded us of a huge, European-like, warm climate Duluth. Or, something like that. We had a bit of time to spare before being met to go to 'Mo Sung Won' so we just hung out at the big fountain by the train station. While hanging out there Drew drew the attention of many older Koreans...smiles, pats on the head, and high fives. He was a good sport about it all and suddenly my own annoyance with his behavior on the train disappeared.

At 3:00pm we were picked up and taken to 'Mo Sung Won' by the director and her intern, who kindly translated for us. Her English was a million times better than my Korean, but often it was still difficult and we were lost in translation. We were told before we left home that we'd get to meet some staff and get a tour of the campus. (The campus was HUGE! Not only is 'Mo Sung Won' a mother's home, but it is a full service social welfare organization with schools, housing, hospital, etc. It was an impressive sight tucked up in the mountain side.) Well, as you can guess, things did not go as we thought. We were taken to a hot and humid small room with a table and six chairs and not much of anything else. The director, her intern and the head nun (Sister Monica) were basically just there to answer any questions we had. Oh how I wish I had prepared some questions!!! And, Drew. He was not a happy camper...not much sleep in 2 days...in a hot room with no toys...whining, pouting, pushing the roller chair around the room. It was a sight to see. I thougt for sure they were going to call Seoul and put a stop to our adoption due to our obvious poor parenting skills. I tried to be funny - "I have no idea how I am going to handle two boys....please pray for me!" (Sister Monica just rolled laughing...that means she'll pray, right?). And, I explained our recent travels of basically a 24 hour travel day for Drew with no sleep. We talked for about 45 minutes. And then Sister Monica offered to show us the room Leo's birth mom had stayed in. We went upstairs and took a few pictures and then headed down stairs to leave. It was a short visit - but an important one for us. We have the beginning of Leo's story...even if it's not the specifics of his birth mom and situation...and that will go miles in helping Leo understand who he is and where he comes from when he's older.

Since we didn't have too much time before heading back to Seoul, our tourist options were limited. But, the staff recommended that we go to Busan Tower and the infamous fish market. So, that's exactly what we did. Those two places gave us a wonderful insight into the city and its people.

As soon as we started up the path to Busan tower I put Drew into the carrier - it was more than obvious that he was way beyond tired. He fell asleep almost instantly...and that gave Damon and I a few hours for a "date" with Drew strapped to my back. We loved exploring a little part of Leo's birth city...it was a great way to spend the day after just meeting him.

(Drew slept...and slept...and slept. He does not remember much of Busan, the train ride home from Busan, or the taxi ride to our hotel. And he continued to sleep for about a total of 10 hours. Wish I could get 10 hours these days!!)

So...here is Busan...through our eyes...we hope we captured it well...enjoy!