The Road to KSS Trip 2

My fellow escort, T.J. Powell has posted some terrific photos on his Picasa Public Web Album. Not only did he post some great images, but if you go to his website at tjpowell.net, he also used his GPS and had them mapped to Google Earth if you'd like to see things in a lot more detail. Once again, it's a good thing he brought the GPS - and not just for mapping and tagging the photos. We decided to take the bus from Suyu Station to KSS instead of making the 2.5 mile walk . . . carrying the 47 lb. "grow" bag. When the bus took a turn that would definitely not help us get to KSS, T.J. knew almost immediately and we were able to get off the bus and get back on track. We walked the rest of the way . . . now if they can only build a GPS that will tell us where we're at and carry that bag, I'll will be the first in line to buy one! On the positive side, I did get one heck of a workout.

Images From Our Trip, July 2008

I have posted all the photos I took from our trip at:

http://gallery.me.com/overlow

FAC, parents and families: Feel free to browse and download any image for memory books, scrapbooks, etc. All photos should have plenty of resolution. However if you need the full size image, please feel free to email me.

Any commercial use or reproduction is prohibited without consent.
All photos are © Copyright 2008 Mark Overlow

I've received questions, etc. about escorting and the trip in general so I'll be posting some of the images with commentary a little later.

Home Sweet Home . . . Gotcha Day!

We all made it home safe and sound. The boys (all four of us!) we beat tired, but in good spirits. Landing in Cleveland was different than Detroit, but I still got that same charge coming up the walk way and seeing the excited families . . . it is truly a joyous moment.

I'll post some additional photos after a I get them organized and get a a bit of rest. I am truly blessed that I have been given the opportunity able to bring these children home to their families. Hopefully, there will be more trips in the future.

They boys and I in Narita Airport, Tokyo.

We're in Detroit!

Because we're connecting to Cleveland, they arranged to have some
airport volunteers help us after we cleared customs. We arrived almost
an hour early. Good thing too. Customs took forever - far longer than
either T.J. or myself ever remember. They were such nice ladies,
helping us clean the kids up and give them a bottle etc. We're all
tired, but glad to be home. Next stop - Cleveland and their families!

Here we go!

Here come Skyler and Owen! Leaving Seoul now!

. . . wherever you go.

After we left KSS, we stopped at of all places McDonalds for lunch.
Our thinking was not to take an intestinal chance eating local fare
with the flight being tomorrow. While there, I saw this cute little
guy pleading with his mom for a happy meal toy. (much cooler than our
toys by the way) It just made me chuckle and think of my boys. I have
heard it said that our Korean children have "kimchi" personalities
(spirited). Well, my fellow adoptive parents fear not! I saw lots of
kids at the museum and I can assure you that THEY ALL HAVE KIMCHI
PERSONALITIES! LOL!

Kids are the same . . .

What did you guys do during all that rain?

Well, I am glad you asked. During the short break in the rain, we
toured Changdeokgung Palace. Constructed in 1405, it was the secondary
palace of the Josean Dynasty. Amazing place. The tour ended just
before another lengthy downpour. We waited for the rain to slow down
and took the subway a short distance to the Korean National Museum. We
spent a dry afternoon inside looking at literally thousands of
incredible artifacts and pieces of artwork. Afterward, it was dinner,
and back to the room for some much needed sleep.

Rain, rain go away . . .

I kept checking the weather reports before we left and the forecast
was for rain . . . and more rain . . . and more rain. Well the weather
man actually got it right. It was down pouring when we arrived late
Saturday night. We got a two hour break on Sunday morning. We were
lucky today, the trip to KSS started with light drizzle and then
cleared. The updates for the kids went well and we're all set to meet
the kids tomorrow morning at the airport. We actually met Owen today
at KSS as they were getting him ready to travel. An absolutely
handsome little boy, all bright eyed and bushy tailed. More when we
get to Detroit!

NO WIFI FOR YOU!

I'm writing this from the Iteawon Hotel, knowing that is just going to
sit in the "outbox" until I find a wifi source. I found a several
already, but they were password protected. Even at Starbucks! I tried
to purchase access, but was unsuccessful . . . It was a Korean site.
For all I know, the patrons at Starbucks are enjoying their beverages
with free wifi courtesy of my Mastercard.

Relax Honey - just kidding.

Next Stop: TOKYO!

T.J. are currently on board our 747 waiting patiently for take off in
25 minutes or so. The flight isn't full, so we may be able to stretch
out a bit. If I can find wifi in Tokyo, I'll post in approximately 12
- 13 hours. I'll see you across the international date line on Saturday!

Toyko Subway!!!

These new sub-orbital flights are great! Cleveland to Toyko in 27
minutes. Amazing. Oh, wait. This is Detroit. Sorry.

Off to Detroit!

On the plane, heading for the Motor City.

Toys for Skyler

We're here at Cleveland airport having gone through security, etc.
Skyler's mom sent some toys and pictures for the flight home. They
look like a lot of fun! I can't wait to play with them! Now I just
have to find something for Skyler to do. ;-)

Seoul Bound

Roughly 13 hours from now my traveling companion, T.J. and I will be heading for South Korea. This is the second trip for both of us. We'll be heading for home on Tuesday with our new traveling buddies Owen and Skyler. Because this is going to be a rather whirlwind trip, I am going to attempt to update the blog using only my iPhone rather than carrying the laptop. If all goes well, and public wifi is plentiful, you'll see smaller posts more often. The blog is set for Korean time. Until later!

GOTCHA DAY!

Click on any of the photos in this blog to see them at a larger size.

Mission accomplished I guess you could say, with our little traveling companions home safe and sound with their families. All the kids did great on the long flight back.

Our "Three Little Amigos" waiting in customs. The customs agents knew that families were waiting, and were kind enough to expedited us through.

My little charge with his new family!

I remember the feelings of anticipation and excitement that filled the air when my son came home (see the first blog post). When those doors slid open and he came through carried by his escort along with his traveling companions, there was a jubilant eruption that sounded in the waiting area. Now I have been fortunate enough to feel that same exhilaration a second time. This time around helping in a small way to bring joy to another adoptive family and visiting the country of my son's birth. The entire experience has been a blessing.

Until the next trip . . .

Last post from Korea!

This will be the last post from Korea. We're packing our bags and getting ready to leave early in the morning. We'll be meeting our little guys at the airport nursery and heading off to Tokyo for the first leg of the trip. Then on to Detroit to unite the kids and their forever families. I'll be posting photos from the flight and the arrival in Detroit as my last post.

Seeing KSS and meeting the people there has been a rewarding experience. Having a couple of days to tour and take in my son's birth country was the icing on the cake.

Sunday, March 19th - The Korean War Memorial

I wasn't sure what to expect from the Korean War Memorial. Visiting there was a very moving experience. The people of Korea have experienced more invasion and warfare over 1,000 years, a single space could not hold all the history. The separation between North and South Korea is a sad, heart wrenching event, and based upon the displays seen today, there is a yearning for re-unification . . .

This is a monument called "The Statue of Brothers". It depicts two brothers, the older a South Korean soldier and the younger, a North Korean Soldier meeting in a battlefield, expressing reconciliation, love and forgiveness. I think it aptly captures the feelings of the South Korean people.
Detail of the statue. Click on the image to see at a larger size. I could hardly take my eyes off of it - it was incredibly moving.
The famous "Turtle Ship" - the first armored warship.

There were artifacts from throughout the ages that were amazing to see. A large portion of the museum was dedicated to the Korean War.

Saturday, March 17th

St. Patrick's Day found the three of us heading to Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace. From the front, it's easy to see that it's quite large. What one doesn't expect is the the expansive area the palace grounds cover. One gate and courtyard leads to another, then another, etc. Within these walls are multiple buildings and residencies for the Kings court advisers, the royal guard, etc.



The throne rooms were very open spaces with ornate detailing. Rooms in other buildings had a more earth tone palette, but the common thread was the exquisite ceiling and truss decoration. We spent the entire morning touring the palace and probably could have spent a few hours more. We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and get some of the souvenir shopping done. Speaking of the room . . .

Small, but comfortable. It gets the job done. Now where off to get some shopping done.

Friday Afternoon, March 16th

After we left KSS, we headed back to the subway station by bus and then went to Seoul Tower. We rode the cable car to the base of the tower and then went to the observation deck.

There is no way to aptly describe the view from the tower. Seoul is so densely packed with buildings, the eye has a hard time focusing. In every direction, the horizon is filled with a contrasting mix of mountains and architecture. Apartment buildings fade into the distance, following the natural landscape. It took more than 20 photos to get the entire view in the round. When I get home I'll try to stitch them together. It was breath taking.

After Seoul Tower, we headed toward Namdaemun Market. As we were getting ready to enter the market, the Sungnyemun Gate Watchmen (Pasu) Ceremony was in progress across the street, so we ran over there to catch the end.

I am going to design a t-shirt made that says "I survived the Namdaemun Market!". I have never experienced so many people in such a limited space. It's not just the number of people, but the intense, frenetic pace in which they move. You can find almost anything here, especially clothing and homemade Korean food. Large flattened deep fried squid (the entire squid) on a stick seemed to be today's special. For a first time visitor to Seoul, the market was a bit overwhelming. Amazingly, people actually drove motorcycles and scooters down the center of the crowds shown above - and not slowly. Little old ladies weren't afraid to shove you aside (literally!) to get to the next street vendor extolling his bargains.

Friday, March 26 . . . The Road to KSS

We were scheduled to be at Korean Social Services at 10:00AM on Friday. We took the amazing subway system most of the way. When we got to the end of the line, we showed a cab driver the address to KSS. He had no clue where to take us. Tim had his GPS with him, so we decided to carry the strollers, diaper bags, gifts for the KSS employees and children the rest of the way . . . almost two miles worth. It was interesting walking through the district and seeing things close up.
KSS is tucked back in a gated area and isn't easily seen from the street. When we arrived, we completed updates for three children slated to come home soon. We won't meet the children we are escorting until Monday at the airport.


The nursery is well organized and the babies are well cared for. The physician was there during our visit doing check ups.
All the babies who weren't sleeping seemed very alert, but this little guy looked like he had somethin' to say!

I was privileged to meet Mrs. Lee, my son's foster mother. She has another little boy on the sling on her back.
Here we are leaving KSS, the first part of our mission accomplished. We took the bus back to the subway station thankfully!

Greetings from Seoul, South Korea!

Hello from the Hamilton Hotel! It's around midnight our time on Friday morning. The flight was very long, but there were enough distractions to pass the time. We met a couple of nice people on the flight from Tokyo to Seoul. The girl sitting next to me was kind enough to explain to wrap the seaweed around rice and seafood portion of my dinner. We're unpacking and preparing for our visit to Korean Social Services tomorrow morning to meet our three little traveling companions and get updates on three other little ones. Stay tuned - more pix tomorrow!

Heading toward the customs station in Tokyo.

The cabin screen inside the 747. The planes coordinates, airspeed as well as our position on the globe were periodically displayed. We were about two hours from Tokyo at this point.

The Three Musketeers . . .

. . . or at least that's what our wives are calling us! From the left are Doug, myself and Tim. We're each bringing home one child for three very anxious families. All of us have been on the other side of that U.S. Customs door at the Detroit airport waiting for our sons and daughters. Tim's made a few trips already and I know that all of us are anxious to experience the joy coming from the other side. Only a day and a half before take off!

Nervous and Excited!

February 1, 2005 - Our Gotcha! Day.

Less than a week now before we leave. I find myself both excited and nervous. I've set the time stamp for the Korean time zone on the blog. I hope that I am able to post a lot of images and share the experience of my trip.