Tuesday, February 19, 2007 at 1 o'clock.
We were at Holt Children's Services in Seoul, Korea.
Here we met Ju-seok for the first time.
Waiting for his arrival.
The very first moment.
He's coming in with his foster mom.
Then he cried.
One of those cries when he inhales and is silent for several
moments and you know the huge scream is coming. We have it on video.
His foster mom made a U turn and left the room with him. He was not
interested in us at all. Which made us a little worried. We'd heard
the transition could be tough.
Despite his protests, we each held him for a short time.
Can you see his eye shut so tight as he cries?
No picture of me with him, because my face was red and splotchy as I tried not to cry.
This photo brings me relief every time I look at it.
Paul made him laugh.
And his foster mom is smiling.
He's getting his final physical to approve him healthy to travel.
This is his doctor that he saw each month.
We got to ask her questions and we received his medical file when we left.
Now, this is not the day we received him. We just got to visit him for an hour this day. In 2 days we will return and receive him from his foster mom. She will insist on Paul receiving him, not me. Reuben was taken from my arms, returned to the foster mom, then in a sense of finality, given to Paul. Paul made him laugh, remember.
Our exchange student's parents were with us this day and took us to lunch before our 1 o'clock meeting with Reuben. They treated us to...
...sushi.
The real deal raw fish and fish eggs sushi.
No California Rolls here.
I think the plate and presentation are beautiful.
But, I'm just minutes away from meeting my child for the first time, I'm in a foreign country trying to make sense of everything, my time zones are way off, and now before me is expensive raw animal flesh that I must MUST eat.
I ate it.
And I have eaten it many times since,
in honor of this memory and
the country that has allowed me to love and care for one of their children.
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