|
I
remember very clearly the photo album my mother compiled after having
picked me up in Korea. I am adopted, and can not remember not being
aware of this. The album shows a diversity of touristy images of
Korea, as well as the first photos of my mother holding me in the
orphanage. This album was for me an integral part of the process
of understanding the concept of being adopted, of having another
mother somewhere else, of having been uprooted from one side of
the planet and replanted on the other. I used to look at it with
my parents, and at some point, being different-looking became natural
to me. I think this has formed me immensely as a person, waking
up every morning thinking I was white pretty much. I have never
really tried to conform because in one sense there wasn't a point.
However, I have always been very conscious of behaving 'well', of
performing over par, to prove myself. I am not yet quite sure how
this relates to being different, but I am sure one day I will find
that it does. I still have that photo album sitting at home, as
a reminder that one day I will want to go back to see the land I
was born out of.
|
