Essay On Korean Adoption

At six months, I already moved out of my home country and birth family. Before I knew it, a family located in Burnsville, Minnesota adopted me from South Korea. Being adopted doesn’t cross my mind often seeing as it happened so early in my life. From my first day of school, I have always been different from every other kid. Coming from Neenah, Wisconsin which has a population a little over 25,000 and a tenth of a percent of that being Korean, there are no other Korean adoptees in the city. Even though I hardly notice it every day being adopted has a greater effect on my life than I realize. When people notice I have been adopted, they ask about my family, my ethnicity, and other similar questions. As a quiet and shy person, it is satisfying when I can talk
For one week every year Camp Choson, a camp made for Korean adoptees, takes place. From first through eleventh grade I have attended this camp. During those years at camp, I was able to meet people that share a similar background. Over the course of those ten years there were only about fifty days of camp, but in those days I became closer to them than the majority of my friends. The people at Camp Choson are practically a second family to me. Along with meeting people the camp also taught us about Korean culture. During camp, activities to teach us included Korean dance, drumming, Taekwondo, traditional foods, and learned about traditional and modern Korea. To teach us about modern Korea, the camp brought in a different group of people from Korea each year. The visitors ranged from break dancers to college students. By learning Korean culture I have realized its significance even though I hardly think about it. From attending Camp Choson, I have realized how major my heritage is in my life. Living as an adopted Korean, even unnoticed, is something that will always be my