~Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother~ Oprah Winfrey
I see my beloved chiro on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays for about a half an hour over lunch for adjustments related to the car accident. A couple of Wednesdays ago, I went to her office with my new favorite look; messy, wavy hair. I've been straightening my hair for years, but I've gotten lazy and bored with it, so now my style preference is bathing the previous night and sleeping on it. I add product in the morning and then I'm done. I'm embracing the bohemian; I care, but I don't care trend which is perfect for this upcoming summer.
My hair was stick straight when I was young, but became wavier as I grew older. When I entered my chiro's office that day, she commented on my wavy hair. She said that her hair is the same as mine when she doesn't straighten it. "Hmmm," she said as if she were hesitant to tell me something. "Um, you're mixed," she said. Like a lot of things, it took me a moment to process. "Mixed?!" I finally responded. I forgot that she had mentioned in the past that she's half white and half Korean. I've been telling people all these years that I'm a purebred; 100% Korean. I just assumed that when it said in the paperwork that my parents were young and unmarried that they were both Korean. However, it never stated race. I imagine there weren't many white gals traveling around Korea at the time, so this was very interesting new insight as I had never before entertained the idea that my birth father may be white.
My chiro said that many babies of mixed race were abandoned because in that culture, especially in the 70's, mixed babies were considered nothing. This could be the reason my birth mother had to give me up for adoption because I would have brought shame to my family. If my father had been Korean, I imagine they could have gotten married. My mother obviously would have known that I might not have a good life or opportunities living in Korea. Being of mixed race, I probably could not have received a good education and may have ended up as a prostitute or a victim of human trafficking in order to survive.
In recent years, I've noticed that my body type doesn't look like many Korean gals who usually have slender frames. I have a medium frame with a bootie and breasts. I asked my chiro if there were tests to determine race. She laughed and said that dogs can give saliva samples to determine various breeds. Great, I can go to the vet! I told my therapist the news later that day and she informed me that her fiance is a geneticist. I love how things connect in life that point you to the next big adventure. My slumlord also alerted me to the National Geographic Genographic project which I still need to research, but I believe you send them a saliva sample and they'll trace your lineage for a hundred bucks. I plan to participate in the near future to determine if indeed, I'm a mutt.
Of course, my imagination romanticizes my birth parents' encounter and fantasizes about their lives. My daddy could be living in the States. Maybe he was a GI. There was a large presence in Korea at that time. Maybe my mom never told him that she was preggers and he doesn't even know that I exist. Maybe he's Bill Gates! Hmmm, he has kind of a slender frame though; no butt or boobs. I wonder what pieces of the puzzle my birth parents hold. Someday, I'd like to find them both. That's another dream.
I see my beloved chiro on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays for about a half an hour over lunch for adjustments related to the car accident. A couple of Wednesdays ago, I went to her office with my new favorite look; messy, wavy hair. I've been straightening my hair for years, but I've gotten lazy and bored with it, so now my style preference is bathing the previous night and sleeping on it. I add product in the morning and then I'm done. I'm embracing the bohemian; I care, but I don't care trend which is perfect for this upcoming summer.
My hair was stick straight when I was young, but became wavier as I grew older. When I entered my chiro's office that day, she commented on my wavy hair. She said that her hair is the same as mine when she doesn't straighten it. "Hmmm," she said as if she were hesitant to tell me something. "Um, you're mixed," she said. Like a lot of things, it took me a moment to process. "Mixed?!" I finally responded. I forgot that she had mentioned in the past that she's half white and half Korean. I've been telling people all these years that I'm a purebred; 100% Korean. I just assumed that when it said in the paperwork that my parents were young and unmarried that they were both Korean. However, it never stated race. I imagine there weren't many white gals traveling around Korea at the time, so this was very interesting new insight as I had never before entertained the idea that my birth father may be white.
My chiro said that many babies of mixed race were abandoned because in that culture, especially in the 70's, mixed babies were considered nothing. This could be the reason my birth mother had to give me up for adoption because I would have brought shame to my family. If my father had been Korean, I imagine they could have gotten married. My mother obviously would have known that I might not have a good life or opportunities living in Korea. Being of mixed race, I probably could not have received a good education and may have ended up as a prostitute or a victim of human trafficking in order to survive.
In recent years, I've noticed that my body type doesn't look like many Korean gals who usually have slender frames. I have a medium frame with a bootie and breasts. I asked my chiro if there were tests to determine race. She laughed and said that dogs can give saliva samples to determine various breeds. Great, I can go to the vet! I told my therapist the news later that day and she informed me that her fiance is a geneticist. I love how things connect in life that point you to the next big adventure. My slumlord also alerted me to the National Geographic Genographic project which I still need to research, but I believe you send them a saliva sample and they'll trace your lineage for a hundred bucks. I plan to participate in the near future to determine if indeed, I'm a mutt.
Of course, my imagination romanticizes my birth parents' encounter and fantasizes about their lives. My daddy could be living in the States. Maybe he was a GI. There was a large presence in Korea at that time. Maybe my mom never told him that she was preggers and he doesn't even know that I exist. Maybe he's Bill Gates! Hmmm, he has kind of a slender frame though; no butt or boobs. I wonder what pieces of the puzzle my birth parents hold. Someday, I'd like to find them both. That's another dream.
1 comment:
go to the vet! lol. My first thought was GI. Ive been doing the wavy messy thing w my hair too. I'm tired of straightening my hair, release the curls! Dear hair, wavy or straight, i like you no matter what and am happy to have you.
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