About the Author

April 9, 2009

I have known my nephew, Kee, since he came from Korea to the U.S. at age 5, to be adopted by my sister and her husband.

I realized early on that I could not fully know Kee because his formative early years took place in a far-off country with people that I had never met.  What I didn’t fully comprehend was that Kee couldn’t fully know himself because such an important part of himself was abruptly left in Seoul.  Sure, my sister and her husband tried hard to expose Kee to as much Korean culture as possible, including keeping the lines of communication open with Kee’s birth father.  But all of this couldn’t come close to filling the void in Kee’s heart and soul.

In some ways, the same could be said for many people who have been adopted.  But, in Kee’s case, his story is most unusual and inspiring.

Kee was adopted into a family in Minnesota and raised Jewish.  The words “Minnesota,”  “Jewish,” and “Korean” are not usually used in the same sentence.  If that weren’t enough, his adoptive parents divorced when he was 15, so his family upheavals continued in the U.S.  Through all of this, Kee struggled with how he fit in his new world, in his family, and most important–within himself.  Although he had a lot of successes, he also seemed unsure of his footing and at times indulged in counter-productive behavior.  I certainly was concerned as to how his life would play out.

As Kee entered his teenage years, he began talking about his big dreams of becoming successful in business, and I began to see a vision of a very determined young man.  During his 20’s, Kee began to settle down and became quite successful in business.  This seemed to me like the successful end to his long journey, but for Kee, this was just the beginning.

At age 23, after a very emotional trip to Korea where he saw his birth father, I think it’s fair to say that Kee’s childhood wounds began to open up, and many people would have stiched them shut to block out the pain.  It seemed that Kee would do just that, but as time passed, he began to think more and more about connecting with his Korean past.  Ultimately, Kee decided to move back to Korea for one year, to learn Korean and to reconnect with his Korean family.

I so admire Kee for doing this for he was understandably fearful to be jumping off this cliff.  It took amazing courage, but the results have been equally amazing.  How many of us protect ourselves from that we fear most?  Kee embraced that which he feared most, namely reconnecting with his childhood roots.  In the process, his is a story of the power of connecting with one’s troubled past and in the process becoming whole.  His story is still unfolding, and I am so happy that he is sharing his adventure with all of us.

Bob Hallock (Kee’s uncle)