A Nomadic Life
by
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The Girl I Almost Adopted In all my encounters with children of different nationalities, genders, races, colors, ages, and cultural backgrounds, I was tempted only once to adopt a child. It was during an official visit to a halfway house for girls in Suva, the capital city of Fiji. In Fiji, after serving more than half of their sentences in prison, school-age children who had committed crimes—both petty and deadly serious—were moved into halfway houses segregated by gender. This was part of a pilot project intended to provide juveniles with a smooth transition back into society. Some of the children were attending school, while others held jobs, depending on their age and previous experiences. Our group visited the boys’ house first. It was a small building, relatively well equipped with individual beds, clean toilets and bath facilities, and a communal kitchen/dining area. As we were leaving, a boy with a heavily pimpled face timidly approached the Director of Social Welfare. He had been so quiet that he hadn’t attracted my attention until then. He said something in the local language; he seemed to be pleading for something, and the director’s response to him was brusque and dismissive. I asked her what he was saying and who he was. He was 12 years old and had been deserted by his divorced parents. Although he had not committed any crime, he was being kept in this facility since he had no home. “He wants to know whether he could come with us to see his sister,” the director said. “He has a sister? Where?” “His younger sister stays at another halfway house. Like this one, but for girls.” “Isn’t that where we are going next?” “Yes, but he cannot visit her there. It’s only for girls.” “Could you please make an exception?” I pleaded. “He wants to visit with his sister. Neither of them has committed any crimes, and they only have each other.” Reluctantly, the director allowed the boy to come with us. The boys’ halfway house wasn’t as bad as I had expected, but the girls’ house was almost idyllic: it was a mansion set on a huge, beautifully landscaped property, which had been donated by a rich landowner. It was a calm and soothing place. Any pain could be healed here, I thought. The friendly manager greeted us at the gate and led us to the house. At the entrance, a half-dozen smiling teen-age girls were waiting for us. They were dressed just like any other teenagers, wearing jeans and T-shirts. One young girl who was standing behind the older ones was smiling at me. I was immediately drawn to her because of her dazzling smile and sweet face. Then, I realized that she wasn’t smiling at me. She was smiling at the boy, who was standing right behind me. She was his sister. When I beckoned to her to come over to greet her brother, she went right up to him and held his hand, beaming and looking up at him. How could a parent not want to keep his or her own children, especially a sweet girl like her? I wondered. I had a strong urge to ask about adopting her right there and then. But after further exploring the stories of these two children, I learned that their aunt, who was living in Auckland with her New Zealander husband, was already in the process of adopting both of them. As soon as the school term ended, the children would move to New Zealand. Occasionally, I still think of that magical nine-year-old girl and hope that she and her loving brother are living happily together.
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About the Book
This book consists of 83 mini stories based on author’s personal encounters with many interesting and challenging situations and memorable people throughout her thirty-plus years of working and living overseas. Some of these encounters are charming, some disheartening, some thought-provoking, but all are based upon wonderful human interactions. These stories will touch your heart, make you think, and offer lessons about the human experience in difficult circumstances. In the process you will also have a glimpse of life in a variety of countries, as diverse as India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Syria, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Cambodia, Morocco, China, Romania, Bulgaria, and France. Anyone who is interested in the world beyond your own environment, and those who might be interested in working internationally, would have an idea of what it’s like to live and work outside your own culture.
About the Author
The author was born and raised in Seoul, Korea. After studying at the Ewha Womans University in Seoul, she received a PhD in Sociology from the University of Hawaii. Her curiosity to learn beyond her own environment and her compassion for underprivileged children and women led her life into an international development field. Her professional career began with the Korea Development Institute in Seoul. During her more than thirty-year career, she worked with a number of international aid agencies, including United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). More than half of that time was with UNICEF in several different positions. She lived in eight cities in six countries—Bangladesh, France, India, Korea, Thailand, and the US—and visited more than 80 countries. Throughout her years living, working, and traveling around the world, she encountered many interesting and challenging situations and met all sorts of memorable people. Her first-hand experiences are told in 83 short stories, which illuminate what it’s like to live and work outside your own culture. They also show how resilient people are even under dire living conditions. She is now retired and lives in Washington, DC with her husband.