해외입양동포대회

Hi there!  I'm Laurie from Florida, United States.  My husband and I will be attending OKA Gathering and hope to see you all shortly.  I am pretty quiet and hard to engage sometimes, but I really want to make every effort to network and meet a lot of adoptees, so here I am.

I am a Software Engineer that works from home and my husband works as an IT Analyst from home as well.  Our favorite hobbies are traveling (yay!), video games (from PC to switch to Xbox/Playstation), reading, anime, film, television, and hiking/National Parks!  It's just us and two doggos!

I look forward to meeting everyone.

Hi everyone! It's great to meet you all. :) My name is Anna, and I'm part of the 2024 OKAG Secretariat. I'm super thrilled to meet you all in May! Feel free to contact us if you have any questions; we are happy to help you all.

Hi!  I’m Julia Hinton, from San Diego, California.  I am a current board member of AKASD, a former educator, and a mom to an incredible 14-year old son! 

I was born in Daejeon and was adopted through Holt at 5 months of age. My first time back to Korea was in December 2023 for last year’s OKA Gathering!  It was a life-changing, memorable, and amazing experience.  I met many friends from around the world and gained so much through the experience. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I look forward to meeting everyone very soon!

Hello! My name is Angela and I’m from Portland, Oregon, USA. My  German-Dutch husband will be joining me so Moin and Hoi! When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, eating good food, doing Pilates, riding jumper horses, and trying to keep houseplants alive.

I was adopted at 6 months from Seoul through Holt. I am thrilled to have my first trip back be adoptee-focused. The feedback I’ve received from past OKA attendees has been overwhelmingly positive and I am thankful to be included in this experience!

Hello everyone!

My name is Jakob Sandberg, from Sweden. I will be traveling with my Dutch girlfriend Sandra to attend the gathering. It is my second time in Korea, I was at the IKAA gathering in 2010 but her first time so I want to show her Korea!

I was adopted through SWS when I was 3 months old to a lovely couple in Sweden.  I had special needs when it came to medical care which necessitated a quick adoption and I was lucky to arrive in Sweden where I have gotten the best care possible.

 I am a last year law student at Uppsala University with a special interest in international humanitarian law but also  questions regarding adoption. In my free time I like to do a multitude of things like reading, games, sports and spending time with my girlfriend and our cat.

Hey everyone! I'm Théoden (I pronounce it "THAY-den"), and I live in Charlotte, North Carolina with my wife Amanda. Unfortunately due to a long-scheduled family vacation that runs right up against the OKA gathering, neither of she nor our adult daughter will be joining -- so I'm coming alone. This will be my first time back to Korea since being adopted at 9 months old through Holt in 1974 (!).
In addition to being a husband and dad, I'm a newspaper journalist by profession, and in my spare time I enjoy training for marathons and triathlons with friends; watching TV and movies; and doing portrait photography.
I can't wait to experience Seoul and to meet everyone later this month!

Hi all! I'm Kelsey, I'm from (and live in) Columbus, Ohio, US. This will be my second trip back to Korea, the first being in 2012 when I taught English at a summer camp for domestically-adopted school-aged kids. I am fortunate enough to have a strong circle of Korean adoptee friends, but am excited for it to expand! I'll be bringing my husband Kyle along, this will be his first time in Asia. We love to meet new people, eat all the foods, and travel! Looking forward to meeting everyone :)

Hello everyone, my name is Laurent and I have lived in Paris for 8 years. I am the new president of the Racines coréennes association.

Racines coréennes was created in 1995 and our goal is to create events around culture or adoption to bring adoptees together.

I reunited with my biological family in 2009 and come back to Korea often. This year I obtained dual nationality.

My work is freelance in website creation and mural decoration.

I'm happy to see you :)

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Bonjour tout le monde, je m'appelle Laurent et je vis à Paris depuis 8 ans. Je suis la nouvelle présidente de l'association Racines coréennes.

Racines coréennes a été créée en 1995 et notre objectif est de créer des événements autour de la culture ou de l'adoption pour réunir les adoptés.

J'ai retrouvé ma famille biologique en 2009 et je reviens souvent en Corée. Cette année, j'ai obtenu la double nationalité.

Mon travail est freelance dans la création de site internet et la décoration.

Heureux de vous rencontrer :)

Hi there,
my name is Corinna and I am from Zagreb, Croatia. Croatia is very popular to the Korean hipsters, there was a kind of reality show about Koreans in Croatia, so I was told. I was adopted in 1974 by a German family who already has four biological children which is quite a unique family dynamic. My mother tongue is German. Korean is still a foreign language for me. I've never been to Korea, so am looking forward to meet you all there!

Hello everyone,
My name is Anne and I am from Luxembourg (a tiny but beautiful country in Europe). I speak 4 languages (English, French, German and Luxembourgish) and will be joining the OKA Gathering 2024 alone (Happy to meet all of you!).

I was adopted in 1996 from Seoul (Holt) to Luxembourg and have visited South Korea with my parents in 2019 (right before Covid). I have a younger sister who is also adopted but from Vietnam.

I have studied in Brussels (Belgium) and am currently working as an advisor in a Big 4.

In my free time, I love to sew, to eat and cook, to go out with friends, to spend time with my partner and just trying to enjoy life at the fullest.

Looking forward meeting all of you!

Hello Everyone!

My name is Kaitlin and I am from London, Ontario, Canada. Coming along on this journey with me is my husband Woody. We have two young children (4 & 3) that keep us very busy these days!

I have two sisters also adopted from Korea at different times. We are not biological to one another.

I have been fortunate enough to be back to Korea many times. Growing up my family did Motherland Trips organized by a group in Toronto called KCCA. A way to spend time and see the beauty of Korea.

Woody and I travelled to Korea as a postponed honeymoon in 2022.

We both love to travel, meet new people, and try new things.

So excited to meet all of you in a couple weeks!

Dear fellow adoptees, dear OKA team. I'm Tim, a German adoptee from the Frankfurt area in Germany. I am forty years old and working in the medical device industry for many years. 

I've been to Korea more than fifteen times and have done a lot of fun things each time. I've completed the cross-country bike tour from Incheon to Busan recently, and I'm currently working my way around all of the certified bike routes in Korea to complete the "Grand Slam". Please feel welcome to join me riding following the gathering for the Daejeon-Cheongju-Gunsan bicycle route ;).

I am actively involved in the German KAD organization for many years. I am currently acting as a board member once again, and I am involved in the IKAA network in this position. Since Korean adoptees represent a significant part of Overseas Koreans, I'm excited to share ideas with you all and explore how working with OKA might further improve support for our unique needs.

Hello, I'm Kyung Ae and I was adopted at the age of 2.5 to Forchheim near Nuremberg in Germany. I have 3 siblings who are all biological children of my adoptive parents. I'm married and have a 21-year-old son. This is my 4th trip to Korea. I'm really looking forward to getting to know you all.

Hi Everyone!  I'm so enjoying reading everyones introduction!  Thank you to OKA for this website where we can communicate!  I was honored to be able to attend the OKA event in December.  There are so many people, it's hard to meet and get to know everyone in such a short period of time.  This gives us a little head start lol.

My name is Heidi Cabral.  I live in St Augustine FL with my husband and dog Bruno.  These days I'm enjoying crocheting, kdramas and taking care of my little 130lb furbaby.
I was adopted through Holt in 1975 at 6 months old and have a sister who is also adopted from Korea (we are not blood related).  I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to come to Korea again and meet you all!
A group of us (KADs) in Jacksonville FL have recently created an organization (Korean Adoptees Together INC) with a goal of gathering Korean Adoptees and their families annually in the Southeast!! 
I will be arriving May 18th and leaving May 30 and would love to also get together with anyone around the OKA dates!!!  See everyone soon!!!

Hi, my name is Regina and I’m already here in Korea with my husband. Unfortunately he cannot join us at the Gathering.
I’m very excited to meet you all! I grew up in Germany and I’ve been living in Munich. My adopted sister is also from Korea, but we are not biological sisters. I was adopted through SWS 1980, papers say US military, at the age of 4 months.

See you in a couple of weeks!!

Hi,
My name is Mina. I'm living in Norway with my fiancé Niclas, our two daughters, and our dog. Or home is located approximately 15 min outside of Oslo, the capital of Norway.

My 14-year-old daughter and I are eagerly anticipating our trip to meet you all.

I was adopted through Holt when I was one year old.

I've embarked on a journey to learn Korean, having already completed one course, and I'm eager to continue once I finish my sign language courses.  Balancing both languages simultaneously has proven to be challenging.

In Norway, I'm member of two networks groups: Kowin ( Korean Women's International Network) and the Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association.  I'm also looking forward to meet another adoptees after the OKA Gathering. 

I'm really looking forward for this opportunity, meet you there and just visit Korea ! See you soon !

Hi All!

 My name is Adam. I live in northern virginia outside of washington D.C.  I am coming to Korea solo for this trip! Looking forward to meeting all of you and visiting Korea!

Hi everyone. My name is Torben and I live in Denmark. I will attend the gathering with my wife, Eva. I was adopted in 1972, 2 years old, through KSS. This will be my fourth visit in Korea. Looking forward to meet you all.

Hello everyone! My American name is Lynn, but I strongly prefer and use my Korean name Jeong. I don't know how to update in their system. I'm traveling from Los Angeles and am looking forward to meeting you.

Hi, my name is Sunja. I was adopted in 1977 from Seoul to Flensburg, nothern Part of Germany. I am 47, have three children and a husband and live in Bonn now. My son Benjamin, 16 years old, will join the gathering together with me. I am looking forward to meet you all. Hugs Sunja

Hi everyone! 

Many years ago I came to Denmark, just 7 months old. I was given the name Maya because I arrived in May (in Danish Maja).  

After many years working as a social educator, I finally followed my big dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

I have a strong interest in psychology, communication, enjoy painting with watercolors, reading, and exploring spiritual matters, and I aspire to become skilled in photography. I also enjoy cultural activities and love to travel.

This journey is with my adult daughter, who is 23 years old. We will arrive Friday May 17th - Juni 4th.

I am excited to return to my homeland, participate in an interesting program, and engage in inspiring conversations with all of you, and maybe even making friends for life. 

See you soon.

Hi All, I realized I was in wrong chat window :-) for presentation of ourselves. The other one was more for tips or generic topics.  I'm Ann-Kristin (but my family and friends call me Anki) I was adopted to Sweden, outside Gothenburg at age 5, 1972. This is the second time I will be in Korea. We (my husband Ove and our  adult sons Anton and Carl did a 2 weeks amazing trip, May 2023)  To this OKA gathering I will bring my son Anton with me (the other son Carl is already in Seoul for about a month visit) I  and my son Anton are really looking forward to this event. Will be so interesting to meet you all!  Looking forward to meeting Koreans from all over the world :-)

Dear fellow participants and OKA people,

My name is Natalie (Suh Kwan Young) and together with my sister Angela we will join this gathering. We're from Holland. For my sister it's the first time in Korea. For me the only time was in 1998. Since I couldn't find my family back then there was a wish to visit Korea again but no urge.

I am a teacher, adopted in 1979 (2 years old) and I have a sister who is not adopted and six years older (you do the math :-D) she works at a childrens daycare. We both have children: a boy and girl. My children are 9 and 11 years old. My son liked Super wings and now Pokémon and Brawl Stars. My daughter likes Korean skincare :-). I love to cook, Korean food and my husband Marc (who stays home to take care for the kids).

I am very lucky that since januari I found family with the help of Korean organisations. And besides that in march came the excited news that I was selected for the OKA gathering! It is overwhelming (understatement). The search for my family goes on this visit, but I feel very lucky that I can meet my family this very special trip.  I am so gratefull to get connected with Korea and visit my birth country. I am looking forward to meet you all!

Thank you all for letting us participate!

Warm greetings from Natalie Koole (Suh Kwan Young) and Angela Koole

Hello, everyone! I’m Linn and live in Norway (Oslo). I work at the university with communications and research administration for educational sciences. I travel with my daughter Sofia who’s a music student.

I was born in Daegu in 1976, and adopted through Holt in 1977. This will be my sixth visit to Korea, and my third at an OKA gathering. I learnt some Korean, but found out it’s hard learning a new language at my age ;)

My son joined me for the OKA gathering in 2022, and I’m very happy that my whole family feels connected to Korea and Korean culture and that we’re able to bring our children for these programmes.

Really looking forward to meeting you all for making fun memories and meaningful conversations!
 
Take care, and see you soon! Linn (Lee Jahee) and Sofia (Lee Seulgi)