Part 2: I Want to Be An American

KJ RoelkeBlog PostLeave a Comment

high school KJ, looking like a champ.

Read Part 1 here. “시원, help me sound more Korean.” “Ok. Say something where you think you sound most Korean.” “ee-rue-me moy-yo?” Mockingly:”이름이뭐예요?” “What?! That’s what it sounds like to me!” “Don’t have an accent. Just say normal.” “I did say it normally.”  “아이씨….” The world I lived in was (and is) generally white and white-Christian. My church and my … Read More

Journey of an Adoptee – Part VI

Patrick ArmstrongBlog PostLeave a Comment

silhouette of man walking along field leading to mountain

I recently applied for a DNA testing kit through @official325kamra, and was lucky enough to be approved for one. It will be here soon and with it, another step forward on this journey. I feel both anxiously excited and nervously hesitant about this next step. The results, whatever they may be, represent a shift in my story and will have a … Read More

Journey of an Adoptee – Part V

Patrick ArmstrongBlog PostLeave a Comment

silhouette of man walking along field leading to mountain

With holiday season upon us, I thought this was an appropriate picture. I just wanted to say how honored and humbled I am for all the support y’all have shown me as I’ve shared my story publicly for the first time. It might be bits and pieces, but I’ve received both comments and dm’s that have really made me feel … Read More

Journey of an Adoptee – Part IV

Patrick ArmstrongBlog PostLeave a Comment

silhouette of man walking along field leading to mountain

This picture is of one of the nurses who cared for me at the clinic in Seoul. I do not know why there is a picture of 2 white kids on the wall, but that’s for another time. In November, National Adoptee Awareness Month changed the way I think about adoption and the traumas associated with it; how history is … Read More