Today is what adoptive parents call GOTCHA Day! We finally got to bring Maya back to the hotel with us this afternoon after what can only be described as a whirlwind trip through the orphanage. The workers and volunteers threw her (and other children) their first birthday party with the traditional “Hanbok” clothing; we arrived just as photos had finished, and they were removing her Hanbok. We held her for some photos (pic), said good-bye to everyone, and headed over to get the final OK from the doctor before taking a taxi back to the hotel. Mind you that car seats are not mandatory and thus not really used here, that the seat belts in the back of the taxi were dysfunctional, that riding in a taxi in Seoul is a bit like riding a roller coaster, and that Maya had probably never been in a taxi let alone with these strangers…well, the ride was interesting, but she did pretty well most of the way sitting on my (Jason’s) lap and being distracted by all the sites and movement.

In the hotel room, she intermittently cried, drank some “milk,” and switched b/w Pam (pic) and me before passing out at 5:52pm on the bed. She is still sleeping. Pam’s getting ready for bed in preparation for the inevitable 2am festivities!

Before arriving at the orphanage (3pm), we took our time getting down to Itaewon via the subway. Have I mentioned the very fast, cheap, and clean subways here in Seoul? They’re great! Anyway, we were in search of a particular artist who paints scrolls while-u-wait; we were going to get one for Maya. Even though his card says that he opens at 9am, he never opened by the time we left the area at around 2pm! The weather was brisk and damp, and his shop is a booth along the street, so perhaps today did not seem like a good painting day… Nevertheless, we found (and negotiated well for) a nice little herb chest (reproduction, not real antique) and had another great traditional meal for lunch….followed by a couple of lattes at a local beanery!

Tomorrow morning….taxi to the airport and a noon flight home! We’re looking forward to seeing folks as we recover from the jet lag and allow Maya time to adjust to her new surroundings! We’ll continue to update this blog with Maya pics for some time since we may not see all of you right away. Thanks for all of your support in preparation for and during our travels to Korea, and special thanks to Nonno and Zia Kim for staying with Oliver!