Seeing Korea Through My Mother’s Eyes 

After traveling on Holt’s 2026 Korea Heritage Tour, adoptee Ti Trosper wrote about what it meant to explore her birth country for the first time — especially as a shared experience with her adoptive mom.

Author’s note: when I mention my “parents,” I specifically mean my adoptive parents for me and my sister.

If you are on the fence about embarking on a Holt heritage tour, I hope this helps you decide. Especially if you’re unsure of how you might feel as an adoptee traveling back with your family members. It can be scary enough to embark on the trip and sort out your individual emotions, but it can be equally scary to think about helping or witnessing the emotions of others simultaneously. 

I chose to attend with my adoptive mother and, before this heritage tour, I had not stepped foot in Korea since I was adopted back in 1987.

Even though I live in a major metropolis, at 40 years old I had very little knowledge of Korean culture, and absolutely no Korean friends — with the exception of my biological sister, who I was adopted with when I was 2 and she was 4. Although we now live in different states, we grew up together in rural Wyoming where our parents did their best to help us know where we came from. But there are certain parts of experiencing Korean life and culture which cannot be replicated. As of June 2026, Korea sparked images of KPop Demon Hunters, grilled meats, glass skin, Soju and K-dramas on Netflix, but everything was superficial at best and felt like a dream I only ever might experience through YouTube or Netflix. 

Adopted at the age of 2, I have no memory of my time in Korea, so for me the trip was interesting because it seemed as though it was almost more healing and emotional for my mother, and others, because they were of an age to remember. As I was young and have no memories, I get the bliss of ignorance. Others on the trip, however, remember meeting their children or new family for the first time. I could see people look around and feel the emotions that took them back in time. I saw my mother tear up and I could tell she saw my sister and myself in the faces of the adorable Korean children we encountered along the way. A tiny girl cheering and dancing in the aisle of a baseball game. Siblings sharing food at a table with their parents at the hotel. A little girl on the beach of Jeju with pigtails. 

Meeting the mothers and children at the Holt single mother shelter we visited and knowing how vastly different my life could have been is something I reflect on often and with gratitude. 

Prior to departure, my mother and I were discussing the trip and she expressed she felt saddened by the fact we hadn’t done this earlier in life, perhaps when my sister or I were graduating from high school as a family vacation. While I understand the sentiment, I believe life has a way of leading you to the right place at the right time. This felt like the right time, and looking back at the amazing people we met and the bond we shared (bus A all the way!) I know the wait was worthwhile. Sure, I would’ve loved to have spent time fresh out of high school seeing Korea, however I know I would not have appreciated it to the depth I do now. Getting to re-introduce myself to my roots while traveling with my mother is something I would not change. If I were younger, I wouldn’t have the chance to spend adult money on amazing things or treat myself and my mother along the way with luxuries. It was so much better to take the trip knowing I was secure in myself emotionally and financially, which allowed for maximum enjoyment. 

While it was also sad timing, as my father passed just five months prior, I was blessed with the chance to bring some of my father’s ashes back to spread in Busan, the place I came from. I feel like the full circle moments of having been chosen by my parents — and then bringing my dad, in part, back to see where my sister and I came from — is more meaningful and healing than I can express for both my mother and myself. 

Experiencing the trip while watching my mother have such joy and amazement was truly special. She experienced so many “firsts” like flying business class, maneuvering the LAX madness of traffic, eating Kimchi and talking to all sorts of new people. It is a wonderful feeling to accompany my mother on such a trip, which offers such different sensory moments. The feel of the hot towels on the plane. The scents of different trees and flowers. The humidity and heat, which is so vastly heavy compared to the dry climate of Wyoming mountains. The smell of the sea, taste of spicy delightful surprises, and the music and sounds of a busier city than she has ever seen, and my {albeit a bit fuzzy} memories of noraebang lights and music as we sang the night away with Soju and beer. All of this is foreign in many ways beyond the mileage. As a person who has traveled much in life, I find it refreshing and invigorating to introduce people and witness the delight of another. 

I felt I was witness to her real-time processing and understanding of how it must have felt for my sister and I all those years ago. Stepping out into a world that’s entirely strange, not knowing the language, and being thrust into a group of new people. The overwhelm. The awe. The waves of homesickness. 

Home is where the heart is and I know “Seoul my Soul” will remain a mantra in my life and heart as I made memories of my past, for my future, with a group of likeminded souls. Summer camp vibes as an adult just hit different, and the feelings cannot be recreated often, so I cherished this trip and encourage every adoptee, parent, sibling, partner or friend to support each other to attend because it will undoubtedly exceed all expectations. 

Special thanks to Holt International and their amazing team members for an awesome experience. Thanks to Bong and the Lemon 12 staff who were all so welcoming, knowledgeable and hospitable. The 2026 Korea Heritage Tour was truly unforgettable. 

Ti Trosper | Korean Adoptee