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Offer valid for new customers only. [SUBSCRIBE NOW](~/AAQRxQA~/RgRoihEzP0SLaHR0cHM6Ly9teWNoZWNrb3V0LmNoYXJsb3R0ZW9ic2VydmVyLmNvbS9zdWJzY3JpYmU_b2ZyZ3BfaWQ9NTU0JmcyaV9vcl9vPUVtYWlsJmcyaV9vcl9wPVNhbGUmY2lkPWVtbF9zYWxlXzUtM21vbnRocy03Ljk5LXJlbmV3YWwtY2x0XzIwMjQwN1cDc3BjQgpmoDOMp2YzvSxoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44OUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAA04~) While looking for my birth family, I discovered something I never expected. As I departed Charlotte last month on my first visit to Korea since leaving as an adoptee 50 years ago, I wasn’t giving a ton of thought to how being back would make me feel. I figured it would feel rather foreign, since I don't speak the language and came in only vaguely familiar with its cultural norms. And therefore, I figured the experiences I’d have and the people I’d meet would sort of keep me at arm's length. But I was wrong. Not only did I find powerful new friendships with other Korean adoptees I met, I found connections with a small handful of quote-unquote real Koreans who welcomed me and cared for me in ways I couldn't have predicted. On top of all that – perhaps most surprising of all – I found some significant pieces of myself during what, for me, was an extraordinarily emotional return to Seoul. [Read my full story here.](~/AAQRxQA~/RgRoihEzP0Q-aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2hhcmxvdHRlb2JzZXJ2ZXIuY29tL2xpdmluZy9hcnRpY2xlMjg5MTQ0OTQ5Lmh0bWxXA3NwY0IKZqAzjKdmM70saFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAANO) [Theoden Janes] Théoden Janes has spent nearly 18 years as a writer and editor at The Charlotte Observer. He thrives on telling emotive long-form stories about extraordinary Charlotteans; enjoys covering entertainment topics; and — as a veteran of 25-plus marathons and two Ironman triathlons — occasionally writes about endurance and other sports. More from Théoden Janes [They agreed on just one more, and ended up with triplets — in the unlikeliest way possible](~/AAQRxQA~/RgRoihEzP0RMaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2hhcmxvdHRlb2JzZXJ2ZXIuY29tL2xpdmluZy9oZWFsdGgtZmFtaWx5L2FydGljbGUyODgwMDI4MjUuaHRtbFcDc3BjQgpmoDOMp2YzvSxoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44OUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAA04~) [He dug up one decades-old class ring after another, then reunited each with its owner](~/AAQRxQA~/RgRoihEzP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2hhcmxvdHRlb2JzZXJ2ZXIuY29tL25ld3MvbG9jYWwvYXJ0aWNsZTI4NzQxNTk2NS5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmagM4ynZjO9LGhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAADTg~~) [She’s lost friends, a job and her identity over long COVID. Will she ever be ‘Old Me’ again?](~/AAQRxQA~/RgRoihEzP0RMaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2hhcmxvdHRlb2JzZXJ2ZXIuY29tL2xpdmluZy9oZWFsdGgtZmFtaWx5L2FydGljbGUyODY5NzY2MjUuaHRtbFcDc3BjQgpmoDOMp2YzvSxoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44OUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAA04~)   This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are signed up to receive Special Offers from The Charlotte Observer. 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