Korean Wedding Ducks

One part of our adoption journey is learning about the Korean culture. Raleigh and I want to learn as much as possible so that we can instill a sense of pride in our child about his or her culture. When we travel to Korea, I hope to purchase special items that can be given to our child on birthdays and other special events. One item I hope to find is a set of wooden wedding ducks. There is a tradition of giving a newly married couple a set of carved ducks. One represents the bride (on the left) and the other the groom. After the wedding, they are placed somewhere in the couple's home and their position (placed by either spouse) tells of the couples marital state. Nose to nose means the relationship is good, tail to tail means they are probably having a disagreement.

We know that as our child gets older, there will be questions about his or her birth parents, Korea, and possibly about his or her identity. Will he or she identify more with Koreans or Americans? I pray that God will prepare us along the way for all of the questions that our child may have. One thing that I do know, is that we will celebrate Korea and its culture.

We will be an American family. Our child will never know what it is like to grow up Korean in Korea, but he or she will know what it is like to be Korean American. Our child will be one of the thousands of boys and girls that become Korean American through adoption. Raleigh and I will never know what it feels like to be Korean American, but we want our child to feel comfortable and proud of his or her culture. We will always support our child and cheer him or her on through all of life's adventures!