Monday Molly took me to the building that used to be City Baby Home. That was an orphanage run by Holt back in the 60's. It's the first place I was taken to after being found abandoned in Seoul. I visited this building with my parents during my first trip back in 1999. However, during that trip I wasn't ready to go inside - we visited the building late in the day after quite an emotional day and I just didn't have the energy to step inside. But today I did!! It's now a children's library - and was back in 1999. Nothing seems to have changed much but the paint and the tree growth!
Here is the building back in 1999:
Here's the building from today:
The trees have grown a tad since 1999!
The part of the building that has the red and blue trim is the original part of the building - the same since I was there in 1967. The grey building is a new addition to the library.
The entrance - when you walk inside...
Library room just to the right when you walk inside...
Upstairs hallway...
And then here is the room that used to be the actual nursery - where the cribs were that sometimes held several babies in each crib. The woman behind the desk said that adoptee's come here often and take pictures of this library room. She also told us she remembers when it was an orphanage.
I only cried a little while I was in the room...I could just imagine all the cribs, and babies crying and not enough nurses to pick us up and hold us and feed us in a timely manner...
I'm glad I went inside this time...I took a deep breath and walked in...I looked around, took some pictures and felt good about re-connecting with a piece of my past.
Thank you for sharing the pictures and thoughts. I too was sent here in 1971 as an abandoned baby orphan...
ReplyDeleteI was a 1973 baby. This is so cool to see and discover. I’ve never been back but hope to very soon with my four sons.
DeleteThank you for sharing this. I too was here Jun/Jul of 1967 as an abandoned baby.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this! My wife was brought here in early 1972. We finally made a visit to Korea in 2018 and got to visit the library. She was more than likely in this room, and we spent mos of our time here. The staff was not aware this was an orphanage, and kept trying to give us directions to Seoul City Hospital, but we knew we had the right place.
ReplyDeleteI too was sent here in 1970, then went to Je Joo. Looking for any birth relative.
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