David came to us via a long flight from Seoul, Korea. He and the other children and babies went through customs in Los Angeles and then flew to Eugene.
We drove from Klamath Falls in order to meet his flight. Several little children and babies were met by prospective parents.
Of course, none of these adoptees had ever seen their new parents, except in photos. We had sent several pictures ahead of time: some of us, our house and yard, and our sweet dog, who was a loving terrier-poo.
When we saw David, he seemed small for an 8 year old. In fact, he took size 6 clothes.
I gave him a cloth bag full of Hot Wheels. He liked those right away. He took them out and began running them across the floor.
My husband, Dale, took David to the restroom. He was not too happy about being away from the other children.
Then we went to the car. I noticed all he had were the clothes on his back. We had sent clothes for him. We later learned that they had kept them for other children in the orphanage, along with books and toys we had sent.
When we got home, it was the middle of the night. We put David to bed on a mattress on the floor, since that’s how he was used to sleeping. We found out later that he missed the five boys and room mother who had been his roommates for three years.
Since he was unhappy, we asked a Korean wife to interpret for us and to find out what was wrong. It seems children sleep with their parents in Korea and we had put David in a private room. So we moved his mattress next to our bed. That helped for a while.
Next, he needed a bath, but he hadn’t seen a bathtub or shower. A washcloth and dish pan served that purpose at first.
When he took his clothes off, we noticed scars on his back. When he could speak English, we asked about them. He said his grandfather tied him to a chair and beat him. Sometimes he had to sit there all night.
It took a few months for the adjustment and for David to feel at home.
