This photo is all I have. This stolen photo that I’m not supposed to have. Because if I’d asked for it, they wouldn’t have given it to me. It only exists by accident. They only showed it to me because I had a film crew with me and they so badly wanted to disprove my assertion that the girl might be a TWIN…and then balked when I proposed we could still be sisters. How many similar photos are kept out of reach of other adoptees? How many severed relationships are kept across the room from each other in the Holt archives?
And they said they have nothing to hide…it’s more that they are afraid of what we will find.
Two girls abandoned on the same day, in the same location, probably at the same time, and recorded on a document usually only reserved for one. Two girls with consecutive orphan numbers sent to the same orphanage handled by the same adoption agency. Our birthdays written on our chests the day we were photo cataloged at intake is exactly 6 months 6 days apart.
(gee, for those into numbers, isn’t is curious how it goes 3-3 6-6 9-9?)
Sounds like sheer mass production laziness to me…
And CLEARLY, me on the left is 6 months OLDER than the girl on the right, RIGHT? Making it impossible for one woman to have given birth to both of us? Never mind that the girl on the right would have had to have been born already able to walk and talk…Never mind that there’s no way I am 3 years old in that photo.
We couldn’t possibly be siblings because the man who gave us fake names gave is DIFFERENT fake family names, RIGHT?
And is it just a coincidence they both have Sook in their given names?
And look at those noses, those mouths. Radically different, right?
For the love of God, Why didn’t Holt call up that girl and say, “excuse me, but it is possible a terrible travesty has occurred and we need to check – if not for your sake then at least for the sake of the other girl?”
The people at HOLT only care about themselves. This is no humanitarian organization. They are monsters.
Hello Korea ! 
How heartbreaking, how inhumane. I am so sorry.
Thank you.
I can understand how this debacle may have occurred, but there’s just no excuse for the way Holt has handled this today. None.
I wish this was headline-making. This “Cadillac” of adoption agencies showed their true colors with my case. One “partner” keeps everything out of reach, and the Holt International defers to them and hides behind their policies. There is no human decency among these so-called Christian missionaries.
And the rich thing – the disgustingly rich thing – is they are supposedly protecting her from me. When we all know who they’re really protecting. Pretty stupid on their part, as I am their worst PR nightmare and they created me.
I am finding this so very late but I am looking for Holt baby 7893 born in 1970 and before Holt started including the year as part of our numbers. If by some really slim chance you have a photo of this baby from your exhibit please write to me makesmewander@gmail.com
I was baby 7891. I am also interested if you made any progress with finding this other girl in your file. Baby 7893 Was printed on my page, crossed out with my number written in and there is a spot with a missing picture but it’s obvious on the page with my picture. I have heard also that this could mean it’s a relative or that we were swapped out last minute for a different child because perhaps they didn’t make it. Let me know if you’ve made any progress. Thank you so much for your blog!
I would have to research those numbers but I will need time to find that list, if I still have it. If you don’t mind, you might tap into the FB group Korean Adoptees for Fair Records Access and post there. Casting a net is often a matter of timing, as the effort takes a lot out of a person and the will comes when there is space or a crisis. So we just have to try and try again. At least with social networking the odds are increasing…
My story was long and unfruitful and perhaps a follow up post one day. But I have to get back to my job at the moment. Good luck!
Sarah,
I do not have the list of adoptees who contributed photos were. If you view the Korean video version of the A Collection of One exhibit, all of the photos hanging are in that. If one of those is the number/child (sigh) you are searching for, then you might contact Jane Jeong Trenka and she might still have the list of contributing adoptees.