I recently came back from a trip to Korea. Recently, as in a few days ago.
The first time I ever went to the motherland was to see family at the age of 5. I met relatives that I only knew by photos and stories at the time. The main purpose of the trip was to see my grandmother/???????????? (on my mom’s side), who had fallen ill, but the trip remained ingrained in my memory as I grew up.
On the way to the airport going back to the States, I told my mom, “Why did you leave?” Even then I knew there was something off about me/us being in America. As a 5 year old, I knew I stood out among my American peers usually being the only Asian in a classroom of 30.