I’m just about a week away from traveling back to my birth country, Taiwan! I depart on November 9th, and I’m incredibly excited to see my first family again. It’s been far too long since my last visit in 2012. I won’t go into too much detail about why it took me so long to return. I never imagined it would be 14 years before I made it back.

As excited as I am to reunite with my family, I have to admit I’m also a little anxious about the long journey. I’ve also recently developed a condition in my right eye that’s been obstructing my vision. Apparently, it’s nothing too serious, and I’ve been told it should resolve on its own over the next several months. Still, it’s a real pain in the ass not being able to see clearly out of my right eye!

In any case, I thought I’d share some photos from my first trip to Taiwan in 2012. Back then, I chose not to post many pictures out of respect for my sisters’ privacy, but I think it’s okay to share some of those memories now.

I still vividly remember meeting my sisters for the first time at the airport. It was such a profound and surreal experience to search for my birth family and finally find them in Taipei. Honestly, I was on an emotional high the entire time I was there!

My two sisters are 10 and 11 years older than me, and my older brother is the eldest of us all. I also have an adult niece, who now has a family of her own, and a nephew. On this upcoming trip, I’ll get to meet my great-nieces for the very first time, which makes the journey even more special.

So, here are a few photos from that incredible first journey back to Taiwan in 2012. And now, 14 years later, I’m finally making my way home again!

Tien, pictured in one of the photos, is the Taiwanese adoption social worker who helped me find my birth family. I sometimes wonder how she’s doing these days. Elaine, meanwhile, was a colleague who was supposed to serve as my translator. As it turned out, my oldest sister, Christina, spoke English quite proficiently, so we managed just fine!

Just one more week of wrapping up work, packing, picking up a few more gifts for my family, and preparing for the journey back to the country where I was born. Perhaps I’ll even have enough material to write another book!

There’s something truly profound about searching for your birth family, finding them, and finally having the opportunity to meet them. I’ve said this before, but I honestly cannot imagine going through life without ever having met my family of origin. Adoption has permeated virtually every aspect of my life, even though I don’t talk about it as much these days. I think life circumstances and the passage of time made it difficult for me to maintain that connection. But now, I hope to reclaim it and, more importantly, nurture and sustain it moving forward.

I do wish I’d made more time to brush up on my Mandarin before this trip! But, in any case, I’m simply grateful and happy to have another opportunity to visit Taiwan and reconnect with my family.

I’ll share more about my adventures when I return, and, of course, I’ll be sure to post plenty of new photos!