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I WAS born at Kim Yong Kyung's Gyn & Obs., in Busan, South Korea at 6:08 PM on May 14, 1983. I weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 1 foot 8 inches long. The Social Worker at the Social Welfare Society gave me the name Kyung Sub Ahn after I was born. The name Kyung means auspicious and the name Sub means harmonious. I moved from The Social Welfare Society in Busan to the Social Welfare Society Baby's Reception Home in Seoul on May 19, 1983. I developed indigestion and was hospitalized at Han Suh Hospital on July 12, 1983. I became very sick with diarrhea and a severe cough and was hospitalized again from October 29 to November 2, 1983. When I left the hospital I moved to a foster home, however I liked staying up all night and the foster mother did not like that. After only a week or so I was placed in a new foster home. My new foster mother was Ok Ryeo Kim. she trained me to go to bed at 11 PM and to wake up at 7 AM. I took two naps a day. I stayed in this home until my adoption. While I lived in Korea I was given one bottle (280cc) of milk mixed with some rice gruel and vitamins every four hours. I also had one spoon of rice mixed with soup three times a day. My favorite snack foods were cookies and tomatoes. I slept on the floor with the other foster children and my foster parents. It was reported that I had a loud voice as an infant. My first words were Um-ma (mama) and Ab-pa (daddy). I would say these words when I was hugged. Other first words that I said were Mamma (food) and Oebuba (I want to be carried on someone's back). My favorite early games were the baby's hand clapping game and hand grabbing game. Mom and Dad first learned about me on April 13, 1984 from Children's Home Society in St. Paul. They first saw my photo on April 14, 1984 and they accepted the referral on April 16, 1984. They signed the acceptance papers on April 20, 1984. My parents were notified on Wednesday June 27, 1984 that I would be coming on Friday. My parents celebrated the news by having a pizza party. The first people they notified were my grandparents. I came to the USA from South Korea, arriving at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Gate 31, Red Concourse, Northwest Airlines, flight #437 on Friday June 29, 1984 at 5 PM. I was 13 months old. I traveled on the plane with a social worker from South Korea. The trip was 17 hours. I flew from South Korea to Tokyo, Japan and then to Chicago, IL where I went through customs. Then I flew to Minnesota. Mom held me first, then Aunt Ruth, and then Dad. We went to Aunt Ruth and Uncle Burrell's house in New Brighton and slept over. I had jet lag and woke everyone up at 3 AM. The next day we headed home to Mankato. On the way we stopped for lunch at Baker's Square in Edina where we met one of mom and dad's friends, Lynette Wenner. At home that first afternoon I took a ride in my stroller for the first time. My parents had to wait six months before they could legally adopt me. We had to go before a judge on Novemeber 13, 1984 at the Blue Earth County Courthouse in Mankato. At the same time that my adoption was legalized, Judge Mason allowed my parents to legally change my name to Flint Dewy Million. I was named Flint after my great grandfather, Frank Toonkel, and Dewey after my dad's twin brother Dewey who had died. We celebrated my adoption by going to Little Caesar's for pizza and salad. I became a US citizen on April 10, 1985 at the Federal Court House in St. Paul, Minnesota. My parents tell me that I had to raise my right hand and take an oath. I don't remember this. I was given a small USA flag by the court and I've been told that I enjoyed waving it around. After arriving in the USA I had my first exam with my new doctor, Dr. Anthony Giefer on July 5, 1984. On that date I weighed 22 pounds and was 33 inches tall. I had my very first eye exam on July 20, 1984. Dr. John Hoines prescribed my very first glasses which I started wearing in August 1984. My first tooth came while I was still in Korea in February 1984. After arriving in the USA, my first tooth came in on July 4, 1984. My parents report that I first stood alone on November 17, 1984 and I first walked on January 5, 1985. Another first for me was drinking from a cup alone on August 18, 1984. When I lived in Korea my hair was kept fairly long and sometimes I had a small pony tail. I had my first haircut in Mankato on July 18, 1984. Apparently I didn't like that too much and I cried a lot. I went swimming for the first time at Madison Lake in Bray Park on July 11, 1984. I still spoke some Korean when I first came to the USA however after awhile I stopped talking altogether. It wasn't until August 1985 that I said my first English word: light. I had my first visit and photo with Santa Claus on November 23, 1984 at the Mankato Mall. My parents tell me that I didn't have much interest in becoming potty trained. They began potty training on April 3, 1985 but it took until July, 1985 before I figured it all out. My parents changed my bedtime to 8:30 PM and I usually woke up at 7:30 - 8 AM. My nap time was always 1 PM - 2 PM. My grandmother Thelma Toonkel came to see me on July 1, 1984 and she stayed until July 13, 1984. It is sad that my Great Grandmother Bessie died on August 6, 1984 before she got to meet me. We went to New York City from August 8, to August 13 for the funeral. While in New York I got to meet a lot of my relatives for the first time including my Grandfather Meyer Toonkel, my Aunt Luba, my Uncle Katsumi and my Uncle David. Unfortunately it turned out to be the only time I would see my grandfather. He died on February 22, 1985. We went to New York for from February 24 to March 3 for the funeral. On the way home to Mankato we got stuck in snow storm and our plane was forced to land in Grand Forks, ND where we were put up in a hotel overnight. I got to meet my other grandmother, Dorothy Million when we drove to Albuquerque, NM in September 1985. Previous chapter: All About my Parents Table of Contents Click to return to the main homepage. |