anessa Hefti was 10 weeks old when she left Seoul, South Korea, arriving with nine other babies and their Korean escorts at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on April 7, 1983, then deposited into the arms of her nervous adoptive parents, Hal and Kathi Hefti of Baxter.
Almost exactly 15 years later, Janessa and her mother traveled back to Seoul and to the orphanage where Janessa spent her first weeks of life. It was an exciting trip both mother and daughter won't forget, as well as a personal journey for Janessa. It was a journey that began her search to unravel the secrets in her past.
Kathi and Hal Hefti of Baxter have always encouraged their 15-year-old daughter Janessa to explore her Korean heritage. Kathi and Janessa recently spent nearly two weeks in Seoul, South Korea, and tracked down the orphanage where Janessa lived as an infant.
Dispatch Photo by Jodie Tweed
Hal, a deputy state fire marshal, and Kathi, a secretary at Paul Bunyan Education Cooperative, knew someday their family would visit Korea. They have encouraged their daughter's interest in Korean culture and language.
Like many teen-agers, Janessa's room is lined with rock posters, though the rock stars are all Korean. Kathi is also executive director of Kamp Kimchee, a Korean culture camp held each summer at Baxter Elementary School.
Through Kamp Kimchee, Janessa met members and the instructor of the St. Paul-based Chang Mi dance group, a traditional Korean dance troupe made up of adopted Korean children. The dancers were asked to perform at orphanages and homes for unwed mothers in Seoul. They invited the Heftis to come along. Janessa knew some of the dances from camp and after a few weeks of rehearsals, she joined the other dancers.
Dozens of babies wait to be adopted at the Korean Social Service orphanage where Janessa Hefti, Baxter, once lived. Janessa (center) is shown with orphanage director Mrs. Kim and is surrounded by staff nurses.
There were eight dancers ranging in age from 9 to 18 on the tour, including Janessa. The trip spanned almost two weeks, from March 20-April 1.
They stayed in the third-floor guest rooms at the Eastern Social Welfare Society orphanage in Seoul, where they also performed. The dancers and their families would go downstairs and help feed the more than 70 infants and toddlers waiting for homes.
They also danced at Aeranwon, a home for unwed mothers. The women had to choose whether to authorize an in- or out-of-country adoption, said Janessa. Some women told them they wanted their babies to grow up in Korea because they didn't want their children living with the discrimination that exists in the United States, she said.
They visited a palace, a performing arts school and were featured on "Enjoyable Sunday," a popular Korean TV show. The shopping was incredible, said Janessa. Small specialty shops lined the streets. She met Korean rock star You Seung Jun in the marketplace.
Authorities at Korean Social Service orphanage, where Janessa once lived, had told the Heftis when they adopted Janessa the infant had been left outside of a police station in Seoul. After visiting the KSS orphanage and looking through her files, they learned that wasn't true.
Janessa's biological mother was 23 when she gave birth to Janessa at a mid-wife center in Inch-On, about one and a half hours from Seoul. Her name is Kim Bong Sook. Janessa was furious her family wasn't told the truth.
"It made me really angry," she said. "This is what I've gone by my whole life. It changes your perspective. 'You were just left there.' That's more hurtful."
In Korea, many adopted children aren't told they are adopted. If a woman allows her child to be adopted it is kept a secret, even from her future husband. One Chang Mi dancer on a dance tour a few years ago met her biological mother, but the meeting was kept a secret from her family, including her husband.
Janessa plans to someday look for her biological mother, but not now. She accepts that Kim Bong Sook may not want to or be able to meet with her when that time comes, though she would be disappointed.
"It gave me more questions," she said about the new information. "Now that I know more, I want to know more."
Since their return from Korea, Kathi said she has noticed a change in her daughter.
"It has helped her find out who she is," said Kathi. "She's more positive."
Janessa is anxious to return to Korea and hopes to study at a Korean university. She would like to become a flight attendant or a foreign language interpreter.
On their way home, the Korean-born dancers served as escorts for Korean infants and toddlers who were to meet their American parents for the first time. At the airport, Janessa and Kathi happily presented a teary-eyed Chicago family with their new 3-year-old twin sons, Jae and Chang.
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