A Reunion Revisited

In July of 1999, Suzanne was reunited with the Korean birthfamily she never thought she'd meet. Most amazingly, she was reunited with the identical twin sister she had never known.

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In the January 2000 issue of Chosen Child we featured an article written by Suzanne's parents, Charlotte Redden and Ken Switzer, about the search for their daughter's birthfamily and the emotional reunion that followed.
Now, nearly one year after the reunion, in an interview with Adoption Today Suzanne shares in her own words what the reunion was like, how she has processed the experience, and what she hopes the future will bring.

Adoption Today: What does it feel like to discover the family you didn't know?

Suzanne Switzer: I think I feel more complete now. For so long, I had dreamed, imagined, and written stories about having a twin sister. Then all of a sudden it fell into place and became real. I think that there will never be a time I do not think about them. I am constantly anticipating another meeting. I feel like now I know where I came from and know more about me. To me, that is really important. Now I can tell somebody that asks me where I'm from, where I am really from. I feel so much more comfortable about my past now because I know what really happened and I feel more secure with myself. I wait for the next time I will see them because they have grown to be a very important part of my life and I will never think any less of them. I used to think badly of my birthmother and wonder why she gave me up. Now I know the truth and I just want to thank her for what she did.

AT: What made you feel like you had a twin all of your life?

SS: I always thought I had a twin because whenever I saw a pair of twins (especially the Doublemint Gumã commercials) it just hit me so hard...I always saw myself with another "me." I dreamt about having a twin for a while and all I wanted was a twin. I had a doll made to look like me and I pretended that it was alive. Also, sometimes, I would just suddenly break down and cry, or randomly get a stomachache and I couldn't figure out what caused it because it was so spontaneous. I thought about it for a while and I thought maybe I had some connection with someone else and I felt his or her pain.

AT: Has your twin also said anything about feeling like there was something missing in her life?

SS: I know that she wanted a sister too, but with the limited amount of English we had, there wasn't really an opportunity to talk to her about it, nor did she bring it up and say anything about it...so I don't know.

AT: How did she feel about meeting you?

SS: I think she was very happy to meet me. We had so much fun and shared so much from just the little time I was there with her. I think that she was very relieved to finally meet me because it took six months for us to finally meet after we had found out about each other. I think she was just as happy as I was and she will continue to look forward to meeting again.

AT: Do you and your twin sister have similar interests? Like what?

SS: I think it is very funny how much my sister and I have in common. From so far away, we seem to be almost identical. I did not realize this could happen if we were not living together. We both LOVE to sing and dance. Then we have similar tastes in color (yellow), similar tastes in guys (not too "clean-cut"), and similar tastes in clothes. Both my dad and her dad (my birth dad) said that they need a way to make us wear shorter pants. They talked to each other about how our pants drag on the ground and how they make the bottom of the pants look ratty. Then lastly, we have similar likes in food. I know that is very hard because the food is so different, but coffee-flavored (my favorite drink) drinks and food are very popular with her. Also, some of the Korean foods that she does not like, I do not either.

AT: How do you communicate with your birthfamily?

SS: I communicate with my birthfamily mostly through letters. The letters to my birthparents we have translated into Korean before we send them. The letters to my sister and brother I send in English so they can practice their English. When we receive letters from them my Korean teacher translates them for me. I have received one phone call from my birthfamily and I have tried to call them. I just recently received an e-mail address for them and sent an e-mail, but I have not heard a reply yet.

After meeting them I knew that I really wanted to keep in connection with them. I realized how important they were going to be and how much effort I would have to put into keeping in touch with them.

AT: Over the past year how have you dealt with the experience of finding and meeting your birthfamily.

SS: Through my friends, family and other people I have been able to deal with the experience of finding and meeting my birthfamily. It was hard when I first came back from my trip to Korea because all I could think about was my birthfamily. After realizing that I was not the only one who has been to Korea, met their birthfamily, and then had to leave them, I felt a little better. One of my very good friends, Hannah, helped me through a lot of my hard times. She had recently gone to Korea and met her birthmother and sisters. She had experienced the excitement and happiness of being with them and the pain and sadness after leaving them, too. Together we were able to talk about our feelings and emotions with each other. Also, I have been taking Korean classes. When I'm there I just think about my birthfamily and it helps me to relax because I know each time I am there, I am one step closer to being able to communicate with them. I also listen to a lot of Korean music, and watch Korean music videos, and read Korean magazines. This helps me practice my Korean. I talk with my friends on the Internet who speak Korean fluently and that helps me too.

AT: How would you describe this experience and what do you think the next few years will be like?

SS: I would say that this experience was very good. I think that this was the best learning experience I have ever had to face. Not only did I get to find my missing family I also got to meet many new people. I got to see their culture, and the way they actually ran their daily life. I felt more attached to Korea through them and I also feel like I got to meet new friends. Even though they were my family, since I had never met them before it felt even more special. I learned about their jobs, their friends, their interests, and their country-Korea. It was something so important to me.

I think that in years to come, I will try to plan another meeting time. I hope after high school, either my brother and sister will be able to come over here, or I will be able to go back. I just want to keep writing to them and staying in contact. I will try to call them more and I will continue practicing Korean.

Suzanne Switzer is a fifteen-year-old sophomore at East High School in Denver, Colorado. She is an active teenager who likes to dance, sing, and play sports. She is on the swim team, snowboards, and takes dance and Korean language classes. And in her spare time she likes to hang out with her friends.

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