On reunion, lockdown, and learning to celebrate yourself
What do birth family reunion, drag, and skating have in common? For Australian Korean adoptee Ellie Kim, all of these things have helped her get to where she is today.
In this casual, wide ranging convo, Ellie tells us about how meeting her birth family was a turning point in her life, and how she learned to embrace her numerous identities with the help of community, writing, and good mental health support. We also discuss self-care during lockdown, social media boundaries (or lack thereof), and therapy via Zoom. For anyone who’s unaware, Ellie and Ryan’s current city of Melbourne is - as of this episode's release - in its 241st day of lockdown: the longest, strictest lockdown in the world. There’s not much we can say or do, but we like to think of this as an audio condolence message to all our listeners undergoing lockdown in Melbourne and elsewhere - and invite you to imagine that we’re in your living room sharing a nice cup of tea, some chocolate (preferably Cadbury Marble), and perhaps donning an Oodie.
More about Ellie: Ellie is a 30 something year old digital communications professional, sometime writer and okay roller skater living in Melbourne. She met her birth family in 2013 as part of G.O.A.L's First Trip Home and is very slowly writing a book about it.
Feel free to follow her on the 'Gram at @irrellievancy for dodgy skate videos, dogs and food.
Plus, check out Ellie’s piece in Archer magazine here: https://archermagazine.com.au/2021/07/celebrating-korean-australian-identity/