Fitness The Mary Way: A Two Timing Adoption Story-Journal 2
My college cheerleading squad affectionately called us “The Twinkies.” Asian looking on the outside, with Caucasian (Norwegian, English and Irish) influences on the inside, the nickname was fitting for adopted twin sisters a little out of place in the cornfields of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, our birthparents gave Caty and me up for adoption when we were 6 months old. Without a lot of money and two mouths to feed already, they hoped we would have a better life in America with loving parents and a stable home life.
Our parents already adopted a little girl from Korea in 1976, our sister, Ginny, when we came off the plane in 1978. Back then, friends and family were able to gather at the terminal. They encircled as we were escorted by a flight aide into our parents’ arms, making our family complete. March 7, 1978 is our “Gotcha” day, a second “birthday” if you will.
Growing up, I did everything with my twin, except share a ro
om or clothes. We both found gymnastics to be a good outlet for our endless energy. We loved challenging ourselves and goofing around. I played the trumpet and she switched over to the French horn. We played tricks on our teachers, exchanging books and back packs and going into each other’s classrooms. Caty even got me an A on a pop quiz once.
With puberty and high school came discovering our Korean heritage and working hard at the things we loved. We were always pushing for better grades, higher meet scores, having a date for the dance and eventually having a boyfriend. Caty usually was better at everything we did!
Most nights were spent watching endless hours of taped footage of our favorite gymnasts, cheerleading teams and fitness stars. It was a lot of daydreaming and hoping and wishing we could become like those beautiful people someday.
My looks were one of the hardest things to reconcile about being adopted. My older sister was picked on mercilessly for being overweight, “Chinese,” and four-eyed. I also had “four-eyes,” and couldn’t change the shape of my eyes. So I spent a lot of time searching for myself. In my twenties, I traveled to Korea four times, found my birth family, taught English as a second language and made peace about my beginnings.
For a long time, I hid behind being a twin. Caty was naturally outgoing, made friends easily and liked to take charge. She actually was the first to enter a fitness competition when she was twenty-four. Because I was rehabilitating a repaired ACL, I helped her choreograph some of her moves, but it was all her up there on the stage. I was so proud of her for actually doing it. It took me another six years before I jumped up there and fulfilled my childhood dream.
Now, with husbands and ch
ildren of our own, our lives are lived separately but in support of one another. I compete, spray tan and train. She stays at home with her three children, goes to Bible study and moms’ groups.
With the recent loss of our mom, it feels like I lost a huge part of my childhood. Suddenly, the big life moments fall on me to decide and I’m pretty sure I’m not ready for that yet. I am so glad my parents chose not to keep a quiet house by adopting us three. When we were growing up, people would tell my mom how lucky we girls were. She hated that sentiment, but looking back, I couldn’t agree more. Our lives wouldn’t have been the same if it hadn’t been for our loving and devoted parents.
Subscribe to RxMuscle on Youtube
