Mila Konomos was born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted into a white American military family stationed in Japan at six months old. As an infant, Mila would cry and screech nonstop. It wasn’t until her adoptive mother was flipping through tv channels she immediately stopped crying when she heard something familiar, Korean. This story was often humorously shared with Mila but for her, it's a story about grief and severance.

Now a mother of two, Mila addresses being an adoptee impacts how she raises her children. Her sense of rootlessness drives her desire to never have them experience the same things she has and to be secure in their identities. For Mila, parenthood is often a reminder of her grievances but she has found a greater sense of belonging in the family she is raising and has learned being herself is enough.

Thank you to Rayanne Williams of Atlanta, GA for coordinating this Legacy Project recording!

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CREDITS
Interviewer: HJ Lee
Videographer: Janice Chung https://www.janicechung.com/
Editor: Tiffany Jiang https://www.tiffanyjiang.com/
Production Coordinator: Young Sun https://www.kimberlyyoungsun.com/
Production Assistant: Deborah Baik
Music Composer: Jang Hyeong Yoon
Executive Producer: HJ Lee

KoreanAmericanStory.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and preserve the stories of the Korean American experience.