I grew up in the Midwest as a Korean adoptee. Living in Seoul helped me finally feel Korean and American. Jillian Kurovski was adopted from South Korea as a baby and grew up in the Midwest. Provided by Jillian Kurovski. Jillian Kurovski, a Ph.D. student, was adopted from South Korea as a baby and raised in the Midwest. After reconnecting with her birth family, she found a way back to South Korea through her work. Spending a year in Seoul near her birth family helped her better understand her identity. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jillian Kurovski, a 27-year-old Ph.D. student living in South Korea for a year. It has been edited for length and clarity. I was doing spider research in Guam when I got an email saying that my birth mother wanted to meet me. There were so many emotions, but mostly joy. I already had a three-day layover in South Korea planned on my way back to the US, and she agreed to see me while I was there.…