Patrick (“Pat”) was adopted from Vietnam at six months old and raised in Central Pennsylvania, just outside of Harrisburg, where he still lives today. At sixteen, he returned to Vietnam on a motherland tour with his adoption agency — a trip that would profoundly shape his understanding of his own story. During that visit, he met his birth mother for the first time. His birth father had already passed away.

In this episode of Color Shift, Pat reflects on what it was like to return to his birth country as a teenager, to stand face-to-face with the woman who gave him life, and to begin integrating pieces of his identity that once felt distant or abstract.

He also shares about finding adoptee community later in life through a local social media group — and what happened when he took a chance and showed up to an event without knowing anyone in the room.

This is a conversation about reunion, risk, and the unexpected ways belonging can find us when we decide to step into the unknown.

Harrisburg AAPI Website: HAAPI

HAAPI Instagram: @harrisburgaapi

Pat's personal Instagram: @pattythang

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If you are a transracial adoptee and want to share your story email me at: [email protected]