Name/Korean name: Tae Kneidinger/Oh, Tae-Kyoo

First KAtCH event: Chuseok 2023

Where did you grow up/Where do you live now?
I grew up in upstate New York, the town of Niskayuna to be exact, for the first 10 years of my life. Then our family moved to Richmond, Virginia after. I've spent much of my life after college living in the Washington D.C. area but now happy to call Logan Square in Chicago home!

Tell us about yourself:
From what I know, I was born in Gyeonggi province and came to the U.S. when I was about 4 months old. I have 2 younger sisters, neither of which is adopted. Growing up, I did not see or know many Asian Americans, much less other Korean adoptees, so never really got to experience diversity or other cultures as a kid, which I recall definitely had an impact on me even from a young age as I quickly knew I was different but didn't really have anyone to relate to. I, like many adoptees, have definitely struggled with the idea of identity and where did I even belong?

The major turning point for me was actually working with a fellow transracial Korean adoptee who was also a therapist at the beginning of 2023. Through my talks with her I really discovered that I wanted to find a community of other KADs, to finally have others that completely understood the experiences that I've had and people who I could relate to. My close circle has always been great to me but they could never place themselves in my exact shoes and know exactly how it felt. 

So that really started my journey down this path and led me to stumble across IKAA while searching for KAD communities in the U.S. That is what led me to learning about KAtCH and also the chance to attend the IKAA 2023 conference and go back to Korea for the first time. While at IKAA, I was fortunate enough to meet some of the KAtCH members and from that point on, I knew I wanted to move to Chicago. When I got a new job here in the fall, I decided to make the jump and I've now been in Chicago since September 2023 and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

You’ll likely KAtCH me doing the following:
Since I'm still pretty new to Chicago, I love exploring the city and finding new experiences, especially through food. Special shoutout to my fellow Slightly Physical, Always 100 members :) Always down to try anything, especially all the Korean spots we have.

I also like to try to stay as active as I can, so enjoy anything sports/game wise. Lately that has been just walking around the city, golfing, and trying to get into rock climbing!  

My boring day job is being a financial planner so if anyone ever wants free help with their finances, just let me know!

Why do you enjoy being involved with the KAtCH community?
KAtCH is so special to me because as I mentioned, I've never had anyone in my life that I could talk to and share these experiences with, or to simply surround myself with others who just simply get it, no questions asked. It has been so freeing feeling like I can almost be my true self with no filter for the outside world. I so appreciate the space that KAtCH provides all of us to make friendships, explore our pasts, and empower each other along this journey that we are all on. Knowing I have others that I can support and they will support me back has been nothing short of amazing. 

Favorite restaurant(s) in Chicagoland: 
Taqueria Moran, Joong Boo, Akahoshi Ramen, Yeowoosai

Find me/Social Media: IG: tkneidin