I wonder what my in-laws think of me now? I never met them until 6 months after I'd been married. They tracked us down through a friend of a friend of her's. We met them at the subway station and walked back to one of our first apartments. It was barely bigger then a closet, if fact, my parents had a bigger closet in the house I grew up in. I would hide in that closet when playing hide and seek with my sister-- you could get lost in it, like the wardrobe of narnia, but I regress...
She walked with her mom and talked. I walked with her dad (as he glared at me) and smoked. I learned later it was very rude to smoke in front of your elders. At 35, I usually was the elder. It was so rude that both her older brothers, both of whom were actually older than me, had never been seen smoking by their father although he was well aware they smoked.
After a few meetings, they warmed up to me. I was helpful in the kitchen, I even cooked (they were shocked! Most men can barely cook instant noodles in this country). I can drink like a fish, and her old man finally had a son to hang out with, drink and smoke, without the usual social hangups so prevalent in Korean society (I wasn't korean, after all).
Time went on. We learned more about each other. I'm pretty handy with tools, so I would often help the old man with his various projects. They had a garden restaurant, so when we would visit, I would help with their small zoo, having grown up with a small zoo myself, including geese, horses, dogs, cats and mice. Building new enclosures, feeding chickens, etc. I helped mom serve customers (a waegook serving us food!?!) They loved me, I was very fond of them. What went wrong?
I wonder what they think if me now?
She walked with her mom and talked. I walked with her dad (as he glared at me) and smoked. I learned later it was very rude to smoke in front of your elders. At 35, I usually was the elder. It was so rude that both her older brothers, both of whom were actually older than me, had never been seen smoking by their father although he was well aware they smoked.
After a few meetings, they warmed up to me. I was helpful in the kitchen, I even cooked (they were shocked! Most men can barely cook instant noodles in this country). I can drink like a fish, and her old man finally had a son to hang out with, drink and smoke, without the usual social hangups so prevalent in Korean society (I wasn't korean, after all).
Time went on. We learned more about each other. I'm pretty handy with tools, so I would often help the old man with his various projects. They had a garden restaurant, so when we would visit, I would help with their small zoo, having grown up with a small zoo myself, including geese, horses, dogs, cats and mice. Building new enclosures, feeding chickens, etc. I helped mom serve customers (a waegook serving us food!?!) They loved me, I was very fond of them. What went wrong?
I wonder what they think if me now?
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