Jae, I love this picture (we all were wearing the same non-expression back in those days!) and adore your story. One of the greatest gifts of old age is perspective, isn't it? Even though my parents were constantly pining for money, none of their three kids ever went to bed hungry -- in fact, it was the opposite, sometimes we couldn't sleep because we were too FULL!
Even when it seemed like we had nothing, in truth we had everything we needed and then some. Happy 추석 to you, too. :)
Beautifully stated (as always) Sung. It was the same with us. I was aware of money and that my parents worked very hard to save it, but we never went a day without the best homecooked meals and hearty sack lunches that had everything we wanted to eat in them. They paid for our music and sports lessons, new clothes, whatever we needed. They went without, but we didn't. I remember we would go visit our cousins who lived in a nicer house than our first apartment. But I also remember how happy we felt to be back home. We really did have everything. I wish you and yours a happy 추석, too!
Thank you for sharing this story. I always love reading about your experiences and insights. It always makes me think that we could do better in teaching the next generation to be kinder and more respectful. Happy Chuseok to you too!
Your photo aged better than those Olan Mills or Sears photos all the other kids probably had. :)
This has nothing to do with Chuseok but your memory triggered my memory. My mom used to have a couple pairs of those rubber shoes that she would show when giving slide shows about Korea to people interested in adopting (which is a whole story in itself). I remember they were slender and my wide feet would not fit into them. I had forgotten about them until I started watching historical K-dramas. Those rubber shoes looked like the flower shoes I see in Joseon period dramas. After being in Korea last year I now know that the dominate green and red colors is the same green and red I see at the palaces and temples. A couple years back I asked my mom about those shoes and she said they had disintegrated.
I hope to be in Korea during Chuseok (with my kids) one of these years. Reading your article made me wonder if there's anyone who thinks about me at this time of year when they gather with family...
Oh Kat, I am sure they think about you, even if they don't voice it to their relatives for whatever reason. 💜 And more importantly, the most important people (your children) think of you every day.
One of the greatest blessings of my life was being able to experience childhood outside of North America.
It is part of the reason that I take my children travelling, and not to all inclusive resorts where you only get a hint of what life is like in the country you are visiting.
My class photos were taken with a parent’s camera while we sat on old wooden cable spools. They are my favourite class photos.
We cut through dirt roads in the sugar cane fields, because it was way faster than going all the way around, leaving the house freshly bathed and getting to school looking like we had taken a few spins in a tumble dryer full of dust.
The absolute ignorance I was met with from my classmates when I moved back to Canada halfway through grade 8 solidified that if I was ever going to have kids, they needed to be exposed to the world outside of their privileged North American bubble.
Ignorance is not an option in this household, because I would be devastated if they ever made any child feel the way those children made you feel about your photo.
And that's the thing. It's not that the children set out to be cruel, but they hadn't been taught how to behave with classmates who were different than they were. We like to expose our child to different lifestyles/cities/countries. Just because we live in the U.S., it doesn't make us the epicenter of anything...though some believe it to be so.
"minus the genocide." Not funny "Ha Ha", but funny like if we can't laugh, we will cry... HA Thank you for glimpses into the life of many of my friends gowning up - stories I never knew.
Jae, I love this picture (we all were wearing the same non-expression back in those days!) and adore your story. One of the greatest gifts of old age is perspective, isn't it? Even though my parents were constantly pining for money, none of their three kids ever went to bed hungry -- in fact, it was the opposite, sometimes we couldn't sleep because we were too FULL!
Even when it seemed like we had nothing, in truth we had everything we needed and then some. Happy 추석 to you, too. :)
Beautifully stated (as always) Sung. It was the same with us. I was aware of money and that my parents worked very hard to save it, but we never went a day without the best homecooked meals and hearty sack lunches that had everything we wanted to eat in them. They paid for our music and sports lessons, new clothes, whatever we needed. They went without, but we didn't. I remember we would go visit our cousins who lived in a nicer house than our first apartment. But I also remember how happy we felt to be back home. We really did have everything. I wish you and yours a happy 추석, too!
I love the closing comment about how 추석 is different from Thanksgiving! You shared a beautiful picture and an important story. Thank you.
Thanks for taking the time to read it, Vicki!
I'm glad you can still find the beauty in this childhood photo. What a lovely story.
Thank you, Kathy!
Thank you for sharing this story. I always love reading about your experiences and insights. It always makes me think that we could do better in teaching the next generation to be kinder and more respectful. Happy Chuseok to you too!
I do think that each generation is more aware, which is promising! Happy weekend to you, Alyssa!
Your photo aged better than those Olan Mills or Sears photos all the other kids probably had. :)
This has nothing to do with Chuseok but your memory triggered my memory. My mom used to have a couple pairs of those rubber shoes that she would show when giving slide shows about Korea to people interested in adopting (which is a whole story in itself). I remember they were slender and my wide feet would not fit into them. I had forgotten about them until I started watching historical K-dramas. Those rubber shoes looked like the flower shoes I see in Joseon period dramas. After being in Korea last year I now know that the dominate green and red colors is the same green and red I see at the palaces and temples. A couple years back I asked my mom about those shoes and she said they had disintegrated.
I hope to be in Korea during Chuseok (with my kids) one of these years. Reading your article made me wonder if there's anyone who thinks about me at this time of year when they gather with family...
Oh Kat, I am sure they think about you, even if they don't voice it to their relatives for whatever reason. 💜 And more importantly, the most important people (your children) think of you every day.
Thank you for sharing this. I identify in my own way. And I am grateful to hear about your, unique experience.
Thank you so much!
One of the greatest blessings of my life was being able to experience childhood outside of North America.
It is part of the reason that I take my children travelling, and not to all inclusive resorts where you only get a hint of what life is like in the country you are visiting.
My class photos were taken with a parent’s camera while we sat on old wooden cable spools. They are my favourite class photos.
We cut through dirt roads in the sugar cane fields, because it was way faster than going all the way around, leaving the house freshly bathed and getting to school looking like we had taken a few spins in a tumble dryer full of dust.
The absolute ignorance I was met with from my classmates when I moved back to Canada halfway through grade 8 solidified that if I was ever going to have kids, they needed to be exposed to the world outside of their privileged North American bubble.
Ignorance is not an option in this household, because I would be devastated if they ever made any child feel the way those children made you feel about your photo.
And that's the thing. It's not that the children set out to be cruel, but they hadn't been taught how to behave with classmates who were different than they were. We like to expose our child to different lifestyles/cities/countries. Just because we live in the U.S., it doesn't make us the epicenter of anything...though some believe it to be so.
"minus the genocide." Not funny "Ha Ha", but funny like if we can't laugh, we will cry... HA Thank you for glimpses into the life of many of my friends gowning up - stories I never knew.
Grateful to have you reading my posts, Lori. Thank you!