Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, February 24

1. Despite my year-long avoidance of meeting more of Q's family, somehow today Q managed to convince me to meet his father and his grandmother, Q Sr. and Granny Q. Recently Q just bought a new apartment in Mokcheon and so today I agreed to help him move his stuff there. One problem, his washing machine was at his grandmother's house, which ultimately meant I had to go there with him.

2. Meeting the parents has never been a problem with me, in Canada that is, but here in Korea things are so different. I'm not one of those traditional girls who OK with a life of cooking, cleaning and tending to the family. My cooking consists of eggs and chicken, I'm a great cleaner, but I don't want to tend to a family because I don't want a family of my own. And when Korean mothers hear this and note that I box, play wrestle, and my idea of cooking is paying someone else to do it, I'm sure I must come across as the man in the relationship. I've already met Q's mother however, and she really liked me. I think I won her over with my manners (yes, I do have manners... I just chose not to share them with some of you annoying homepage commenters), and my appetite. I ate everything she fed me... hahaha.

3. As we pulled down a small country road, I knew I had but a few remaining minutes before Q's truck would be approached by Granny Q. Q Sr. has had numerous brain surgeries and so, for the most part, he lives with his mother on the farm, Q's grandmother.

4. When I got out of Q's truck, Q told me to hug them. He's got this impression that all Westerners hug each other but I'm so not a hugging kind of gal. Having gone to university in Toronto with a large crowd of Italians and Portuguese crew of friends, I'm one of those a kiss-on-both-cheeks kind of gal.

5. Most of my visit consisted of giggling, well, that and eating the delicious kimchi jjigga that his grandmother cooked us. I just couldn't get over how closely Q resembled his father. Their appearances, face gestures, body language,... even their laugh was the same.

6. As for Granny Q she rambled on about life on the farm and I tried to follow but she talked to fast. She'd stop ever so often in between her sentences, note me trying hard to make sense of her words, and then she'd give a giggle and pat me on the bum... hahaha.

7. Q introduced me to his family dog, Mary, which upon asking him what her name was I seriously think he made up a name on the spot. Later I asked Granny Q how old Mary was and she said, "Mary who?"... hahaha. She was a beautiful dog with blonde and white fur, and who's eyes looked like they belonged to a wolf. Mary's an outdoor dog so needless to say she was pretty dirty but that didn't stop me from petting her and repeatedly kissing her head.

8. We didn't stay too long at Q's grandmother's house, just long enough to get in a couple of giggles, a couple of hugs, and a bowl of kimchi jjigga. It was nice to meet them, very nice actually. And despite Granny Q going on about how her house wasn't "presentable", I thought it was perfect. She lives in this very old traditional Korean house way out in the sticks and I'm convinced it's the only place in Korea where you can hear nothing but your own breathing and thoughts. Q says that house has been in his family for over a hundred years and so I like how shows character and age.

9. After Granny Q got in one more pat to my bum, we were off finish moving stuff into Q's new apartment. He bought the apartment a couple of months ago at a kind of police auction and is hoping to rent it out soon. It's a beautiful three bedroom apartment with, and get this,... an oven!!!

10. Moving stuff was followed by grocery shopping and then grocery shopping was followed by an extended long cat nap that turned into a "Seniors nap"... which then turned into me calling it a night early.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you act your age?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
-- Mark Twain