A Happy Ending to my Happy New Year... Thursday, February 3

We had arrived at Grandma Kim's house late last night, just after 10pm. Buyeo is total country-style so us arriving after 10pm meant we arrived to a house with all it's lights out and everyone sleeping. Sleep time is usually around 8pm and wake up is usually 5am.

Now that Grandpa Kim is gone, holidays are marked with a ceremony directed towards him, so the morning was spent cooking various foods for his ceremony. Usually its just the men of the family that are involved in the ceremony so they get decked out in suits while me and the other women in the house get lunch ready. Can't say I'm much help in the kitchen unless you refer to the fact that I help clean the dishes by cleaning off the dishes (eat the food... hahaha). K-Gere usually jumps in and saves me from the frowning looks of the women by getting me to help him chop the fire wood with the rest of the men.

Things to play with and entertain yourself with are pretty low at Grandma K's house. The goat outside that I use to play with is now gone... and eaten?! Dong Kae (translation "Poo Dog") that lives outside beside the goat's old home looks like it's going to pounce on me every time I come close to him so he's a no-go for playing with. Snickers' little second cousin is a spoiled rotten child so I have no interest in her besides thinking it's funny to randomly lock her in the smelly bathroom and hide from her. Moreover, the Kim family isn't really into playing any traditional Korean games but instead spend their time eating and chatting on the floor. I usually sit beside Grandma Kim whose wandering ultra small hands always seem to find their way to my legs or to my tush... hahaha. I like her. I snooped around today and found some old pictures of her... wow. She was definitely a looker! She's still very pretty though she never seems to smile for any of my pictures.

Ended up entertaining myself by dodging K-Gere's brother, who is still very attached to the idea that I'm some kind of display on show, and chatting with Snickers' sister. I ended up teaching the youngest second cousin, a little butterball not quite one year yet, how to high five as a joke. I even added a slapping sound effect but now she insists on high fiving everyone... hahaha.

I always feel like I have to be on my best behaviour when here which I've translated into "be quiet, sit and look pretty". Today I was feeling a bit too bored with fitting this translation that I've thrown upon myself so when K-Gere joked and told me I wasn't allowed to eat the breakfast, I blurted out, "I'm ok with that if you're ok with walking back to Cheonan" [we drove together here in Snickers' car]. Everyone broke out into a laugher. "I didn't know she knew how to speak Korean!" his brother added, and with that K-Gere literally rolled over on the floor and laughed. I think I may have even seen a tear.

I was relieved to have passed another family holiday here in Korea. Lunar New Year and Chusok come but only once a year but I squirm at the thought of them. I was quite surprised that this year the new year's celebration was better than had anticipated.

Upon arriving back to Cheonan we then headed off to Mama Kim's house, yet again. Being in her house marks the uncomfortable part of the holiday. Snickers convinced her to let us go home, shower and come back but what ended up happening is Snickers and I ended up falling asleep back at Ggum Guum. She told us to come back in an hour but we came back in three.

Celebrated the end of the holiday with a cup of much deserved coffee with Cat at Starbucks.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's your family like?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
-- Dr. Seuss