GRAND Magazine - July 2009 - 26

cover story My kids love looking through scrapbooks and seeing all their relatives. seeing all their relatives. In 2003 my husband and I and Anna, who was an infant, lived in Korea for almost a year. I preserved all those memories in a scrapbook. After we moved back to the states, my in-laws visited us in 2006. I captured those memories in photographs and on video camera. Now, the children watch their grandparents “on television.” (However, I still believe the simplest is the best: posting photos on the refrigerator door so the children can see them and think about them every day.) Although my husband and I have taught them a little, and Anna attended a Korean language school on Saturdays for a while, the children haven’t learned very many Korean words. But, they know the ones that are important! “Hal-mo-ni, sa-rong-hayo” (Grandma, I love you), they say on the phone. Crisp piCKs: Editor’s CHoiCE And Anna and Isaac have learned quite a bit about the Korean culture. Since my husband eats mainly Korean food, I have learned to cook some of his favorite recipes. (Friends from our Korean church taught me—although I am ethnically Korean, I am still culturally from Iowa!) My children love eating rice and mild-tasting Korean food. A baby’s first birthday is a huge, costly event for Koreans. As we were in Korea when Anna turned 1, she was given a traditional birthday, celebrated at a fancy restaurant with relatives and friends. Her grandmother bought her the traditional outfit, a brightly colored hanbok. Other relatives and her grandfather gave her gifts of gold and money! Each Korean guest usually gives about $200 minimum to a baby on the baby’s first birthday. Anna also participated in a fun event to choose her future. Several items were laid in front of her: string to represent long life, a pencil to represent intelligence, money to represent wealth. The tradition says that the first item she chooses will become her destiny. She picked the pencil. Indeed, she is academically advanced! Since Isaac’s first birthday occurred while we were living in Arizona, the event was a mixture of Korean and American traditions. Neither set of grandparents was able to attend. My husband’s sister and some Korean and American friends helped us celebrate. Isaac wore a hanbok given by his aunt and also chose the pencil for his destiny. Instead of Korean food, we ate at the Old Country Buffet. Isaac received American gifts of toys and clothes, plus money from his Korean grandparents. Every night Anna and Isaac pray, “Dear God, thank you for halmoni and hal-aboji and Grandma and Grandpa.” We all pray they can see all their grandparents soon. In the meantime, we’ll keep the memories fresh. G A 13-year-old book, Still Life with Rice: A Young American Woman Discovers the Life and Legacy of Her Korean Grandmother, by Helie Lee , is the intimate biography of a woman who, with her children, struggled to endure poverty, war, occupation and relocation. A rare—and timely—glimpse into the lives of North Koreans, this book offers understanding of a strict culture surviving under relentlessly harsh circumstances. Beautifully told, compelling, highly recommended. 26 GRAND JULY 2009

GRAND Magazine - July 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - July 2009