family

I’ll be on a pretty strict blogging diet the next few days, as my parents are visiting from the States. And, as many of you know, writing about one’s parents on the Internets can be all kinds of dangerous. Don’t want to offend and jeopardize the inheritance.

With that in mind …

I hope that I’ll be able to update soon with pictures of the fun! amazing! things! that we’ve been doing. But I did want to say that in their first 24 hours here Mom and Dad have really been troupers—going shopping in our neighborhood, eating Korean food* and—in my dad’s case—taking the subway and neighborhood bus solo (without even a cell phone for backup) to explore the city.

Since David and I haven’t both been able to take the entire week off (I am only working part-time, anyway, and only three days this week), this really put my fears to rest about leaving them to fend for themselves for several hours the first day.

My confidence was slightly shaken, however, after finding out that my dad returned from his trip to the Yongsan area yesterday afternoon and proceeded to drink an entire regular-size bottle of Chamisul soju by himself while watching TV, mistaking it for the Korean equivalent of a “light beer.”

When informed that this “beer” was, in fact, a rice-based liquor consisting of 20% alcohol by volume. He protested, “It doesn’t say that anywhere on that bottle!”

“Well, uh, no, not in English, Dad, but it does say that.”

Dinner last night was pretty interesting, (and involved even more soju) but both Mom and Dad got up bright and early and out the door at 6 a.m. today to take the USO tour to Panmunjon.

I’m trying not to watch the wires for news of an international incident.

*(Kimchi–not a fave; bulgogi last night was just “meh.” Surprisingly, kimbap, bibimbap (for Dad) and a side dish of spicy zucchini (Mom) have been the big hits.)

In my earlier post about arranged marriages, I speculated that one reason they might work is that spouses here traditionally spend relatively little time alone together.

Now, all that is beginning to change.

Jun In Kyung is one unhappy housewife.

Her husband’s employer just started giving him two Saturdays off a month. The 36-year-old wrestling teacher’s new schedule, though, means Ms. Jun has to spend more of her time cooking and doing extra housework. Plus, she grumbles, after staying out late with his buddies on Friday nights, her husband sleeps a lot on Saturdays — cramping their two children’s indoor playtime.

“Home is supposed to be women’s space and I don’t like it when he spends more time in my space,” says Ms. Jun, also 36. “It’s like an invasion.”

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What a day….what a day…as one singer famously said.

What a couple of days, actually. We are just finishing the first day of our honeymoon in Barcelona, and I haven’t even begun to process all the thoughts, and emotions and gratitude that we feel for the past weekend.

Our family and friends got together and made this day the most specacular and memorable of our lives. I will have to write much more about that later. But, I wanted to do a quick update to let everyone know we are here, safe and sound, and thinking about all of this. Thank you so much.

(Especially to Rebecca for our first wedding photos!). We will see all of you soon.