On May 7, activists of the Korean Council visited a halmoni living in Gyeonggi-do. May 8 marks both Parents’ Day and halmoni’s birthday, so we prepared her birthday presents—fresh fruit, beef, red ginseng, a cake, and a bouquet of flowers—hoping she would enjoy them.
Halmoni greeted us with warmth and gratitude, saying, “You’ve come all the way from Mapo, how thoughtful,” and “Why did you bring so much?” She couldn’t let her guests leave empty-handed. She served bread, soy milk, vitamin drinks, telling the activists to “Help yourself.” With a watchful eye, she made sure the activists finished every last bite and drink. As soon as we did, she cheerfully brought out another round of snacks, despite the our full stomachs. For halmoni, sharing food is one of the ways she expresses her love.
Her wit and humor were unmatched. Teasing the activists for being from Seoul, she jokingly called them “Seoul city kids.” When they tried to stop her from going back to the fridge for more snacks, she playfully resisted, saying, “I’m going anyway!”. Noticing that we had rolled up her long trousers, she quipped, “Did you put your pants on inside out?” with a mischievous grin.
Time always flies when spending it with halmoni. Though it was hard to part ways, we promised to return soon. As we held her hand and said goodbyes, she sent us off with a heartfelt, “Come back again, okay?” We hope to take a walk with her once the weather warms up even more. Until next month. Stay healthy, halmoni!
On May 7, activists of the Korean Council visited a halmoni living in Gyeonggi-do. May 8 marks both Parents’ Day and halmoni’s birthday, so we prepared her birthday presents—fresh fruit, beef, red ginseng, a cake, and a bouquet of flowers—hoping she would enjoy them.
Halmoni greeted us with warmth and gratitude, saying, “You’ve come all the way from Mapo, how thoughtful,” and “Why did you bring so much?” She couldn’t let her guests leave empty-handed. She served bread, soy milk, vitamin drinks, telling the activists to “Help yourself.” With a watchful eye, she made sure the activists finished every last bite and drink. As soon as we did, she cheerfully brought out another round of snacks, despite the our full stomachs. For halmoni, sharing food is one of the ways she expresses her love.
Her wit and humor were unmatched. Teasing the activists for being from Seoul, she jokingly called them “Seoul city kids.” When they tried to stop her from going back to the fridge for more snacks, she playfully resisted, saying, “I’m going anyway!”. Noticing that we had rolled up her long trousers, she quipped, “Did you put your pants on inside out?” with a mischievous grin.
Time always flies when spending it with halmoni. Though it was hard to part ways, we promised to return soon. As we held her hand and said goodbyes, she sent us off with a heartfelt, “Come back again, okay?” We hope to take a walk with her once the weather warms up even more. Until next month. Stay healthy, halmoni!