Wake-Up Call

After work today I will get some batteries so I can post more pictures.

Anyway.....

I stayed up late last night watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother on DVD. It made me feel better since it was a dose of home that allowed me to forget that, at the moment, I feel pretty lost in translation. Even with my own coworkers. The other English teachers have been extremely kind, but I constantly find myself feeling shy and awkward. I end up making corny jokes that come off sounding either stupid or creepy. I just don't feel at all like myself around them. Although I have to remember that I felt the same way when I first began working at the credit union. I just need to find my comfort zone. But it has yet to happen and I've been feeling isolated and a little lonely, despite the smothering I get from my birth family.

This morning I intended to sleep in because my class doesn't begin until 4PM and I don't have as much prep work to do as today I'll have only one class learning the same lesson I taught the previous two days. But instead of sleeping in, I awoke to a phone call from Unkyung. I contemplated ignoring it for a second, but then realized that doing so would prompt an unannounced visit from the b-parents.

"My father want you come our home," she said, after apologizing for waking me.
"When?"
"Now."

I have yet to figure out how to deal with this situation. I was grumpy (not a morning person, as many of you already know) and annoyed. Apparently the restaurant was closed for the day. They close the restaurant once a week on any given day, depending on how tired either my birth mother is or birth father is. It's like a "mental health day," as my mom calls it. Even though I realized this, the expectation that I change all my plans (not that they were many) at the drop of a hat nearly enraged me. My reaction was exaggerated because I was tired, but I couldn't help but feel the whole situation dripped of selfishness. But what can I say? They insist on buying me things all the time (which, quite honestly, makes me uncomfortable) so I don't feel I can refuse.

Unkyung and Unsun were at my apartment twenty minutes later. When we arrived at my birth family's home, my birth mother came to hug me and soon my birth father joined in. It was one big trio-hug. When we sat down, my birth father sat beside me and held my hand and asked me if I was happy. I wanted to say, "Actually, I'm really tired and if I had known YESTERDAY that I'd be called upon, I would have gone to bed earlier. But since no one considered that, I am very tired." Instead, I said, "Yes, I am very happy." To which he replied, "Happy? Happy! Happy! Happy!" Birth mother began to laugh at that point, handing him a plate of spam.

During breakfast my birth father downed a full bottle of Soju. For those who don't know, Soju normally comes in a green bottle roughly the size of a 12 oz. bottle of beer. Except Soju is more like grocery store liquor. It contains about 20-something per cent alcohol. After downing the bottle, Birth Father quickly became more affectionate. He talked about when he was in a medically induced coma and how his main thought was that he'd never get to see me again. He'd make a couple comments that prompted some laughs, but only from Birth Mother. Unkyung and Unsun looked on, their facing showing embarassment and impatience. At one point, Grandmother smacked his leg and told him to "take it easy!" He ignored her and continued to talk and press his cheek against mine. He also felt it necessary to mention that I'm the best out of all his daughters. And, of course, that when we were born I was a beautiful baby but Unkyung was an ugly one. These comments made me nervous and uncomfortable. He spoke a few words in English as well, letting me know that his goal was to be able to talk to and thank my parents in English when they come and visit Korea.

From what I can tell, my birth parents seem to be very fond of each other. My birth mother showed her wedding picture with pride and always laughs at my birth father's jokes. She gazed at him with a soft, affectionate look as he alternately held my hand, hugged me, pressed his cheek against mine, and declared, "Happy! Happy!" Although at one point, he asked me if I liked him or my birth mother more. I told him I liked both of them very much, but he didn't want to hear that and wanted me to choose. In the end, I stuck to my guns.

He insisted on buying me a dresser for my apartment. Today. When I told him I had no time today, he told Unkyung to tell me that I should give them my keys! With Unkyung's help, I wriggled out of that and left, keys secure in my purse. On the way home, Unkyung said, "He was drunk." I thought, "No kidding."

So that's a cautionary tale about Soju before noon.