Home Sweet Home

The whole family came to pick me up from JFK on Sunday night. When my dad spotted me waiting on the curb, he literally jumped out of the car and came running to embrace me. It was a sizeable stretch, and during that prolonged moment, it occurred to me that I should be the one running to him. (I had just seen the movie Taken on the plane—remember how the daughter always came bounding to hug her dad? It was kind of awkward for a 17-year-old...) I made a halfhearted jog to my dad, but big displays of affection don’t come very naturally to me--or to Asian families in general, I think it’s safe to say. My dad is the traditional Korean dad down to a T; he’s managed to resist virtually all Western influences during the 25+ years he’s lived in America...but maybe he’s learned a thing or two from Danny Tanner! I know part of it was my dad being his playful self, but it was still a poignant moment for me--it made me think of the song "When God Ran" and the parable of the prodigal son.

Another endearing thing that my dad does: Whenever one of the many plants in our house blooms, he brings it up to my room for me to enjoy!

This one is my favorite!

It was my inspiration during 1L finals.

My parents are so cute. Here are a few classic East-meets-West quotes from the past couple of days:

Daddy trying to convince my brother Daniel to drink some Johnnie Walker with him after Daniel refuses for lack of mixers: “남자들은 on the rocks 먹는거야." ("Men are supposed to drink on the rocks.")

Mommy confessing where all the good ice cream went (imitating the slang she hears from Daniel and Steven): "I killed it."

It’s good to be home! It's all about the simple pleasures in life: my mom’s awesome Korean cooking (although I gotta say, tonight’s 떡볶이 wasn’t up to par, Mommy); driving around suburbia; going for an early morning jog with Mommy; peaches and strawberries; listening to Mommy sing while Steven plays the piano; central air conditioning; napping in my parents’ bed; picking beach reads at my local library...
In just a few days, the whole family, all 6 of us, will be together again for a week-long vacation at the shore! Can't wait!