Second Gen

We grow up with labels forced upon us and labels we put on ourselves. When I was growing up, I identified myself as a "second generation" Korean. We'd use this term to identify ourselves as different from our parents' generation that were born and raised in Korea. Dave grew up labeled as a 1.5 generation because he was born in Korea and raised here.

Yet, using these terms, I've realized excludes the tens and hundreds of generations that have preceded me. Those who have experienced oppression, war, and even abundance in the divided Korea and the united Korea before 1945.

Through this family history project, I realize my identity and culture does not only come from my parents' and grandparents' generation, but from a rich history, tradition and culture that goes beyond. I hope that the third generation, Joseph, Elliott, Edward and Sharon, and hopefully more to come, realize this important fact.

This marks the end of Jiea and my interview with our grandparents. I'd love to interview more family members and record more stories.

Q&A Part 2

Jiea: If you can choose one age you can be forever, what age would it be and why?

Grandma: "I wanted to live until about 70." Oops, Grandma, I think you understood the question wrong. "I was the happiest during my early twenties when we were married and our kids were young. But as one gets older, more and more problems arise within the family, with the kids, with the husband, and the burden gets heavier. I had no worries in my twenties. I met my match and the world was good."

Grandpa: "I enjoyed it the most when I was growing up with my grandparents (around elementary school). I didn't know much about the world then."


Joshua: Who's your favorite grandchild?

Grandpa: "Who asked that question? Tell Joshua, he's my least favorite!"

Grandma: "We love all our grandchildren equally. There's no difference between them."

Grandpa: "Wanting to be the favorite grandchild is really up to you all! If you come visit us often, we'll favor you."


Lena: Has Grandpa or Grandma every broken the law?

Grandma: "I've broken God's law. I was three months pregnant and I erased the baby, after five children."

Grandpa: "I've broken the law many times before I believed in Christ. I've never killed anyone or been arrested for a crime."


Hannah: What is your favorite thing that your spouse does?

Grandma: "Grandpa is very honest. That is one thing I've admired all my life. If he did something wrong, I won't tell him right away. I wait 3 days to tell him and he's okay. If I tell him right away, he gets mad."

Grandpa: "In the old days, I liked everything about her. But lately, she's been interfering too much. Too much nagging!"

Lois: "Grandpa, you're supposed to say something good!"

Grandma: "Don't you like my cooking?"

Grandpa: "I can't think of anything good. She's been nitpicking too much. She never used to nag."

All of us broke out in laughter.


Lena: What is your fondest memory of great grandma Moonchul?

Grandma: "She was always so true to herself. She never talked bad about people or complained about the food. She was devoted and faithful to her family. She was always so hardworking."

Grandpa: "Your grandma said it all. When she died, she died so peacefully. Before we went to morning prayer, she was sleeping. But when I came back, your grandma went to check on her and to bring her some porridge and she suddenly started shouting that something was wrong. I put my hand on her chest and it was warm, but her hands and feet were so cold. She didn't have any struggle. Your grandma and I keep saying that she was so blessed. She was so sacrificial in her life for her children and when she passed away, she died so peacefully at the age of 102. Your grandma was always good to her mother-in-law. That's why adore her so much."

Grandma: "We used to live in an two-story apartment. When it was nine-o'clock, she would crawl up the stairs. That night, we didn't even know that she would pass away."


Joshua: What were each of your kids like growing up?

Grandpa: "Growing up, I was a very stern father. After I believed in Jesus, I was much better. Before I knew Christ, when I would come home, your Aunt Younghee would hide. She later told me after I believed in Christ that she didn't know she was running away from such a nice man. Uncle Chang wouldn't be able to ask me for money, but would ask great grandma Moonchul for money. Your mother, Sookhee, was very gentle. Uncle Paul had a gentle and meek disposition. He was the class president. Uncle Peter was a real man. At church, the kids would surround him and follow him wherever he went. He had leadership."


Aunt Chu: What's your favorite hymn?

나 위하여 십자가에 중한 고통 받으사
My Life Flows On (How Can I Keep from Singing) by Robert Lowry


고통의 멍의 벗으려고 주께로 갑니다
Jesus I Come (Out of My Bondage) by George C. Stebbins


Aunt Chu: If you can change one thing in your life, what would you change?

Grandpa: After believing in Christ, what else would I change? I'll hold on to that until the day I die.

Grandma: What would I change?

Lois: Are you content with your life now?

Grandma and Grandpa in unison: Yes! We are happiest when we see our grandchildren.


Joshua: What is one place in the world you would like to visit?

Grandma: We've been everywhere. Canada, US, Korea. There's no place we would want to go.

Grandpa: There's only one place I would like to go... and that is to our Father in Heaven. Whatever you see on this earth can be on TV. I don't put hope in things of this world.


Lena: What was Grandma's family like?

Grandma: "Our family was faithful and very wealthy. Our relatives were very harmonious and got along well. My great grandfathers were scholars. They studied in Japan, because Korea was under Japanese rule to become successful they had to go to Japan. At that time the women only had elementary education."


Uncle Peter: What is one message you want to relay to the whole family right now?

Grandpa: "Never leave the faith. And the whole family should make it a priority to meet together and fellowship with each other in the faith."


What is one message you want to relay to the future generations?

Grandpa: "It's the same as to our family now. What's important is that the next generation's destiny is in God's hands and their hands, not in mine. I can pray for you and wish blessings upon you, but it is not mine or your parents' responsibility. Your destiny is in your own hands and God's. Everything should be accomplished within the faith and not in materialism. I spent money lavishly throughout my life and did everything my heart desired, but in the end, it's all futile without Christ."

Q&A Part 1

Before we met with Grandma and Grandpa, Jiea made a round of calls to anybody who would answer and asked if they had any questions they wanted answered from Grandma and Grandpa. Before we asked each question, we told them who it was that asked it.

Hannah: When was the first time you knew you were in love with each other?

Grandma eagerly answered, when they met for the first time with the intention to marry. Remember, they were matched by their parents. Grandma said he was handsome, tall, had a good family and a good heart. She liked everything about him. When I asked Grandpa, he said, at the time, whatever the parents asked of you was obligatorily "yes". But at the same time, he was really happy that his parents approved of the marriage. Grandma wanted to add that back then, no one really showed affection outwardly to each other or even to their children, especially because they lived with their elders (their parents). The Korean tradition was to always put your elders first, even before your own children.


Uncle Peter: If you had to remarry, would you choose to marry the same person?

Grandma immediately replied with an emphatic NO! Grandpa explained, your Grandmother did everything she needed to do and more, after she married me. Basically, he explained that she had it rough. She took care of her mother-in-law, brothers-in-law and her grandparents-in-law and all the domestic duties. "She lived sacrificially," said Grandpa, "so, if I said no too, I'd be in big trouble!"


Lena: What do you miss most about your childhood?

Grandma: "I miss going to church with my mother when I was younger. We would walk about 30 minutes to church, and I would carry my siblings on my back. My mother would express her appreciation. I really enjoyed walking to church and back."

Grandpa: "My father, when I was younger, would take a net to the river to catch fish. My father was very stern with me, which was common in that age. But somehow, he took me with him to the river. Even though his parenting style was very rigid, I assume that he must have loved me to have taken me to the river to catch fish with him. I experienced his love through that."


Joshua: Which one of your kids gave you the hardest time?

Grandma and Grandpa burst out laughing with this question. Grandma said, "I can't tell you that." When I reworded the question as "In what situation were you the most distressed?" Grandpa stated that it's the most distressing when they witness conflict within our family, whether it is between parents and kids or between husband and wife.


Aunt Angie: Throughout your life, what was your most difficult moment?

Grandma: "Even if we don't say, your mom should know very well, Jiea."


Uncle Peter: What was your most happiest moment?

Grandpa: "I was the happiest during the transition from being one who didn't believe to one who believed in Jesus. I got to do so many things in my life, but nothing was as fulfilling and enjoyable as that stage in my life."

Grandma: "I was the happiest when all my children began attending church. No matter how much they had in their pocket, they would give it to the Lord."


Aunt Chu: What's your favorite scripture in the Bible?

Grandma: "Psalms 92:12-15. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The LORD is upright.'"

Grandpa: "Rather than a favorite Bible verse, my favorite person in the Bible is David. He was so loved by God and he loved God much. When I look at the struggles he faced, the struggles that I have seem like nothing. When I was distressed with my children, I looked to David and how his own son looked to kill him. What I face is nothing compared to that."

Grandma's favorite character in the Bible is Joseph. I agreed, he is my favorite too. "Joseph faced much hardship, and yet God was with him through it all. He loved his brothers and forgave them in the end," said Grandma.


Danny: What is one negative and one positive of the first generation that came here. And what can the second generation learn?

At this point, Grandma and Grandpa marvel at the difficulty of questions and exclaim, "These girls are worse than newspaper reporters!" They had a hard time with this question and Grandpa said that both our generations have the same problems.

Grandma thinks it a great strength that the first generation keeps the Sabbath holy.

Grandpa began to discuss the positives of the second generation - the advancement of technology and lifestyle. At the same time, he got quite worked up talking about the negatives of this generation, not specific to our family. "The current generation of young adults are not getting married and not wanting kids. There is something called ethics and morality that does not seem to exist today... We are all sexual beings but if people are not getting married, it only leads to promiscuity. I see it all over the television. This is one thing that I can not understand about this generation. There is a reason why God created families. Yes, the generations and the times have changed, but God is the same God and a time of judgment will come."

Intermission

Dave and I watched this Discovery Channel documentary on traditional Korean cuisine. I thought it might be of interest to everyone.

Culinary Asia: Korea

Try this quiz to see how much you know about Korean cuisine.

Journey to America

"Coming to the US was all a part of God's plan," Grandpa commented after explaining the struggles he experienced in adjusting to a new country. They began a gardening business, and once again Grandpa was struggling to make ends meet through manual labor.

When I asked him what he believed God's plan to be, he stated that it was to humble him. In South Korea, the family was not poor by any means. Grandpa had a certain amount of respect in the community. He experienced in America that he was not too good to be working on his hands and feet again. He also believed that through their generation's struggles that it would make it easier for the next generation - so that the younger generation would not have to struggle as much.

I mentioned to Grandpa that growing up I have never felt like I struggled the least bit. I have always felt like there was a covering or bubble around me that protected me. I attribute that to the prayers and spiritual inheritance that has been passed down to me from my Grandparents to my parents.

Grandpa explained:
"What you said is something your generation should not forget. You should feel it to the bone that our family's struggles are not something to be resented. Difficulties in life should not be resented. When you're faced with a challenge, think, what is God trying to teach me now. In the Bible, all God's people faced hardship. Yet, hardship is different for each person because of our different personalities. Each of us has our own journey."

As grown adults, spiritual life is not about what your parents or your grandparents tell you to do, but it is about discovering for your own self, through prayer, what it is that God is trying to speak to you.

Grandpa's Faith Journey

At about this time in the interview, Grandma said, "Oh! Look at the time. It's 2 o'clock."

I asked if they had something to do and they said no. When we told them we have no place to go, Grandma began laughing and said, "Ask us some questions now."

"Do you want to know how we came to the United States now?" asked Grandpa.

"Yes, please!"


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Grandpa's sister-in-law (Uncle Sam's mom) had a vision in a dream that Grandpa would become an elder in a church. This was surprising to him since Grandpa was not a Christian. My mother also had a dream when she was in high school that a bulldozer came and ripped through their family business at the time and the only thing that was left was a Bible.

Their business didn't last, as prophesied in the dream, and the family ended up moving to Soowon and opened a clothing store. Grandma mostly ran the business and as a hobby Grandpa went hunting and fishing. "Your Grandmother lived a hard life. She always told me that I should have no regrets because while she lived a hard life, I got to do everything I wanted." Grandma added that he even flew to Jeju island to go hunting.

On Christmas day, the family (Grandma and the kids) were on their way to church and asked Grandpa to watch the store. "Christmas? People stay home and drink on Christmas, who's going to come to buy clothing?" Unhappily, he stayed at the store alone. He realized he was 50 years old and, reflecting upon his life, he got to do everything his heart desired, yet in the end he felt pathetic or hopeless. Maybe what he was feeling was the void that the writer of Ecclesiastes spoke about. No one had ever told him to believe in Jesus Christ during his lifetime. And he wasn't one to believe just because someone tried to persuade him. But at this moment, he thought, "Maybe I should go to church in the new year."

The first week of the new year came around, and as Grandma and my mom were gathering their things to go to church, he told my mom nonchalantly, "Sookhee, why don't I visit that church of yours?" Grandma remembers my mom being so excited and Grandpa remembers them getting his clothes ready one by one.

Walking the alley on the way to church, he suddenly felt like a cow being taken to the slaughterhouse. Grandma said his face was pale and blue. When he entered the building, the church members began greeting him as 박사장 - basically, a term of respect for someone who is pretty successful, literally translated as boss. His first impression after the first two weeks was that the lifestyle of the congregation was extremely different from his lifestyle and didn't sit well with him. He remembered a proverb "After three years at a village schoolhouse, even a dog can recite a poem." 서당개 삼 년에 풍월 읊는다. So, he decided to stick with it for 3 years.

One Sunday, an elderly woman began praying for their country and this touched him. He never knew anyone who prayed for anything beyond themselves. Slowly, Grandpa was being transformed. A funeral was being held for a young man in the congregation and Grandpa asked the pastor if he could attend. At the funeral, he jumped in to help the other young pallbearers, to experience the fleeting nature of life and to lower himself in humility.

Ironically, after Grandpa's resolution to attend church for three years, Grandpa's heart was being transformed in only three weeks. He said he was filled with joy to his heart's content. No money in the world could replace the joy he experienced. Everyone was filled with the Spirit; prophesies were being made and fulfilled in our family.

Life in South Korea

"Even though we made it to South Korea, your grandmother endured much hardship," Grandpa continued. As Grandpa's wife, she not only took care of her husband and her mother-in-law, but also her brothers-in-law. When they married, Grandpa was 18, and his brothers were 9 and 6 years old. She made sure they got their education even through their time in refuge.

What kind of work did you do in South Korea?

Grandma: "I sold dduk, traditional Korean rice cake, in Pusan." I told Grandma that I remembered her making us rice cake when we were younger and she said her experience in Korea is why she used to make such good dduk.

Grandpa: "I did a lot of manual labor." Grandpa worked at the harbor, moving large cargo from ships. A teacher friend of his from North Korea walked out the first day of work because it was so rough. Grandpa prided himself in his work ethic. When everyone was on break, he would work even harder, and he became very favored at work. There was one man who worked as a "counter"; his sole job was to count the cargo from the ship. One day, the man didn't make it to work, so Grandpa took over his job and as he was counting, he even helped unloading cargo from the ships. His co-workers liked him to the point of replacing the other "counter" with Grandpa.

Another part of Grandpa's work history was taking (actually, stealing) army supplies and selling them. Grandma reminded us that at this time there really was no law after the emancipation of Korea from Japan - almost like a national wide free for all. He would raid army storage areas and go around selling the supplies. He then got caught by the military intelligence agency (CIC). He continued to do this business dressed as a newspaper reporter - wearing a military uniform with a special newspaper reporter logo. He said nobody touched him once he had this uniform. I believe he had some sort of inside deal to keep on working.

He worked as a rice dealer at one point too.


What were your living conditions?

Grandma described their impoverished living conditions. They lived in tents at one point, and at another they crammed seven family members into one bedroom together. "You are living in very good conditions now," says Grandpa. "With no food or shelter worries. You probably have no idea of what poverty is... you don't know poverty," reflected Grandma.

Refugees through the Korean War

A Korean independence movement led by Kim Gu 김구 was underway in China. Kim Gu was a Korean politician, educator, leader of the Korean Independence Movement against the Japanese occupation of Korea, and a reunification activist. At this time, Kim Il Sung 김일성 was also involved in communist activities, becoming a captain for the Soviet Red Army until the end of World War II in 1945.

Grandpa's father instructed him to go to China, but also that he should not meet with the communist movement of Kim Il Sung. Grandma was still in Kaechon and Grandpa was in Pyongyang, North Korea, waiting to go to China. Because his father knew that Grandpa would be leaving to China soon, his father thought it would be a wise idea to send Grandma to see Grandpa before he left. When she saw him for the first time since his departure for the navy, she saw him in the far back room of the house. She said he was not himself - he looked pitiful and didn't look like a human being. He had struggled so much that he didn't even seem happy to see her. Chunil, their first child, was still alive at this time. Grandpa shared with us that this was when our Aunt Younghee 영희 was conceived. Unfortunately, Chunil died before Aunt Youngee was born.

As he was anticipating his leave to China, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb in Hiroshima, and World War II ended. Korea was emancipated from Japanese rule and Grandpa did not have to escape to China. At the end of World War II, North and South Korea was divided by the 38th parallel north. From August 1945, North Korea was ruled by a Soviet Civil Authority established by the Soviet Army, previously known as the Red Army. South Korea was backed by the United States and Lee Seungman 이승만 became the very first president of South Korea.

After the end of World War II, Grandpa's father, Park Jongsik, escaped to South Korea with his second wife and family. Now that North Korea was under communist rule, possessions were being taken away from families. Many families began migrating to the south. Grandpa owned a western-style house (as opposed to a Korean traditional house) in North Korea. Grandpa worked in Pyongyang for "a long time", for a department store Pyongbaek 평백, before leaving to South Korea. I'm guessing it was about 5 years. It seems they left around 1950 or 1951. The North Korean attack on South Korea (Korean War), supported by Stalin, was underway, and bombs were falling everywhere. The family bought a boat to escape.

Grandpa first went to Seoul, then took his Grandma (Seunghyun Noh) and Grandpa (Euijeong Park), and then came back to North Korea to take Grandma, Younghee (Mike and Susie's mom), Changhyun (Danny and John's dad), and great grandma Moonchul Lee. They had been taking refuge in the country and mountains for months. As they were preparing to leave the next day, Grandpa arrived and the family was able to come down together.

On the way down, Aunt Younghee was shot in the arm - she was only 6 years old, and kept saying she couldn't go on anymore. Grandma was carrying a bag of rice and Uncle Changyun on her back, while great grandma Moonchul carried Aunt Younghee. They remember eating the South Korean soldiers' leftovers. When they had finished, they asked the soldiers to take them in their trucks, but because they were North Koreans, the soldiers wouldn't take them. Grandma said, even though they were North Koreans, they weren't communists but democrats. She remembers the arduous journey and the starvation. When asked how old she was, she said she was around my age, 25 years old.

She recalls their travels to Pusan, South Korea. They rode on top of a cargo train during the night and tied all their things to the roof. They were hungry, cold, tired and nauseous, but Grandma held everyone close and tried to keep them from falling off the train. The smoke from the train filled their lungs. She remembers trying to wake up Grandpa's brother (Sam's dad) to prevent him from falling. Although it was a cold night, they passed through a 2 kilometer tunnel and it became very warm, even hot, from all the smoke.

World War II

Naturally, Grandpa proceeded to tell us his story beginning from the time he got married. "I struggled a lot in my lifetime," he said. Like Jacob, he traveled much and struggled much.

When he was 18 years old, he was arranged to be married to Grandma. Grandma and Grandpa's fathers were drinking buddies. Both their families were well respected, so it was natural for respected families to arrange their children to be married. In that generation, the children immediately obeyed whatever was decided by their fathers. The King's third son had a second family. The son from that second family was Grandma's grandfather (whew! see if you can figure that one out). Grandma didn't say which king, so I'll have to do more research.

Grandma and Grandpa had seen each other before their wedding date. Grandma had a picture of Grandpa that she kept with her and looked at before she went to bed, anticipating her marriage to him.

After they got married, about 1 to 2 years later, Grandpa went to serve for the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II. This must have been around 1940 during the occupation of Korea by the Japanese. During his service at the Jinhae Navy Base 진해시 (at the southern tip of South Korea), there was a Japanese drill instructor who treated Grandpa very well. This favoritism was probably because Grandpa's grandfather (Euijeong Park) would frequently meet this drill sergeant and buy him drinks (and give him money). One day, this drill sergeant called him to go out to the field - it must have been after the Pearl Harbor attacks, because the Americans were attacking Japan at this time, according to Grandpa. There had been bombings in Osaka, Japan. His two choices were either to go to war for Japan and die, or to escape and die. If it were a Korean war, he said he would not have tried to escape. But it didn't make sense for him to fight and risk his life for Japan, a country that was not even his.

To escape the Jinhae Navy Base, there was ocean on one side and mountain on the other that was guarded by soldiers. When it was around dusk, he escaped over the mountain during the dark. He stopped by a Korean household, told them he was on leave from the navy (he was still in his uniform) and asked for some food. Through the mountains, he escaped on foot from the southern tip of South Korea in Jinhae near Pusan all the way up to Pyongyang, the northwestern area in North Korea. I "google-d" it and it is about 523 km (325 miles).

At the time, Grandma had given birth to their first child named Chunil 천일 while Grandpa was in the navy, who died after a year old due to malnutrition. When he arrived in Pyongyang at a distant aunt's house, they were shocked to see him. He tried to keep it a secret from his father (Jongsik Park), but his relatives broke the news to his dad. His father said he had already known he had escaped through word of mouth from the police (Grandma chimed in and said that his father was well-educated and had many connections). Grandpa's father suggested that he escape to China where there were many Koreans who immigrated to China participating in the independence movement from Japan.

The Park origins

Where was Grandpa born?

Korea was divided into eight provinces during the Chosun/Joseon 조선 dynasty which lasted from 1392 – 1897, approximately five centuries. One of those provinces was called Pyongan, located in the northwest of North Korea. In this diagram below, you will see Pyongan colored in pink at the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital of Pyongan was Pyongyang which is currently the capital of North Korea to date.


In 1896, the Pyongan province was divided into North and South Pyongan. Grandpa was born in South Pyongan indicated in pink in the diagram below. He was born in the city of Kaechon 개천 on March 23, 1920.

FUN FACT: Grandpa is actually 5 years older than what is said on his license here in the United States. He is currently 90. His birth year was changed on his records when they were refugees escaping North Korea.


You might remember from my last posting that the Park last name came from the Miryang clan. There are many different clans with the same last name. The Miryang clan is the most common of the Park last name; approximately 77% of all Parks are from this clan. However, Miryang is actually a city in the province of South Gyeongsang 경상남도 which was also one province of the eight provinces in the Chosun dynasty. Grandpa says that the Parks were exiled from Miryang to South Pyongan and that is how his family ended up there.


Grandpa remembers when he was 7 years old being taken by his grandfather, who was also the first son in his family, to the ancestral burial grounds to perform the ancestral rites 제사. This was when he learned about his ancestors through oral tradition.

In America, after the death of our great grandmother Moonchul Lee, Grandpa wanted to make it a point to take his grandchildren, Danny (who is the eldest son of Grandpa's eldest son) and John, and whoever could, to her burial ground because this was what he learned to do from his childhood. Regrettably, he was not able to do this in the last 3 years. He expressed, "죽으면 끝나는구나," which means, "Death is it" or "Death is the end." He feels he cannot expect it of others if he cannot do it himself. Yet, at the same time, he sees God who is the God in control of the universe and who is the God of Abraham and his family line, is the same God who is in control of our family - from great grandma Moonchul to the new generations to come.

The family tree

We had explained that more and more of the newer generations will likely not be able to understand very much Korean, and this project is a way of passing down their legacy. The interview started with Grandpa wanting to emphasize the importance of learning Korean, that this interview was not an excuse for us to not learn Korean. With the new marriages to come, he wanted everyone to understand that we have a responsibility to learn Korean as well as those getting married to learn the language of their in-laws.

With that preface out of the way, Grandma eagerly asked us to get on with our questions. So, my first question was: what are your Korean names and what do they mean?

Grandpa: Bongho Park (박봉호) - Grandpa's last name is Park of the Miryang (밀양) clan. His first name is divided into two characters that come from Chinese characters. Bong 鳳 which is a type of bird like a phoenix and Ho 浩 which means wide or covering a large expanse.

Grandma: Ilsoon Lee (이일순) - FUN FACT: Grandma's real name is actually Soonil Lee (이순일) and was changed around when she came to the United States. When we asked her why that happened, she said it was because our uncles didn't know much English and when the paperwork was filled out that way, it was changed. Her first name is also divided into two characters. Il 一 which means first or one and Soon 順 which means gentle or good-natured.

I then asked, what are the names of your parents?

The familial line is carried on by the father of the household. The wives did not usually take on the husband's last name, but the children did. I will list the husband first, then the wife.

Grandpa's parents' names were: Jongsik Park (박종식) and Moonchul Lee (이문철).
We better know great grandma Moonchul as our great grandmother who lived until age 104 (correct me if I'm wrong). Grandpa wanted us to emphasize that she is the true first generation of our family that immigrated to the United States. Her brother's name was Moonsam Lee (이문삼). Grandpa is unable to remember his maternal grandparents' names.
Now, his paternal grandparents' names were Euijeong Park (박의정) and Seunghyun Noh (노승현). Grandpa's father Jongsik Park had a second wife and family that he lived with. So, most of Grandpa's upbringing was with his mother and his paternal grandparents.

Grandma's parents names were: Imha Lee (이임하) and Hwaksil Kim (김확실). She doesn't remember any other names of her grandparents. Her father was adopted into his uncle's family because they couldn't have any children. That is the extent to which we know at this time and hopefully we can go into more detail later.

The visit

On Saturday, Jiea and I (Lois) met with the grandparents at their senior apartment in Garden Grove. When I had given them a call a few days prior explaining our intentions and that we'd bring lunch, Grandpa immediately told me to bring hamburgers and nothing fancy. "Save your money," he said. What better way to save money than to bring homemade food! So, I prepared some kalgooksoo broth at home and served this traditional noodle dish with kimchi.


Grandma was so excited, as was Grandpa in a more nonchalant way. Ever since Dave and I came to California in 2007, the grandparents have told us they wanted hamburgers for lunch. We soon caught on that it wasn't their love for hamburgers but their love for their grandchildren that spurred them to tell us that this was their favorite dish. To them, it was the cheapest option. The trick was, of course, to say we'd bring hamburgers but surprise them with something else.

In the kitchen, Grandma stood around looking to help. "Wow~! Look Grandpa, they brought seafood," she exclaimed, laughing and clapping her hands. When we told her why we were there, she was ecstatic to share what she remembered as we stood in the kitchen preparing lunch.



After lunch, Grandma sliced some oranges, and we set-up the camera to start the interview. Grandpa quickly caught on and jokingly said, "These girls, they buttered us up with noodles and now they're interrogating us." The full interview lasted about 3.5 hours including some lecturing, family history and Q&A from questions Jiea had obtained from some family members on her way there.

I want to do an accurate job of transcribing our family history in relation to our world events at the time, so it will take some time. At first, Grandpa was reluctant to share, but when Jiea and I had explained our intention to pass down our history for the next generations, they obliged.