House Warming Party and Special Food

I went to my friend’s house warming party last Saturday.
My friend’s name is SeongEui. She came from Korea with her husband about three months ago. She lives in the same apartment as me. She is very kind, smart and talented.
She prepared many kinds of vegetables such as carrots, lettuces, cucumbers, onions, green peppers, eggs, hams, and some fruits. She cooked special food like “Vietnamese Summer Roll” for her visitors. Vietnamese Summer Roll is a special and nutritious food because most of the ingredients are fresh vegetables. In the picture, the food seems to easy to make but it takes a long time to prepare the ingredients.
I wrapped the fresh ingredients in boiled rice paper and really enjoyed it with her own sweet sauce. And I learned how to make the delicious sauce from her.
After dinner I talked a lot with the visitors. SeongEui played he flute and her husband took pictures all the time. They showed us their wedding pictures and told us about their funny stories.

I truly enjoyed the party with special food and good visitors.

Thanksgiving day

The United States celebrates Thanksgiving every year. On this holiday people give thanks for the harvest and for the other things they have. People celebrate this holiday on the fourth Thursday in November. This is the time when the leaves turn color and harvest is over.
People eat roast turkey with corn bread and many other vegetables. They cook the turkey for about 6 hours. They put various ingredients in the turkey such as green onions, onions, oysters, celery and carrots. For dessert they eat pecan pie or pumpkin pie.
This custom began when America was first founded. Americans shared food with Indians who gave them a big help.
Korea has a similar custom like Thanksgiving. We call that “Chuseok” and we also cook and eat together.
Both are beautiful customs for the harvest. I think we should give thanks for food not only on special days but everyday.

The best memory on my mind

When I was 7 years old, I went to kindergarten. I spent a lot of time with my good friends.
One day I saw a BARBI doll in the shop window on my way to school and I wanted a beautiful BARBI doll. I asked my mother for the doll all day.
My mother said, “If you do three good things a day, Santa will give you the doll surely Christmas day.”
I wondered how does Santa know my wishes. My mother said again, “Santa always watches you and he will come Christmas eve while you are sleeping”
So I tried to do three good things like my mother advised me. But one day I couldn’t do all three good things and didn't sleep well wondering whether Santa would come or not.
Finally, Christmas eve came and I prayed to God that Santa might come. That Christmas eve I couldn’t sleep at all. Whenever I heard a little strange noise, I woke up. I wondered what does Santa look like. But I slept in spite of myself. The next morning when I opened my eyes I found a big box near my pillow. It was the BARBI doll that I really wanted and I jumped for joy. For the longest time I believed that Santa existed and I couldn’t do bad things because I thought Santa was watching me.

A few years later, my brother told me the truth. The present was from my mother and I was disappointed very much. But I understood my mother’s love and realized her wisdom of caring for her children.

As an adult I know Santa does not exist but the hope that Santa is watching me is always on my mind.

Never realize the importance about others

There were two trees on the hill. One was a large tree that had a lot of leaves, the other was small, short and weak. The small tree always complained. “I’ll never grow tall because the big tree always hides me from the sun. If the big tree were not here, I would have grown up nicely.”
One day, a woods-man passed by and the small tree asked him to cut the big tree down. When the big tree fell down by the wood-man’s big ox, the small tree was very happy and thought. “I’ll grow taller greatly”
But the small tree broke down soon from the hot sun and the wild wind because the big tree couldn’t protect it anymore.

Many people don’t understand the importance of people around us. We often don’t realize it until it is too late. Sometimes people don’t realize how they need other people in their lives to grow up beautifully.

A Sweet Image

This is my world in the future.
There is a cozy house between lots of acacia trees. Butterflies are fluttering from flower to flower in the yard. I can see a big magnolia tree in the middle of yard. The magnolia flowers already have all withered because now is summer. Many balloons and flowers are on the grass.
I smell something good at some barbecue. My husband is roasting beef and our dog is jumping around shaking her tail. My family and friends are coming my home for dinner together. My son and daughter are making a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my husband and me. Right! It’s our the 30th wedding anniversary. People have joined us to celebrate our anniversary.
My husband is wearing a nice tuxedo and I am wearing a beautiful white dress. I serve a delicious strawberry cake that I made for my guests.
The light is growing dim and about a hundred candles glow beautifully. I start play the piano and my husband sings to follow my music.
Some people are dancing, some are drinking while talking to each other.
I hear the wonderful song and laughter. I feel so good with the atmosphere and the people.
The 30th wedding anniversary party is going on. It is the best day of my life. I really happy…

CHAMORRO Cultural Exchange in Saipan

There is a special cultural exchange for visitors to gain Chamorro’s experience first hand. A Chamorro is a native in Saipan.
The cultural exchange begins at 6:30 every evening for 2 hours on the mid-slope of Mt.Tapochau. Visitors can enjoy Chamorro’s clothes, food, song and dance. The program starts by taking a picture of visitors wearing a Chamorro’s traditional clothes. Then visitors play games with other countries visitors and follow a program host.
Also, Chamorro perform their traditional dance and show how to make coconut oil. One of special experiences is dinner with barbecue. They serve plenty barbecue with other traditional food like tropical fruit, coconut juice and grilled corn. Moreover some winners of the games and people who danced well get a prize like island handcrafts.
This special cultural event for visitors is very interesting and fun for all kind of people.

The Greatest Love

“I am Sam” is one of my favorite movies. It shows the love a father and daughter have regardless of any handicaps.
Sam is a mentally handicapped father who lives with his daughter Lucy. Lucy’s mother left them as soon as her daughter was born. Sam raised his daughter alone and sometimes his neighbor helped him. As Lucy grows up, she becomes cleverer than her father. Lucy realized her father was different from any other fathers.
One day social worker come to their home and conclude that Sam can’t care his daughter anymore. Same doesn’t want to send his daughter to the foster home and he starts legal fight with social worker.
Sam meets Rita who is an advocate and she starts the case for free. In the beginning, Rita stats the work only for her honor for the mentally handicapped man. While working the case she realized their real love. So she tries to win in order to keep Sam’s daughter with him.
Although they try hard, new parents adopt Lucy. Sam moves close to Lucy’s new parents’ house and cared for Lucy very often. Sometimes he even read books to her and he shares caring for his daughter with new parents.
At last he realized Lucy needs a mother for her future. Same lives day to day happily watching Lucy grow up.

This movie show the father’s great love for his daughter. Even thought he is mentally handicapped, he still loves his daughter just like any father would.

A Korean custom that has changed over the years is the gift of a gold ring to a child.

In the past a gold ring was given to a child’s parents 100th days after a child was born. Many family members and friends gave the ring as a symbol of good health and long life.
Today the custom is changing. Some people still give the gold ring 100th days after a child is born but now most people give the gold ring on the child’s 1st birthday.
A long time ago many children didn’t live long because there were many diseases in Korea. People felt if a child lived for 100th days they would celebrate by giving the gold ring. As medicine developed children begin to live longer.
Therefore, most people wait until the child’s 1st birthday to give the ring.
Giving the gold ring still symbolizes good health and long life whether it is given one 100th days after a child born or on their 1st birthday.