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I can't believe that I am in Korea now. As we came out of customs, we saw the receiving crowd. When one old lady saw us, she began waving at us and running toward us. My aunt had been waiting for an older woman and daughter, and we fit that picture. We approached each other. Soon my mother and her realized they were long unseen sisters separated since age 30 & 32 meeting for the first time in 42 years. My mother said, “Unni (older sister), why are you so old?” She responded, “You call me old. Look at yourself. When did YOU get so old?” They laughed and hugged and could not be separated. Of course, I had no recollection of my aunt, but she recognized me and told me that I still looked like the JaeHi of my childhood.

I was not prepared for such a grand airport (Inchun/Seoul), much like Chicago’s O’Hare with all the modern glitz and conveniences and marble floor. It seemed like we had to walk forever to get to our destination. It is only 5 years old. Silly me...my memory holds postwar Korea with not even pavements.

From the airport, we passed through Seoul. It seemed like we were in the midst of downtown for about an hour to my cousin's home. Seoul seems much larger than Chicago with all its highrise towers. I also was not prepared to see so many new cars, creating traffic jams on ten-lane highways, similar to I-90/94 that goes through downtown Chicago. Amazing.

My cousin was five years old when I left to come to the US. Now she has grown children like myself, and of course, neither of us remembered each other.

Tomorrow I am to meet so many more relatives. They will show me Seoul. We are to visit a different city every few days until it is time for me to come back home. I will try to post updates in this blog. I still have to figure out all the picture entry and electrical conversion.