Rainy Sunday

Index
On our second day on Jeju island there were dark clouds and soon started to rain. I love rain whether I am at home or on vacation. To me watching heavy rain has cleansing effect for my soul. Everything seems fresh and clean.

We sat around the dining table at our rented condo and so many stories came. Here are two.

Some one mentioned that my cousin Yeon-Choon must really miss his wife. She is in Australia with their daughter, age 12 for life experience in foreign land. He started to speak about his wife and how much he appreciates her. He spoke of Sung-Ho(his son). At early age they discovered that he had autistic tendencies. Korea will uphold the best and brightest students but there were no program for special needs children back then. Sung-Ho had social difficulties so he did not have friends. His wife would gather children and bring them home for Sung-Ho to play. She then took his special education needs in her own hands. She would bring home volumes of books from library for such children and read them from cover to cover then start the therapy. Then she felt to take him to England in a town where excellent school was for such children. Sung-Ho opened up and started to blossom. He began to develop friends and learned English quickly. Today he is freshman in law school. He had no problem socializing. In fact we must have talked for about an hour.

Red Soldiers (North Korean soldiers)

This was during the war. While they were having ancestor's ceremony with table full of prepared foods, red guards marched in. One of the guards pointing his gun and called my grandfather to the court yard. He demanded money and food for his soldiers. My grandfather showed him the grain storage. He also pointed to the cattle & livestock he owned. He said, "Take everything you need. But leave us alone."
This was a time when red soldiers came, rampaged homes for food and goods, and often would take the owners and killed them. The human lives could vanish like a vapor. My grandmother was bringing dinner tray for my grandfather. She was so frightened she dropped the tray. My aunt was a young girl. She knew enough to not show her face. Young girls were kidnapped by red soldiers to be never seen again. She was curious enough that she peeked out of the small opening of the door and witnessed everything. The soldiers said cattle and rice is no good for us. I will give you 2 days to turn it into cash then give it to me. I will be back. South Korean police could punish even to death any one who helped North Korean soldiers. My grandfather could be threatened from both ends. None of the neighbors told the police that North Korean soldiers came into my grandfather's home and took things. The neighbors knew to protect my grandfather. He has always provided for neighbors by his generosity.

Within those 2 days, the whole family moved to another home in DaeGu. When the North Koreans were pushed back, they returned home.