With the Blood of a Wanderer: Connecting with the Family

So, I am due in Korea for phase II in about a week. It's hard to tell how I feel about it. I'm not especially excited this time. Perhaps you can say that I'm a little indifferent. I'm not looking forward to the flights since I despise flying. It will take about 20 hours of total traveling time.

To wrap up my home experience I've been visiting some relatives. First, my mom invited my step-brother to her house. I came over and my mom cooked dinner for us. I was delighted to see fish, crabcakes, mac & cheese, deviled eggs and chicken. It was great getting a chance to talk to him again after all this time. It was like catching up with an old friend. And he is a friend. It's a shame that we can't get together more often.

Mom, me, my step-brother and his dad

Next, I visited my maternal grandparents. I had already seen them a couple of times before, but this time I had a gift that I wanted to hand them in person. They know what I had been up to for the past few years but in reality they hadn't seen any pictures. As a result, I created a photo book for them telling them my story. Inside, there were the pictures they hadn't seen along with information about each place and I included a world map to show them where I have been. I loved getting the chance to finally show them and explain everything I had seen and done. It gave them a visual to something they'd only been hearing about. I mailed the same book to my other grandparents as well. I'm happy to report that they all loved their gifts.

At the moment I'm visiting some cousins out-of-state. When I arrived, I was shocked to learn that they had such a full house. When I last visited them years before, there were only three of them. Since then, their household has grown to include one additional adult and four children under five years-old! All of the children were overwhelming at first, but now it's not so bad. I am enjoying my stay so far with wonderful food and great conversations. I'm no football fan, but they hosted a good superbowl party. The good thing with them is that we can always sit and have a good conversation, which can be more difficult with other family members (due to age differences or lack of common interests).