Hi Momma,

Well, so far, it’s been an adventure here in Korea. I got fussed at today. Not quite yelling, but a good fussing.

I was standing on the corner by the little grocery store near my apartment waiting to cross the street. There’s a walk – don’t walk signal at the corner, but this wasn’t no big road and once the only car in sight passed I started to walk across. And that’s when the fussing started. There were two middle aged women next to me (people here call them azummas but that’s a whole nother topic, Momma.) Anyway, these two azummas didn’t have a thing to say until I stepped off the curb to cross the street. Then they went into overdrive and boy, howdy, did they fuss. I didn’t understand 99% of it, but one word that I did get was “danger.” That word came out nice and clear and loud and once they figured I understood that word they said it over and over again. One of them pointed at the walk – don’t walk sign and kept saying “Danger! Danger!” Dang, Momma, I though she was gonna start swinging her arms and spin around in a circle like that robot on that old TV show “Lost in Space” except I ain’t no Will Robinson and this ain’t no outer space.

Well, I figured out I ain’t supposed to cross till the little green man comes on, so I waited with these two azummas – and let me tell you , Momma, they looked pretty dang smug for having put me in my place.

So we waited for the walk sign. And while we was waiting, you wouldn’t believe what came driving up next to us and stopped at the light. There was this woman driving a car and what looked like her mom in the passenger seat and the mom was holding a baby! No car seat or nothing! The grandma had her safety belt on but she just held that baby in her lap like there wasn’t nothing wrong. I mean, shoot, all it would take is just a quick stop and that poor little baby would get all smooshed up against the dashboard and turn out as ugly as cousin Jenny’s baby with that hairlip. I still remember her baby the way that flap of skin where her nose and mouth should have come together would fly out when she cried. It looked like one of them close-up microscopic pictures of an ant with its sidewways jaws. We used to laugh when all the little kids would run out the door screaming when Jenny’s baby cried and made that flap fly. I know it ain’t funny, but we laughed just the same. Anyway, that’s what I was thinking when I saw this grandma holding her baby in the front seat. She’s gonna stop hard and that baby’s gonna end up ugly like Jenny’s baby talking sideways out of her mouth. So I said “Oh my god” real loud like and these two azummas looked at me like what for. So I pointed at the grandma in the car holding the baby and said “Danger!” Momma, those two women acted like they never heard that word in their life. They looked at me, they looked at the grandma, and then the little green man sign turned on and off they walked across the street without so much as a word.

I had to stop and think about this, Momma. They hollered at me like wild indians for crossing a road with no traffic before the light said ok, but they didn’t make a peep when this old grandma held her baby like she wasn’t nothing more than a rag doll. I just hope that baby is ok and they didn’t make no sudden stops. I almost missed the walk sign while I stood there and thought about this whole dang thing.

Later that evening, I was having dinner with some of the new friends I made – Momma, I’ve made some real nice friends from England, South Africa and Canada – I’ll tell you about them later. Anyway, we was having dinner and one of the girls, Gina, said Korea was just like that. A lot of contradictions. Freak out over a crosswalk but don’t give a hoot if a kid ain’t buckled or in a car seat. I guess I’ll learn more what she means by that as time goes on.

Anyway, it’s time for me to go to work, so I’ll sign out. I’ve been teaching English to a couple of kids in the evenings after school so I’m a little busy. But that means I can send more money home for Daddy’s cancer treatments.

I love you and miss you,

Sandy

p.s. Please don’t tell cousin Jenny I called her baby ugly!