




When the calendar rolled to 2013, Dad, in his mid-50s, was entering his 19th year with Honda's automotive operations in central Ohio. He worked with talented people and enjoyed the challenge of learning new tricks to solve complicated business problems. Honda has other businesses in the Carolinas (ATVs, power equipment, jet engines and jets), and one option before him was to arrange a transfer and be a step closer to retiring in that region. Before they found me, Mom and Dad had enjoyed vacations in North Carolina; Dad knew South Carolina, too, from a previous job with a railroad equipment manufacturer. Clearwater and Tampa were nearby, too, and held a lot of attraction. The U.S. Southwest also was on their list of places to spend summer vacation because of the dry climate. Retiring overseas wasn't even on the radar screen.
Then one day, Dad told Mom to put Korea on the list. It was a logical choice. Mom's family lived there (my favorite Auntie ❤️and her family had moved back from Osaka, too). And Dad loved the idea of spending his golden years in the country where, as a young man, he'd learned much about life and the world as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural hospital. 2020 was set as the target, with a decision to come several years prior. But one day in early Fall 2013, everything changed when Mom's youngest sister called from Korea. She owned a 2nd house and needed to sell it. Did Mom and Dad want to buy it?
After much discussion, they decided: Yes! We'll buy the house and retire in Korea! Dad would stay with Honda in Ohio until 2020 and give it his best shot right until his last day.
The house was in the southwestern city of Jeonju, the provincial capital of Cheollabukdo. Jeonju was the ancestral hometown of the kings of Korea's last monarchy, the Joseon dynasty. Land and housing in Korea are expensive, but the two-story house was old but affordable, and Auntie and Mom's Mom lived there now. Having a place to move to from Ohio offered many advantages. No need to stay in a hotel or with family while we searched for a place to live; an address to ship our belongings to made customs paperwork easier. We preferred a more rural setting, and thought city life might be too noisy and congested, but there were plenty of parks nearby to offset those demerits. To seal the deal, we planned a trip to Korea. Luckily, my doctor's office had an expert on international travel requirements for kids like me. She was most familiar with Japan's entry requirements but, as we discovered, Korea's were identical 🩺. Dad and Mom dove into the preparations. Plane tickets were purchased, and one day in mid-October we packed the car and headed northwest to the Detroit, Michigan airport, several hours away.
Mom and Dad didn't want to subject me to two planes flights, so we flew directly from Detroit to Seoul-Incheon airport. The flight took 14 hours (and additional hours of waiting). Because of my petite size, I could accompany them in the cabin—inside a carrier bag. Dad had purchased seats at the back of the plane, where the tail begins to taper and can fit only two seats. It was a great location. Plenty of room and far from the noisy engines, with bathroom traffic the only bother. I slept a lot, but when I was awake I wanted to get out of that carrier. Mom, who's also petite but possesses the boldness of someone twice her size, took action. Wrapping me up in a blanket, she carried me around the aisles and through the rear galley area, pretending I was a human baby. The fun ended when an inquisitive flight attendant smelled a rat, pulled back the blankets and scolded her for breaking the rules! 😡
Back to the carrier I went, for a little while at least. Mom, undeterred, covered herself in blankets and snuck me into the huddle. There I slept the rest of the way. After landing, we cleared customs and immigration with no paperwork problems. Then Mom rushed me outside the terminal, found some grass, and let me do my business. Wow! What a feeling of relief! 😅Afterwards, we met one of Mom's older brothers and his dog Ddori, a Maltese four years my senior, who'd come to pick us up. Five hours later, we reached our future home in Jeonju, exhausted but glad everything had gone smoothly.
And so our Korean adventure began. The photos I included in this post are symbolic. Aunty had a stroller that reminded me of ours at home, but unlike Ohio, Mom and Dad often took day trips without me. I never got near those King Crabs you see up above, for example, a delicacy of Yeongdeok, a famous spot on Korea's East Coast. And did I take the bullet train to Seoul, meet Dad's old friends and visit Gyeongbokgoong Palace, and return on the last train? Nope. Oh well, Mom and Dad were always nearby, and Auntie took great care of me when they were out with treats and luxurious beds. I’ll tell you more about the trip and another special Korean cousin named Pepe next time.
Until then, thanks for reading my blog.
Tango
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