When I was young and living in Korea, I spent many hours after school with my grandparents. My dad came home from his job around seven and my mom usually arrived at six after she finished working at the bank. Since my elementary school ended at two, this left me usually four hours with my grandparents. My relationship with my grandmother was very close, but the relationship between my grandfather and I, was one that needed a lot of work.

The relationship between my grandmother and I was one that was full of happiness. Before I left for school in the morning, I would normally walk over to my grandparent’s house and eat the delicious breakfast she prepared for me. No matter what day I went, she didn’t seem sad or tired. She just seemed happy to have me for company and have a person she could talk to. Even on some days, she came to my school when it was over and took me out for ice cream and lunch for just the two of us.

Having my grandmother on my side was always fun and full of joy, but when I was with my grandfather, everything was a little bit more serious. When I was in first grade, my grandfather was in his mid sixties. He was a very tall, standing around six feet and 3 inches, and he was pretty strong for his age. His hair was very white, but there were still few strands of gray hair left on his head. His face was wrinkly with few lines on his forehead while his eyes were dark brown and they were always cold and full of confidence. His voice was strong and very firm and his voice could be heard throughout the whole house.





One of the primary reasons for my conflicts with my grandfather was that he always seemed to favor my one year older sister over me. For example, when I was in kindergarten and my sister was about to enter into first grade, my grand