A Special Kind of Tour

We’ve been sight-seeing a ton in Japan, so now that we’re in Korea, it’s a special kind of tour. My mother has 5 brothers and 3 of them have passed - 2 since my last visit in 2017. As such, it was important to pay our respects. We scheduled today to do that with access to a car and because today is a holiday due to parliamentary elections. Here’s an old photo of some of my uncles and from left to right, 2nd-3rd-4th-1st:



Here’s a photo from New Years Day 2018 and from left to right, 4th-1st-3rd:



After picking up my 2nd aunt, we headed to Jeoldu-san (절두산) which is the memorial shrine to catholic martyrs who were persecuted and my 1st and 2nd uncles are inurned here. My 2nd aunt had asked for their niches to be uncovered which they only do on special days. The one above is 1st uncle and the below is 2nd uncle:



I also found this old photo when my mom and her siblings went to visit my cousin Hyunjoo (현주) in Daegu (대구) in 2001. In this photo is my 4th and 2nd uncles and my mom is clearly laughing at something my 2nd uncle was saying. They were touring a stadium that was built for the World Cup which Korea and Japan hosted in 2002. We really miss him:



Then we headed west towards Gimpo (김포) where we have family graves. In took about an hour and my cousin Min-sun (민선) took photos of our arrival which required navigating a steep hill. Here’s my cousin Dong-hee (동희) helping my mom:



Justin:



And I escorted my 2nd aunt:



Here are the family graves: the one on the left is my grandfather’s younger brother, the center my great grand parents, and on the right, my grandparents:



A closer look at my great grandparents’ names:



And my grandparents:



My mom said a special prayer for her parents:



Here’s an old photo of my mom, me, and my sweet grandmother. She visited us in New York several times and was a wonderful grandmother:



My cousins had coordinated bringing offerings and snacks, while us, the New Yorkers, brought the flowers:



We gathered around to say our respects with Catholic prayers:



While pouring offerings of liquor - we blend our Catholic faith and Korean traditions:



Then my mom’s generation takes 2 deep bows and then a half. From left to right: 5th aunt-5th uncle-4th uncle-2nd aunt, and my mom on the way right:



Then it was our generation’s turn:



Justin and I were asked to receive and present the liquor offerings:



The next generation took their bows and afterwards, we huddled around the snacks that we consumed, including a red bean snack that we received from my brother’s friend Shotaro who he saw in Tokyo:



A view of the water as Gimpo (김포) is on an inlet:



And then our group photo with about 30 of us gathered today. Typically, the ancestral grave visit would have been last week, but it was postponed so we could all go together:



15 minutes away, we went to a clam house and enjoyed fried and steamed clams that were very fresh:







My cousin, Hyunjoo (현주), brought wines with details as she is teaching a wine appreciation class - we are definitely feeling welcomed!





The lunch crew:



After some coffee, we headed southeast to my 3rd uncle’s grave at a famous Catholic cemetery. Justin and my mom had visited after he passed in 2019, but this was my first time:





I love this old school photo of my 3rd uncle and my mom rockin’ her 70s hair:



The original plan was to have a generational dinner on Saturday before we left, but as my cousin Hyunjoo (현주) is returning to Daegu (대구), we decided to celebrate us all being together today. My cousins reserved a private room at Shilla Stay where the family enjoyed a buffet, unlimited beer, and joined by additional nephews and nieces who didn’t make it to the grave visit:







What a special day of visits with lunch and dinner with my mom’s side of the family. We really appreciate the efforts my cousins have taken to gather, organize, and coordinate such wonderful gatherings. We are filled with love and full stomachs on our first full day in Korea!