Everybody Here Is Korean

A famous childhood story that my mother loved to tell: when we were kids, we went to Korea every summer. Growing up in Bronxville where we were the only Korean family, we were in culture shock when we visited. So once, my brother said in Korea, "everybody here is Korean!" Indeed, they are!

This morning, I had breakfast with these two cuties (while they watched an iPad)!

My cousin's twins are Yoon-ah (윤아) and Yoon-sik (윤식). A bit complicated as the girl is very shy, but would cry every time her brother hugged me. It seemed to create some sibling drama / rivalry over and over again!

We ate breakfast, grapes, and watched the Giants vs. Royals baseball game - Taesoon (태순) is a huge baseball fan. 

We relaxed through the morning and went to a local Italian restaurant for lunch as we had a craving after seeing spaghetti on tv. Here's a picture of the twins loving the spaghetti:

We return backed to the apartment for a quick nap, and then we were off to say hello to my first uncle, my mom's eldest brother and family's patriarch. He's older than my mom by about 14 years. We enjoyed tea and fruit with his wife and family.

We then headed to a generational dinner where my cousins gathered at Momo Cafe which was a buffet restaurant. There were about 33 people spread around 6 tables. My cousins applauded (as a joke) when we walked in and also said that I must have a lot of "power" to get the whole family to come together. Apparently, due to the enormity of our growing family, we don't get together as often as when my grandmother was alive. So Taesoon (태순) researched carefully where a large group with many kids could eat affordably. 

Here are a few pictures from the dinner where folks mingled between tables and the kids enjoyed the buffet offerings:

A collage of some of my nephews and nieces, some I met for the first time:

Finally, the obligatory group photo:

Several had to depart right after dinner as they had to return to their kids or drive up to 2 hours to get home! However, about half of us went to Dong-hee's (동희) house for some tea, coffee, and fruit. We also FaceTime'd with my mom and chatted for a few hours before we all headed home. 

I'm super grateful for my cousins who not only organized the dinner, but made efforts to come! One cousin even came from about 4 hours away and was spending the weekend here! It really makes the annual trips as a kid worth it as those early bonds are so important. I know so many 2nd generation Americans who don't feel half as comfortable or close with their relatives. I hope as they all take turns visiting the U.S., and as their children study abroad, that I continue to pay it forward!