Monday, Jul. 20, 2009

Tuning in Korea

I used to think that Skyping sounded like doing something dirty in the privacy of your own home, or bathroom stall.

Then I found out what it really was and immediately registered myself for a free account. It seemed a lot like MSN Messenger with a webcam, except you can make phone calls. I don't know if you could make calls with MSN, but in all fairness, I haven't used instant messaging applications since college.

At .02 cents a minute for international calls, I don't bother wading through the Costco/Walmart line to get a phone card. The calls come in clear and there's hardly any lag time. I can now say that I Skype without feeling embarrassed.

I gave my foster mother in Korea a call with the help of Mr. Big. As he translated everything, I got to hear my foster mother's voice and tried to pretend that I understood what she was saying.

Last night I gave my foster sister a call. The last time I spoke to her was in 2006 when I was in Korea and even with a student translator, it was difficult to communicate. This time with Big, it was much better and I could trust that he would tell me everything - not just little bits 'n pieces.

As we spoke, I could hear her two children (they were 3 and 5 when I was over there) running around and screaming in the background. They said hello into the phone and my foster sister said they remember me because of this plush chicken toy I had given them. I started to tear up.

I mustered up the only sentence I actually did know how to say in Korean, which was that I loved her and missed her a lot. This time she started to cry.

I know this all sounds like it's straight out of a Hallmark movie special, but it really was. I don't know how families could ever open their homes to foster children. You raise an infant only to have them ripped from your life to be adopted out overseas, never to see them again. Except on the off chance that they come back 20 years later on a homeland tour...

While they're still unsure whether or not they'll come to the wedding, it's great to just be in touch with them again after three years.