Sisters…

I have a younger sister and it is only in the last few years that we have become close. It is only within the last few years that we could be in the same room and not physically harm each other. It happened about the same time that she got married and I got divorced. Go figure. Many of my friends have similar experiences with their siblings.

Here, however, siblings like each other. They play together. They hold hands as they walk down the street. They help each other do homework. I love watching this.

I teach many pairs of siblings. One particular pair that I’ve taught since coming to Korea are Annie (a quiet, shy teenager who insists on being called by her “American” name) and Sang Min, her younger sister who has long, hot pink highlights in her hair. I adore both of them. I was preparing to teach Annie’s class. One of the teachers called my attention to the monitors in the lobby. “Who teaches that class? What are they doing?” Annie and Sang Min were in Annie’s classroom. They had turned out the lights and had hid under the table. We watched curiously on the tv monitors. The bell rang, so I went to class. As I walked in, they both jumped out from under the table and rushed at me to tickle me. I could only laugh. Sang Min then rushed to her classroom, giggling hysterically the whole way. Annie often talks about how she loves to play with Sang Min. Keep in mind, Annie is a teenager. Teenagers tend to hate everything. They’re doing something right here…