Today was my final day at soyae, Chinese calligraphy lessons. I truly will miss the grandfathers, my 5 classmates, all over 70, who have been my source of social interaction. Since learning that I was leaving Korea, they have made me promise, daily, to write to them (by postal mail, none of them use email), get married, have babies, continue my calligraphy lessons in San Francisco, visit Korea at least once a year, and be their tour guide when they take a group trip to San Francisco. Everyday, I smile and tell them I’ll do what I can.

Mr. Na, funny man, presented me with a beautiful scroll. At the top were several lines in hangul, Korean script. Covering the bottom were bamboo leaves blowing in the wind. Mr. Ju translated the Korean for me:

“You came to us in March, a peony with a smile.

We made friends. We shared good times.

We ate pig meat together and visited old schools.

Now, you leave for the United States.

Our hearts hurt; our minds are sad.”

Why do they call them good-byes? It doesn’t feel very good….