Singing with Grandmas

I just finished one of my favorite weekend activities. A group met with me at Songtan subway station. Some of us were armed with bags of toiletries, and all of us were ready for a visit. Only two out of the six of us were fluent in Korean, so some were better prepared than others. Soon we'd arrive at In Su Won Grandma House with a warm greeting and some spare time for a visit.

We visited first with the lady in charge. The place runs on donations, so we ask what they need. Tissues, she said. Lots of tissues.

They are doing well for food. That made me want to smile. It was good to hear they have enough.

We enjoyed tea and cookies as we visited. Every time we come to serve we get served in the process. It makes me laugh.

We talked to three ladies first, and one proved quite friendly. She said that she had family in the U.S. and used to live there herself. However, she lived in a Korean community so she didn't know much English. She liked my camera and asked if we'd take a picture of her with some of us. Later she asked if we would print out the picture and bring it back next time. She wants to send it to her family.

Next time. The ladies there, including the person in charge, stated a need for us to come more often. That way they'll remember us better. I hope it's possible.

We were led to the main area, and then the real fun began. We sat around a table and exchanged songs. One lady sang a lot, ending her songs abruptly with an "OK." Hymns ended with an equally abrupt "Amen." They all ended to applause.

We were asked to rehearse next time we come back as we struggled to think of songs to exchange. We came up with some old classics like "Jesus Loves Me", among others. The lady next to me slapped my leg as I didn't know the Korean words to the song she sang. "You should sing to us," she scolded.

Everyone seemed happy to see us. Whether we could communicate or not, they thanked us for coming and said they were glad to see us. We said the same.

One lady explained rather loudly to the lady next to her that we were foreigners and that's why we couldn't understand her. I then noticed she was blind. I greeted her, and she thanked us for coming.

An hour and some change came and went. We had to leave, saying goodbye to each person as we left. Hopefully more of us will come, and more often. Next time.