Little Things From Where I Am

Went to my very first Korean wedding today. First Catholic wedding as well. I was confused and amused (comused?). Not like it's my first time feeling that. This place usually confuses me, and I've learned to enjoy confusion the same way I have learned to enjoy kimchi: by taking it in often, in small doses and with a smile on my face, regardless of what my face really thinks.

There's an announcement before and applause after every part of the ceremony. At one point, the groom yelled 김소영(bride)사랑해! 김소영사랑해!김소영사랑해! at the top of his lungs. I felt like it was okay to laugh (everyone else did). The audience shouted something back, but I didn't know what, or I would have joined them. Translation (when I can get it) loses a few things as well.

Snippet of the only conversation I had on the subject of what the $&*# was going on:

Me: What's going on?
김미영: The grooms brother maybe will play the piano.
Me: Brother? But that's a little girl up there.
김미영: I can't see. Are you sure?
Me: Yeah, pretty sure.
김미영: Oh. Really? Then I don't know. Just watch.

After the ceremony, there was a buffet (which I'm now convinced is an international wedding standard). It was pretty much the same as an American buffet, except it had more raw fish and whole octopus. I'm starting to get used to things I used to not be. I sat at the same table as my Principal. She asked me how my Korean lessons were going. I needed a translation.

I guess not as well as I thought...

Cultures change, but people are the same everywhere. They are not any more or less dignified or any more plain about what they want. People fall in love, get married, and have goofy friends that put bows on their hair while singing songs. People have little sisters that play the piano. This isn't a hipster rant about how everyone is the same, and nothing is original anymore. Not today. If anything, you can call this one a confession. I don't value these tiny things as much as I now want to. I want to start over again. This time I think I will not care so much about where I think I am going. This time, I want to pay attention to where I am now.