Goodbye, Aunt Ceil (2016-03-05)

I flew from Seoul to Texas to attend the funeral of my late Great Aunt Ceil. I got the bad news last week, then after I got the date of the funeral, I started making plans to be there.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2016/03/137_200579.html

I'm glad I came here. I last saw my Great Aunt in March 2014, at her sister's (my grandmother's) funeral. There were tears during the funeral, but the funeral was as she had lived--love, joy, optimism.

We had a lovely time reflecting on her life, older relatives telling stories. I learned many things about her and about my family. The best thing was seeing my aunts and uncles. One of my uncles threatened his patented "bear hug," but he was not alone in carrying out the threat.

* * *

Last year one of my lovely aunts passed away (and one of her sons passed away around the same time), but I was busy with so many things that I didn't return to Texas. I could only send condolences, and greatly regretted it.

* * *

Some random thoughts:

* People who think I am tough on people who show up late at events need to meet my relatives. I picked up some tips this weekend about how to deal with people who don't know what time it is...

* In Korea, people often tell me that I look like some black person in the news. I reject these comparisons: I do have some relatives who look somewhat like me. None of them include Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Mike Tyson.

* Everyone was delighted that I flew in from Seoul to attend the funeral. Funerals are for the living, not the dead, so I suppose it means something when people travel long distances to say goodbye to a loved one.

.* Yes, I have had enough to eat during this trip. When people in Korea ask me why I am in Korea, I will now start to answer, "To avoid my relatives who always try to overfeed me. I don't want to weigh 400 pounds."

* If you are one of those people who complains about people taking selfies or about people taking photos with others, then.. you must be someone planning to live eternally and think everyone around you will also. Plus, you are a busybody idiotic analyst. Five years later, several of the relatives from this funeral have themselves passed on. We aren't here for long, let's enjoy the party while it lasts.

* * *

Bear Hugs in Texas, published in the Korea Times a short time later.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2016/03/137_200579.html

Bear Hugs in Texas, published in the Korea Times a short time later.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2016/03/137_200579.html

"Yoegi Anjuseyo!"

* I have a short reflection in today's Korea Times about an encounter with an unfriendly looking Korean man on the subway. It was a reminder not to be too quick in judging people in Korea. 09-13-2011 16:47 'Yeogi Anjeuseyo!' By Casey Lartigue Jr. The recent incident in which an American English teacher bullied an elderly Korean man and other passengers on the bus reminded me of a more pleasing incident from years ago. I was on the subway, taking the train outside of Seoul for a work assignment. I have the habit of standing on the subway to strategically position myself near the doors in case my stop magically appears. On that particular day, there was a Korean man STARING at me. Not just looking at me, but intensely staring at me. He had an incredible frown on his face. Not just for one stop, but for several stops the guy just kept staring at me. If I had known more Korean then I would have been able to curse him ...

Michael Breen discussion at 10 Magazine

Yesterday I attended a discussion with writer Michael Breen, hosted by Barry Welsh. Very often, when I attend a speech or discussion about a topic I know a lot about, I often think about ways the speaker/facilitator/discussant could have done better. But I didn't feel that way about Breen, it was one of those times that I really felt like I had a lot to learn and should listen more than talk. He's been in Korea for three decades, working as a reporter, commentator, communications specialist. He reminds me of Andrei Lankov in that his analysis seems to be based on observation of how things work rather than trying to get the world to fit his biases. I don't know him, so his friends may say he is a raging ideologue, but that's not the impression I had yesterday and based on his writings. Michael Breen (L) and Casey Lartigue I first read his book The Koreans about a decade ago. It was a delightful read, that was both warm to Koreans but also critical at times. Yes...

Park Jin welcoming remarks to FSI (and Casey Lartigue)

National Assembly member Park Jin makes the welcoming remarks at FSI's conference featuring North Korean diplomats. Park Jin | Greeting message to FSI and Casey Lartigue mention - YouTube

2020-11-26 My basketball story

This photo was uploaded today by my aunt Annette. This was back in the day, when 1) I had a head full of hair and 2) played basketball a lot. That first year of playing organized basketball, I focused on playing defense. It seemed that everyone wanted to shoot the ball, so I passed the ball and played defense. I probably led the league in steals, rebounds and blocked shots. I enjoyed taking on the best player from the other team, I felt like I would get better, quickly. The second year, I was a different player. I will never forget the first game that second year--we lost 29 to 26, I scored 18 points. I probably led the universe in scoring that second year, although we didn't win much. One thing I learned from that experience is that one great player 9 (at least in his own mind) can't beat a team. An eye injury ended my pro career before it began, to this day I still have floaters in my eyes because of the injury. I started wearing glasses, but the problem never went away. On t...

Get rid of that watermelon!

Part 1: When I was a youngster I used to collect Confederate money, posters and photographs with caricatures of blacks, and "No blacks allowed signs." I loved the money because it was a reminder of how far the sorry Confederacy had fallen. I had one poster of a dark-skinned black boy munching on a watermelon. I would look at that small poster and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with anyone wanting to eat watermelon?" Yes, white people, I'm talking to you. Your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors who thought making fun of blacks for eating watermelon were crazy ! Even people who say that nothing has changed in race relations must acknowledge that the many stereotypes of blacks are no longer prevalent. But then, there are also some ready to remind us of days-gone-by by debunking stuff that doesn't need to be debunked today. According to the Washington Post: The sound you just heard was yet another racial stereotype going kersplat ! Some ...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

Search This Blog