The Change in my 'Delightful' Chuseok

   You open your eyes. Still somnolent, you close your eyes again pleading for just 5 minutes. After about 30 minutes, your brain jolts into action when your father gives your head a squashing massage, smiling. In 10 minutes, you and your family are going to the public parking lot. Your two older sisters, after about 9 years of observation, finally claim the road to the parking lot as a "photo zone" and makes you stand still for a photo. You complain, knowing that there will be plenty of time to take pictures during the afternoon, but you still pose in front of the camera. After all, what is there to lose?

   On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of change, I'd rate my Chuseok a 10. My grandparents, before my grandfather passed away when I was 12, lived at Busan. At least 6 hours in the car when there was no train, and as a young boy who loved long car rides, was thrilled at the very thought. My grandparents lived in a pretty decent apartment; 40 pyeong, and with not much furniture, the house looked extra large. I used to stay most of the time in my grandfather's room watching TV with my cousins, sometimes playing games or going outside to take a walk. This was my life for 2~3 days in my grandparent's house during Chuseok until my grandfather passed away. When my grandfather was unwell and couldn't get enough medical care in Busan, my grandmother thought it was best to move to Seoul. After my grandfather passed away. she moved to Jamsil in Songpagu. Ever since then, my Chuseok was a lot less 'dynamic.' 

   I wake up in my bed during Chuseok. I take on my clothes, and in about 10 minutes, I'm trudging towards the public parking lot with my family. We are headed to Jamsil, only about a 15-minute drive. When we arrive, we get ready for my grandfather's 'ancestral rites'(제사), and after that, I and my sisters head back home. Not much fun talk with cousins, no TV, no walking in the fresh air; my Chuseok has changed quite dramatically. True I may have much more time for myself, but Chuseok has become less enthusiastic for me. Of course, my Chuseok not being as fun as it was wasn't just because my grandmother moved to Jamsil; a few years ago, some of my cousins were entering high school, and some others were preparing for university. Thus, my cousins were not able to spare a lot of time during Chuseok. It's a pity, but there was nothing I could do about it. And currently, it's my turn to be the busy lad.