We go to have family photos taken. I am practicing my smile the whole way. It's not that I can't smile, my smile is just shy of cameras. Lucy is practicing too. "You

I break a tooth chewing on some Yat that someone has irresponsibly left in a bowl in the Faculty Lounge. I go to the dentist. I need a crown. The dentist evacuates the old filling, takes a mold,

God: Hi Mark. Me: Hi. What's up? G: I was just reading your blog. M: No you weren't. G: Got me there. But I did notice you've been writing a lot of

Names in Korea are almost always three syllables, written in three characters. Foreign names are longer. Mine takes five characters at best, but often they insist on my middle name, because it is in my passport, so it

Lucy started pre-school last week. She has been talking all week about her new best friend Jae-un Choi. I find it a funny coincidence that her best friend happens to have the same name as her cousin, also

The new semester begins tomorrow. Campus is loud. There are crowds of incoming students walking about. Intimidating gangs of them. I feel them judging me. Intimidating judgements. I pull my touque a little lower. It's warm,

We finally get a car. I was reluctant to get one, because I was reluctant to drive. But as this is the 18th anniversary of the day I broke my back in a car accident, I finally decided

Lucy and I are alone for the week while Eunjoo is up in Seoul. Lucy is excited, because she thinks this means nothing but bagels, scones, pancakes, and pizza. She doesn't really like eating the scones,