my parents took the news of us leaving very well. they were very encouraging, agreed that now is the best time for us to do something like this. my mom was pretty quiet, but i know she realizes that i can't stay in one place forever.

the last time i was home, i brought back a box of my baby pictures and my old baby albums. in the box of pictures i found a small, brown pocketbook, like a datebook sort of. i opened it up and it had korean writing in it, my mom's handwriting. i just started reading some of it, and realized this was my mom's diary, right about the time we came to the US. i put it aside, planning to give it back to her. but i still have it, and today, i found it again and started reading. it's so amazing, this journey they took. i know millions of people do it, move to a new country, not knowing anybody, learn a new language, culture and lifestyle and start their new life. but reading my mom's exact words and feelings that were going thru her mind at that exact moment when they landed in LAX...it's incredible. i think while she was on the plane, just after we left our lay over in hawaii, she wrote, "right now, i'm feeling alright." she has names and addresses of employment agencies, companies, nursing schools (was she really gonna be a nurse?!), adult schools to learn english...i could just feel her determination to get her new life started. it's funny, every so often, she would write a random word in english. i think this was her way of practicing.

now, i know our move is nowhere near as big, and i can't even begin to try to compare. but as anxious i am to move right now, i wonder what my exact feelings will be like, as we're driving our moving truck across the country. i imagine it will be a mixture of sadness for what we're leaving behind (or i should say who we're leaving behind), and one of excitement for all that lies ahead of us. my dad kept reminding us that with modern travel and technology these days, it really doesn't matter where you live, you're always just a phone call or plane ride away.