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800555319 David A. Go Lynn M. Raymond ENGL 1102-E01 Feb. 5 2014 Follow the Footprints of my Grandparents The 1950s was the one of the darkest times in Korean history. The Korean War broke out in 1950. On 25 June 1950, North Korea occupied capital of South Korea, Seoul, in just 4 days, and seized almost all South Korean territories ("Korean War."). But with the aid of UN, mostly Americans, The Korean War was ended with a truce agreement. The war that lasted 3 years, demolished South Korea and took the lives of some 5 million men and women ("Korean War."). Koreans suffered from poverty, an incompetent government, and were not able do anything about it ("Economy of South Korea."). My grandfather Woosuk Go married my grandmother Hyenam Park and she bore 5 children including my dad. From what I heard from my dad, my grandfather was a health doctor (Go). When the Korean War began, my father's house was filled with people who were wounded. Patients were lined from the house along the road in front of the house and it went on from day to late at night (Go). My grandfather treated them equally and with passion, my father said. Lack of supplies to treat patients, most of treatments were only a first aid but every bit helped and patients were thankful to him. Most of them were worn out by poverty and had no money to pay for the treatment. Patients brought whatever they could get such as eggs and clothing to him for the treatment (Go). I believe God loved him so much for his

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good deed that he took my grandfather away not long after the war from a gastric ulcer. My father was only a 3rd grader at that time. After my grandfather passed away, my grandmother had to take care of 5 children all by herself. Even though my grandfather was a doctor, because of his passion for the patients, there was not much to bequeath. My grandfather was a romanticist and that was a happy feature of a misfortune. Every time a child was born he bought a fruit tree and planted it in the front yard (Go). Each tree was different, and house was filled with sweet smell of apple, peach, mandarin and such. My father's was grape vine and when the vines were heavy with clusters of grapes, whole family picked up the fruits together and my grandmother went out to free market and sold them (Park). To save the best spot at the free market she woke up early in the morning. She stacked ripe fruits inside a large basin and head load them on the way (Park). That was not enough to feed 5 hungry kids. She went out to work for neighbors rice farm during the morning and alter clothes at night. It was tough for her to support every child in their education. She sent my uncle to great uncle to continue his education (Go). My aunt studied at high school while working part time at Immigration Maintenance Division and taught my dad time to time. Even though only 2 of my uncles were able to go to college, all of them were bright young men and women. Looking up to their parents they learned how to love, live, and sacrifice for the child. Knowing how much my grandmother loved them, their mother-child bonding is tighter than anything else. Even now my grandmother lives well and happy. I never thought about the life of my grandparents and my parents. I used to think that the old fashioned attitudes they had were just boring and something that does not fit in this present time. Now I realize they were smarter and wiser than I am right now. Their footsteps made me who I am right now. Through understanding of my ancestors I could also learn wisdom in life.

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Works Cited "Korean War." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 14 January 2014. Web. 2 February 2014. "Economy of South Korea." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 1 February 2014. Web. 2 February 2014. Go, YoungGwon. Personal interview. 2 February 2014 Park, HyeNam. Personal interview. 2 February 2014