.297 | to 할머니, from Yaara

I met my Halmoni for the first time when I was 6. She came all the way to visit us in Israel. It’s weird to meet your grandmother for the first time when you are 6 years old, let alone not to have any common language. Immediately I felt connected and loved. There is something special to develop a relationship of love and caring with someone who can’t speak your language. Obviously, I tried to create sentences from the 5 words I knew in Korean mixed with sign language, but it wasn’t enough most of the time.

My Halmoni was a hard-working woman, who took care of her 5 children and sick husband. She tried to give the best life to her family even though she didn’t have much. When I met her when I was teenager, during my first visit to Korea, I was able to communicate with her a little better. She took care of me with the same love and dedication she had to her children when they were young. She was in her 80’s already.

Recently, my Halmoni passed away after being sick for a long time. Unfortunately, I was in Israel when it happened and I couldn’t attend the funeral or say goodbye. I’m thinking about her a lot now when I’m back in Korea. I feel so grateful to have met her. I learned from her so many things without sharing the same language. She taught me what is unconditional love, the power of caring for others, the beauty of culture difference and the special bond of family no matter where they are.