27. Neighborhood Watch

There was a monthly mandatory neighborhood watch meeting in 70’s. It was one of the ways to watch and monitor people under anti-communist dictatorship. The meeting was to be used to explain and distribute pubic information government needed to provide. Underlying purpose was to seek and identify the spies and criminals. Every family had to send a representative to this meeting.

 

Father often sent my brother to these meeting. Since we were planning to leave Korea in a couple of years, my brother did not go to 4 years college. He was attending 2 years college to postpone his mandatory military service.

 

On his way home from the neighborhood watch meeting, he ran into Mormon missionaries. Everyone in the family was studying English then. He invited native missionaries to visit us. Few days later, two Americans came. They were my ages. Most Mormon missionaries took leave of absence from the college in 1st or 2nd years, and went on the mission. The church sent sharp ones to the area they wanted to expand. Korea was one of them. Quite smart and talented men came to Korea. 

 

I got very close to them. I wanted to learn English and they wanted to practice Korean. I talked to them in English and they responded in Korean. I had to study the gospel to continue our meetings. Eventually, both I and my brother got baptized. 

 

Later, I found out my uncle used to go to Mormon church to learn English before he went to America. Many young people joined the church to study English. Some got married to the missionaries and went to America. 

 

I went to a small branch in Ko Yang Li, and later moved to the bigger church once we moved to Yeok Chon Dong. First time in my life, I started to make friends. I played cards game, and table tennis with young church group. Table tennis studios were all located on the 2nd floor. A friend would carry me on his back, and another carried my wheelchairs. 

 

Church had translation and publishing office. They translated English brochures, periodicals, manuals, and books into Korean. Head of the office was Nam Sun Lee. He was planning to immigrate to America. Once he found out I was also waiting for my visa, we got close. He found me a part-time job there.

 

I took the materials and worked from home. The workload was very small. He said I could work more if I could come to the office. I told him I did not have the transportation. He said Jong Cheol Jeon had a car and he could give me a ride if I paid the gas money. Two of them put me in and out of the car and I was able to go to the office.

 

It was one of the highlights of my life in Korea. I went to the office every day and got paid on pay day. Months later, Lee immigrated to America. Once Jeon sold his car, I had to stop going to the office. I continued to work as a part-time translator at home.

 

After Lee, Kim was the new boss. He liked Go as much as I did. We were very competitive. We played Go during the lunch break. Sometimes, we went beyond our lunch break time and continued to play while everyone else was working. After I moved to America, he visited America, a couple of times, to attend the annual conference. Each time, we met up and played Go.

 

After I got my visa, I turned in my resignation to the office. They gave me a farewell party. They took me to a Korean BBQ place. They grilled the steak meat and cut them into small pieces. Meat was still very expensive in Korea. The meat plate got empty quicky and we ate tons of grilled garlics. Upon my arrival to America, I was treated with plenty of LA Kal Bi, Korean style grilled ribs, everywhere I went. For a while, I thought of my friends in Korea whenever I ate Kal Bi.