It's Weird Being an Adult

One of the benefits of being in DC for as long as I am is that I got to join a mini-family reunion. My cousin Yoon-ji graduated from a residential high school in Warrenton, so her mom flew in from Korea, and my mom flew in from Dallas. We all had dinner at my (2nd) cousin Susan's house, where we were joined by Susan's parents (they act as Yoon-ji's guardian in the US) and Susan's cousin (my second cousin) Joong-shik.

Before I go any further, are you keeping all these familial relationships straight? Here's a little key:
Mom (my mom, lives in Dallas)
Hyun-bin Emo (Emo is "aunt" in Korean; my mom's sister, lives in Seoul. Because she's my mom's sister, I generally just call her Emo, even when there are other Emos around.)
Yoon-ji (my first cousin, Hyun-bin's daughter, graduated high school on Thursday)
Yoon-hee Emo (my mom's cousin, lives in Ashburn. If she's the only Emo around, I just call her Emo, but if there are others, or if I'm referring to her in conversation, I'll call her Yoon-hee Emo.)
Emo-bu (literally translated -- "aunt's husband," Susan's dad. I just realized that I don't know what his name is. Seriously. I call him Emo-bu. I also call Yoon-ji's dad "Emo-bu," and if there are multiple emo-bus around, I'll say "Yoon-hee Emo-bu" for Susan's dad, and "Hyun-bin Emo-bu" for Yoon-ji's dad. Wow. If you're not Korean, this is confusing, right?)
Susan (my second cousin, Yoon-hee Emo's daughter, lives in Reston, referred me to the firm)
Michael (Susan's husband)
Joong-shik (my second cousin; his mom is Yoon-hee Emo's older sister, lives here, works for the IMF)

Ok, now that we have that straight, you basically have a list of everyone who met up for dinner at Susan's house to celebrate Yoon-ji's graduation. We had a GREAT time. Emo bought some delicious food so nobody would have to cook, and we stuffed ourselves. We also got to see pictures from Susan and Michael's trip to Korea and the Phillipines (Michael is Filipino-American). Looks like a whirlwind and some serious WORK, but it also seemed like they had a great time.

After dinner, Susan, Michael, Joong-shik, Yoon-ji, and I played Rock Band. And because the "kids" were having so much fun, my mom and Emo also played -- I couldn't believe it! But they had a go, and they had a great time. My mom was excited (and also a little jealous) when she found out that I had Rock Band at home. I played bass, and it was my first time using the guitar. I didn't realize that you had to strum the lever thing in the middle, so I got our band booed off stage a couple of times until Susan figured out what the problem was. The guitar is super fun, but I had carpal tunnel pangs in my forearm the next day.

After that, we karaoked. Of course. Yoon-hee Emo, Emo-bu, Joong-shik, Yoon-ji, and Susan sang Korean songs. Michael, Susan, and I sang American songs. My mom and Emo begged off, saying they can't sing. That's not really the point of karaoke, but they got away with it.

That was all Friday night, and on Saturday I had to work (I'm working today and tomorrow, too -- that meeting script won't write itself!!). I talked to my mom on Saturday night, and she told me that I work too much and she didn't want me working on the weekends. I had to remind her that before she retired, she had busy times at the bank when she had to bring work home or stay late. She conceded that when there's work to do, you have to do it, but it took that reminder for her to come around. It's the millionth time that I've gotten the impression from my parents that they don't really think of me as having a job. I mean, they know that I have a job and that I'm supporting myself somehow, but I don't think they realize how serious and real my job is. It's hilarious, but not at all in an insulting way.

I say not insulting because I kind of understand where she's coming from. I'm 35 years old and a fully-functioning and -contributing member of society, as are Susan, Michael, and Joong-shik, but we all definitely split along generational lines on Friday night. The "kids" played Rock Band while the "adults" watched. My mom and my aunts were trying to feed me dinner and dessert. My mom tried to send Susan up to bed for a nap (Susan is 8 months pregnant).

And really, I don't feel like an adult. I thought it would change when I got a real job. It didn't. I thought it would change when I was paying all of my own bills. It didn't. Then I thought when I bought my first car I'd feel like an adult. Nope. Maybe buying a house will do it, but I don't think so -- Susan and Michael have a house and a baby on the way, and they were in the playpen with the rest of us kids. We'll see how things shift once Susan's baby is born.