In Korea, the phrase ‘gaeragi apa’ refers to men living in Korea who support their wife and child/children who are living abroad. This is quite a common phenomenon due to the high premium placed on fluency in English and an education that is perceived to be prestigious. The first time we lived in Korea, our director–in a role reversal–had spent a year in England studying English, leaving his wife and young son in Korea. At the time, I wondered how in the world they could have borne the separation. Actually, I still wonder about it. It’s not something I could do.
I thought of this because currently Troy is working 10 and 12 hour days and Saturdays for year-end close at work. So pretty much I don’t see him except for a few minutes here and there and on Sunday. This schedule has only been going on since last Wednesday but I am already running for the hills. I can’t stick it out and I DO NOT know how single parents manage. Really. I don’t. It’s been five days but I’m going to go to my mom’s on Wednesday so as to have a) interaction with human beings that have a vocabulary encompassing more than just the words ah-goo, eng, and mem and b) to have some extra hands to help out with the afore-mentioned lexically-challenged individual. Because Troy’s scheduled to continue his mad overtime-ness through the 18th and probably I will go stark raving before then.
Hats are off to single parents (and here’s wishing that they have a support system near them. While I know some people here in the area we are not of the can-I-please-come-over-and-you-can-hold-my-baby-because-I’m-going-insane types, at least not yet.). It’s not even that Miles is being hard to handle because he’s not. If this year-end close event had taken place even a month ago I couldn’t have done it but he is being a cheerful normal barely-fussing baby! I guess I am just a wuss. But at least I can go be a wuss somewhere where there are people who will be more than happy to hold the baby, which is better than being a wuss with just cats around. Because as of yet they haven’t shown much baby-holding ability.
Jan 08, 2008 @ 19:57:29
that sounds like a great idea! have fun.