I'm dedicating this passage to my grandpa who passed away on August 24, 2011 at about 4:00 pm PST in Downey Community Hospital. My grandfather was a great man and diligent person- all that I heard from my mom was praise about his great work ethic and how he really didn't take any pleasure in menial forms of entertainment like watching movies or listening to pop culture music. Starting from yeoman status during the postwar of the Japanese occupation in Korea, he obtained wealth through conventional means by working hard and then buying land to farm on. He eventually even almost owned a whole town- that's how wealthy he had become. He managed to father about 8 kids- mostly daughters and only had two sons. One of my uncles from my mom's side is the youngest and a goofball in the family, but I guess it occasionally runs in all of our male blood.
Because my grandfather was a hard working farmer and brilliant investor, I sort of have some of those qualities too when I go after my living. At the age of around 18, my grandpa settled down with my grandma. My grandmother passed away last year- today is the first year since we haven't been able to see her. By Korean tradition, people honor their ancestors the day before they passed away. On this day for my grandma, my grandpa went to go join her a year after she passed away. I heard my relatives commenting that this was an incredibly good time for my grandpa to leave. Basically, my grandparents were inseparable for about 75 years! My mom says that they were a great couple who were in love- my grandma was an incredibly well-spirited and beautifully gifted woman even well into her 80s- that's just how active she was. Before my grandma was hospitalized which crippled my grandpa at the same time, a doctor told my grandpa that he has the heart of a 70 year old while he was 90 years old! If it wasn't for his absolute grief and longing to be with his wife again, I'm sure he could have lived even well past a 100 years old.
My grandfather was the one who inspired me to become a doctor while growing up. He told me just plain forward in Korean with a sturdy and confident voice to study hard and go to college to come out as a doctor. I'm not really alone in this because my little sister was planning on becoming a cardiologist. Another little cousin of mine is planning on going to medical school right after she obtained her license to practice pharmaceutical medicine!
Overall, my grandpa wasn't really a tall man but he had a strong, energetic body who probably stood only about 4' 11". He passed away at the age of 96. However, all of my eight aunts and uncles from my mom's side came out to be taller than their parents. Even though I still consider myself short for being just a tad taller than the old man, it's just inspiration for me to become a beefed up version of him and to also have a little fun on the side with my loved ones. Who knows, my wife might grow taller than me someday with my bones shrinking, but if I convinced her from the beginning that my height didn't matter and she's completely happy with me then I guess her happiness is what matters to me regardless of what other dodo brains think about.
Academy of Scrappy Credible Undergraduate Desire
