Host Parents' General Welfare Advice: Prohibit Excessive Kindness to Men

ENJOYING SOME MANGO GOODNESS 

Delicious fresh mangoes from Costco

After we got home from Costco, we all sat down together and ate fresh and dried mangoes my host mom prepared. My mouth was in ecstasy! I vacillated between trying to articulate the deliciousness of it all through mouthfuls, and trying to chew, and taste, and savor.

In the middle of this, my host dad whipped out his phone and started typing feverishly.

After ages, he finally showed me the screen. It was dating/relationship advice.

I don't remember the exact wording, but I burst out laughing, my cheeks stinging from the unexpected exercise. He had typed for so long that I thought there was at least a publishable novella on his phone, but there were only a handful of words. He must have typed and erased, typed and erased again in search for the right phrasing.

ADVICE THROUGH GOOGLE TRANSLATE

Host Dad's advice on how to avoid attracting unwanted attention 

He withdrew his hand and typed something else. This time, I took a picture. The second message was: "Pretty worry more," by which I thought he meant something along the lines of: "Mimi, since you are a pretty young woman, there will be more men bothering you for attention. As your host parents, we will just naturally worry more about you and how you are faring, especially around men."

So, obviously, that's not what he actually said, but that's my interpretation of those three words.

I was amused by this, and also warmed that he had thought many steps ahead concerning my general welfare in Korea. I looked up and tried to catch host mom's eyes in all of this, but she strategically averted her eyes though she had a smile on her face.

Later, host dad pointed out to me that, even though he was the one talking to me about this, he and mom [motions to mom busily going here and there] were of the "same mind."

Host dad: Same, same! Mimi, mom and dad...uhh, hmm...ah! Same mind, okay?

I nodded my understanding, and smiled thinking about how the two of them might have discussed how to best broach the subject with their American host daughter. Their marriage is something else. I really admire the love and respect between them!

Host Dad's last message was uplifting

"PROHIBIT EXCESSIVE KINDNESS TO MEN"
My host dad withdrew his hand again and typed in, "Prohibit excessive kindness to men," by which I thought he meant: "Mimi, to avoid unwanted male attention, please don't be too nice around them." Again, that's not what he actually said, but the almost warning-label quality and tone of his message compels me to write a "translation." Host dad then proceeded to instruct me on what to say should I be bothered by a man while on my own: "waikano?!" (roughly: "Why are you touching me?!").

Host dad asked me to repeat the foreign phrase, and so I did. He was pleased with how quickly I was catching on.

WHOLE FAMILY ACTS IT OUT TOGETHER

By this time the whole family was sitting around me, watching as host dad repeated the phrase again, and acted out what my tone, body language, and facial expression should be to accompany the words. It was all so funny, I couldn't stop laughing. It was like charades - but with a very specific topic!

Juhyeon and host mom followed up with their own more feminized version of "waikano?!" and had me repeat this until they were pleased with my execution. 

Family: Ah! Okay, Okay, Okay! Mimi very goot! Very goot [insert massive smile of approval here]

It was around 1 a.m. when we finally finished eating, Google translating, and laughing.