As anyone with social media (especially Snapchat) may know, I'm obsessed with my host sister Haemyoung. She's 8 years old, sassy, with a lob (omg long bob- get with it) to envy and I'm proud to call her my best friend in Korea.
Living with a host-family can be stressful. You are literally a random transplant in the middle of a functioning family unit- in my case, a very busy, close-knit family unit. I often tred tenatively between wanting to bond, wanting my own space, wanting to give them space, and also trying to sound authentic and polite at the same time.
Hanging with Haemyoung is different though. While I usually awkwardly giggle "Good morning" to my host-father, Haemyoung and I exchange "what's up"s as we lazily walk to the breakfast table. We have a secret handshake. She yells "Maeve?" when the door opens to see if it's me.
Haemyoung takes care of me in a very real way. She's made me an after school snack before and recently washed my foot excitedly and put a bandaid on a blister. If I'm ever lurking around uncomfortably in my room, it won't be long before she barges in to play. Whether we're watching cooking videos (she loves them?) or trying to learn the words to "Let it go," she never ceases to brighten my day. Every time we fist-bump, I breathe a little deeper knowing I've got a pal in the house.
Not only is she reassuringly friendly and welcoming, she's also badass. She does Tae Kwon Do and beats up boys, she can draw anime-like girls that look like the work of someone much older, and she is constantly, constantly creating. Yesterday she made a computer out of a box and then "printed" off drawings for the rest of the night. She's created clay cupcakes with plastic cherries, full-length comic books, and written dozens of poems on tiny curled up pieces of paper hidden around the house. When she gets mad, she hisses. If you ask her to sing, she'll perform gladly, for however long she feels like it and I hope everyone gets the chance to see her dance at somepoint- I think she learned from 90's hiphop videos.
I wouldn't have antiticpated that one of my greatest influences and biggests inspirations while abroad would be an 8 year old girl who cries about candy. But I see so much life in her- she exudes confidence, joy, and kindness and I feel so lucky to share her home. So here's to Haemyoung, may we all remember to dance like nobody's watching, and, like her, shout hello to every person who enters the elevator.