ok, staying with a couple that have a one year old and three year old can be an adventure to say the least. 
the youngest is having his “thol” tomorrow. “thol” in korean means “rock”. it’s basically a first birthday party. it’s a BIG event for korean babies. it’s all based on historical tradition i’m told. in the past, after the war mostly, food and resources were so scarce that times were really rough. so when a baby survived starvation and disease and made it to the first birthday, it was an occasion to be celebrated! i think calling it “rock” adds permanence, kinda meaning the kid is solid, and here to stay. at least that’s how i take it. the sixtieth birthday is also a big celebration in korean tradition. i think the idea runs along the same lines. if you made it to sixty during the hard days, you were indeed blessed and worthy of some hoopla!
so yesterday i was recruited as child photographer for dong-hyun’s (kyle’s) thol. i haven’t shot people all that much, let alone one year old kids. it was no picnic, but i must admit i had fun. i threw in a shot of tong-chul (nathan) to balance the situation. all i can say is cute, cute, cute, on both accounts!!!
