More Than Ever Before

More Than Ever Before

by Euna Moon

Bankruptcy is just a word that you can often see or hear in places, but when it becomes a part of your life, it can be a blaze that destroys everything. My father-in-law had been running a building construction company for over thirty years in Korea, so my parents-in-law decided to build their own building for the rest of their lives and descendants when it was almost time to retire. In 1998, when the building brought its face to light, Korea was sunk into a financial crisis. By that time, Korea had to take a loan from the International Monetary Fund due to its difficult economy. As a result, the I.M.F started to get involved in the economy of Korea. Moreover, because it caused the interest rates of banks to increase, it led many businesses in Korea to bankruptcy, and my father-in-law was one of them. My parents-in-law lost everything that they had, but through this crisis, my whole family got stronger and closer to each other more than ever before.

My husband and I who were living in the U.S started suffering from lack of money because parents-in-law’s support had stopped. He was a graduate student, and we had a baby. He had been working as a teaching assistant at school, but the money from the job was not enough for the three of us. Thus, he started tutoring mathematics to college students after school and in his extra time. Also, we found a good program called WIC, which was supporting low-income families who had a baby. As a result, we could get baby formula, cheese and milk from it, and it was like a light shower on dry land for us. I had been spoiled with consistent support from my parents since I was young, so I had never known what real poverty was. If I had not been a mother or had been alone without the love of my husband, I might have collapsed. Still, I was okay; in fact, I was able to feel happy even though I bought second hand goods instead of fancy name brands and replaced steaks with hamburgers. It was the first time I realized what money supposed to mean in my life; the money was not the only condition of happiness. In other words, it was nothing but a tool for my convenience.

My parents-in-law squeezed every last drop of money from their accounts in order to avoid putting pressure children. Luckily, they were able to live at the same place because one of relatives bought their house and gave rent to them. Therefore, they decided to run a restaurant on the first floor of the house with almost nothing. My father-in-law who had handyman’s talent and bright ideas renovated the main level into a small restaurant with his own tools and wood from a tree that was in their backyard. Also, my mother-in-law who had been living as a housewife was an expert cook, and she had many collections of delicate kitchen supplies. Thus, she was able to work as a chef and used all her collections for the restaurant. My brother-in-law who used to work at his father’s company as a builder helped their new business. Moreover, his existence gave them a lot of energy.

We all had to change our dreams and lifestyle after the big storm. First, my husband who was studying for a doctor degree in mathematics had been dreaming of becoming a professor, but he had to decide to put his foot into an industry area due to its better pay after the economic downturn. We used to have a plan of living all together at the dream building after having some experience of living overseas. However, due to the economic crisis, getting a job in Korea became like fishing for a star in the sky, so my husband had to find a job in the U.S. Therefore, the last semester before he graduated, he took several credit courses in computer and industry engineering. In addition, after graduating, he needed to prepare carefully to get a good job from a company while he was teaching as a lecturer, and he finally got a good job. Second, my sister-in-law who was single and working as an architect was the only one who had a good income in the family. She had been supporting her parents instead of investing the money for her future. Third, after running the restaurant for three years, my mother-in-law who had been living with clenching her teeth was getting seriously sick. As a result, their daughter brought them to the U.S, and now, they have been living here with us for over seven years. Finally, my brother-in-law had to leave to China in order to work at the relative’s company because of the difficulty of finding a job in Korea.

We have been standing on our own feet, and we have been holding our hands tightly after jumping through all the hurdles even though the years after crisis had been rough for us. At the beginning, all of the changes seemed like the end of the world. Nevertheless, I believed that the loss brought to us a new opportunity to open our eyes to our lives. My husband, brother-in-law and sister-in-law ultimately had success in their careers. My parents-in-laws are healthy and happy to be with us. I was the one who especially had learned a life lesson and changed a lot. I feel like that I’ve changed into a tree with abundant leaves and deep roots in the ground from just a flower in a greenhouse. I am able to have the strength to appreciate what I have and always think positively. My family might have lost everything due to the bankruptcy, but as a matter of fact, we only lost the money. We are all still thankful that nobody lost their health during this time, and we didn’t have any family feuds. Finally, even though another storm may hit my family again, I believe that we will stand strongly like a tree and step forward with a smile.