The day I became an ajashi

We woke up at 5:30 in the morning, tired from the night before. We had had dinne with my friend Darryl, who moved up near Seoul about 6 months ago. We chatted, had a little wine, and stayed up too late. After getting ready, we headed out to catch a taxi. We got to the embassy just a little after 7:00. We walked past about 100 guards before getting to the main entrance. We were expecting a line, but there wasn't one. The embassy didn't open until 9, so we headed over to starbucks for our second breakfast. We relaxed and read. I checked the embass about 8, but there was still no line, so we didn't go back until about 8:40.

When we finally got inside, they took my computer, my cell phone, my camera, my ipod, and even my keys before letting me past security. They put the stuff in a locker and wouldn't give it back to me until we left. We went inside and waited our turn, only to find out we screwed up the paperwork a little. We rewrote a few documents and got back in line. The took the papers, stamped them, asked for $90 and told us to sit down.

"This is your last chance," I said to Hye Sook. "If you want to run, you better do it now."

They called us back up around 15 minutes later. "Congratulations," the guys said. "Now you just need to take these over to the neighborhood office to get them certified by the Korean government, and you'll be all set. Bring the certified document back to us, and you'll be done."

We walked over, waited some more, paid for a little stamp, and then headed back. The Korean office had given us a paper stamped, signed, and sealed (the paper you see above). After the American government added their stamp to the fray, that became our marriage certificate. Hye Sook and I were legally married.

So far, I've found that marriage feels a lot like being single (at least the legal kind, since she still lives with her parents and our wedding ceremony isn't until January). The only thing I can't get used to so far is calling Hye Sook my wife instead of my girlfriend.

R

(NOTE: Ajashi--pronounced Ah-jah-she--is how you refer to a married man in Korea. It's like "sir," but gives the impression that the guy is married.)