Welcome to our house. Please remove your shoes, and don’t be surprised if you suddenly feel like you've entered South Korea. No, this is not a K-drama set, it's a bit messier than the real one. This is our real Filipino home, and yes, this is all my husband’s fault.
It all started when my husband discovered a Korean surplus store. One visit turned into two. Two turned into “every weekend.” Now, every weekend, he travels for almost an hour just to go there. He goes happily, like it is his favorite vacation spot.
When he comes home, he never comes without anything. Every time he comes home on weekends, metal makes klinging sounds inside the plastic containers, and glasses make sounds too. He buys anything he likes, home appliances, furniture, face masks, perfumes, kitchen tools, Legos and robots, and many more. Our rice cooker is Korean. Our washing machine is Korean too. The problem is, they speak Korean… and I don’t.
The first time I tried to cook rice, I just stared at the buttons. No English. No Filipino. Only Korean letters are smiling at me. So I did what any confused wife would do. I opened Google Translate. Yes, I translate my Korean talking, rice cooker, before I can eat. Literally, it talks, but I don't understand anything except the "annyeong" every time I turn it on.
Our kitchen now looks like it belongs to a Korean grandma. Our cooking pans, glassware, and all our plates, spoons, and bowls are from a Korean surplus store. Even our flower vases and home decorations are Korean. Sometimes I feel like shouting, “Annyeong!” instead of “Mangaon na ta!”
The funniest part? It is usually women who buy kitchen things. But not in this house. My husband is the kitchen shopper. One day, he came home very proud, holding three non-stick cooking pans. THREE. I asked him, “Are we opening a restaurant?” He just smiled.
Today, almost 80% of the things in our house are Korean surplus. Our home may be Filipino, but inside, it is clearly a Korean life.
So if you visit us and see me talking to appliances using Google Translate, don’t worry. This is normal here. Welcome to our Korean-Filipino home, powered by my husband’s addiction. 😄