Daniel is now 1 Month. Well officially he will be on Sunday since that’s the 27th of the month. But since I go weekly by Fridays then I’m counting today.
With Daniel getting older I want to follow the Korean tradition. Sadly I’m behind in getting his clothes and having professional photos done. The delay is partly because I didn’t finish researching what type of clothes he needs and what happens with 1 months olds Korean boys.
I’ll have to ask the women in the NKMTK (married to Korean men) group for info and suggestions. I’ll also tap my Korean co-workers now that I’m allowed to visit. Shucks might as well also try the Korean adoption yahoo group.
I hope to get all info and take his photo by the end of the month. A little late but I’ll try to be more prepared for the 100 days and 1 year tradition.
Oddly, Guyanese folks don’t have any traditions for the 1 month mark. I’ll have to find a Guyanese tradition to celebrate with him.
*UPDATE*
Well I got the info from my co-workers and women in the married to Korean men group. Seems no one celebrates the first month. My Korean co-workers had a good laugh at me about being early. Darn them.
It’s the "100th day baek-il" (www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/cel/birthday_celebrations.htm) and "1st birthday Tol" (www.lifeinkorea.com/Culture/tol/tol.cfm) that’s celebrated with special clothes, photos, foods and a party.
I doubt I’ll do the party…who can I invite? But the other parts should be fun. I have to dress him in a “Hanbok” and get photos taken. My Korean “mom” YM will get one for Daniel since I’m clueless about where to shop and they cost about $100 and up. Yeah I know.
We’ll see if I’ll take the photos myself or have them done by a pro when the time comes. For sure I’m not trying to cook any of the treats. Best to get those by a pro or someone who knows how to make them. Yum
Odd bit of insider info about the photo requirements. Seems along with dress-up photos, I should have no-clothes photos also. It’s custom to proudly show off the penis of the baby boys in the photos.
While I want to respect my son’s heritage, there’s a limit to how far I’m going to follow tradition.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
A Rose by Another Korean Name
So the other day the Chinese production person had to tell me her American name, cause someone called for her and I had no idea who they wanted.
Since then I've been wondering about the two name thing or more to the point the three name thing Koreans have going on.
Pete and I didn't talk about giving the baby a third name or a Korean name. We just didn't think of it for some reason.
But now I'm thinking of it. So I started doing some researching and asked around how this American and Asian name deal thing works.
For some reason it's a bit different for Korean versus Chinese, since Chinese people pick an American name when they immigrant while Korean chose one from childhood. At least that's how I understood it.
Anyway, depending on the document (passport, birth certificate, etc) and what their doing (working, going to school, etc) they can have either name being used.
Now all that's a bit confusing for me in general so I decided to simplify this naming idea I'm twirling around.
I decided to just give the baby a Korean middle name. I already picked the first name and I plan on using the father's last name so that's the only place to add some extra Korean.
So I did some research for Korean baby names books. Once again it seem I'm looking for the near impossible. It's amazing the different types of baby name book available.
- Jewish, Saints Names, Biblical Names, etc
- Spanish, Hispanic, etc
- Indian, Hindu, Muslim, etc
- African, African American, etc
- Irish, Celtic Names, etc
- Arabian
- New Age, 90's Names, Celebrity, Favorite Soap Opera's
- Melting Pot
- Chinese
All that but no Korean...I'm beginning to feel a bit of biasness on behalf of my little one. Still I found some books that has sections of Korean name, so I gave those a browse thru.
Sad to say they only had about 2 pages each of Korean names for boys and girl to chose from. When I compared that to the pages and pages of name from other cultures I felt a bit at odds.
I was tempted to give the baby a Native American name, since I saw some good ones but figured I had enough racial explaining to do later.
So armed with my four sheets of paper with Korean baby names I begin the interesting task of name choosing. At some point I will need the help of my Korean co-workers to help me correctly pronounce and fully understand the meaning behind any name I find appealing.
I sure know how to over due some projects huh?
Since then I've been wondering about the two name thing or more to the point the three name thing Koreans have going on.
Pete and I didn't talk about giving the baby a third name or a Korean name. We just didn't think of it for some reason.
But now I'm thinking of it. So I started doing some researching and asked around how this American and Asian name deal thing works.
For some reason it's a bit different for Korean versus Chinese, since Chinese people pick an American name when they immigrant while Korean chose one from childhood. At least that's how I understood it.
Anyway, depending on the document (passport, birth certificate, etc) and what their doing (working, going to school, etc) they can have either name being used.
Now all that's a bit confusing for me in general so I decided to simplify this naming idea I'm twirling around.
I decided to just give the baby a Korean middle name. I already picked the first name and I plan on using the father's last name so that's the only place to add some extra Korean.
So I did some research for Korean baby names books. Once again it seem I'm looking for the near impossible. It's amazing the different types of baby name book available.
- Jewish, Saints Names, Biblical Names, etc
- Spanish, Hispanic, etc
- Indian, Hindu, Muslim, etc
- African, African American, etc
- Irish, Celtic Names, etc
- Arabian
- New Age, 90's Names, Celebrity, Favorite Soap Opera's
- Melting Pot
- Chinese
All that but no Korean...I'm beginning to feel a bit of biasness on behalf of my little one. Still I found some books that has sections of Korean name, so I gave those a browse thru.
Sad to say they only had about 2 pages each of Korean names for boys and girl to chose from. When I compared that to the pages and pages of name from other cultures I felt a bit at odds.
I was tempted to give the baby a Native American name, since I saw some good ones but figured I had enough racial explaining to do later.
So armed with my four sheets of paper with Korean baby names I begin the interesting task of name choosing. At some point I will need the help of my Korean co-workers to help me correctly pronounce and fully understand the meaning behind any name I find appealing.
I sure know how to over due some projects huh?
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