One Day in the Life of the Yu Children

Just after 5:00 a.m. each morning, four Yu cousins get up and dress, then head into the predawn blackness to wait at the bus stop. Minutes after boarding, they see in the window the reflection of a local primary school. Only after arriving at the railroad station and getting a seat on the train can they safely begin to enjoy breakfast.

At the beginning of spring, Seoul's early morning temperature hovers around 0°C, one can see ice on the ground and frost on the dry rice fields outside the train. The kids bundle up in their heavy clothes, especially their collars.

More than an hour later the train pulls into Seoul's main station, from where they go through two more subway stops to Myong-Dong, followed by a three-minute walk to reach the city's Overseas Chinese School by eight o'clock. Total travel time per day for these children: four hours round trip. Mrs. Yu often quips, "Now it's warmer; in January or February temperatures will sometimes dip to ten or twenty below zero!"

Amid the early-morning chill, the Yu children grope their way through darkness to Catch the first train, then eat breakfast in the dim light inside the coach. Mr. Yu, the second and third uncles and the aunt are all ex-students of this primary school.

Mrs. Yu's trek to school:

As of now, her son Hsiao-min has entered his second year in junior high. Eight years ago, when he had just begun primary school, his mother was forced to leave the hired help in charge of her restaurant and accompany him daily on trains and subway, then spend the balance of her time in the parents' lounge with others in the same predicament until his classes let out. Later on, sister Ming-hsia, brother Shu-chiang and cousins Shu-lin and Ming-tsui in turn started classes. Mrs. Yu, taking them to and from the railway depot each day like a mother hen leading her brood of chicks, was constantly asked if all five were her children. She proudly replied: "Yes, all mine!"

One day three years ago a severe storm blew in, and the school put out word for all students from distant areas to return home first. Mrs. Yu rushed the children to the station, but the train stalled en route, and the platform was flooded knee-high with water. She was extremely worried, having five children. To carry only one's own children would have been selfish; to carry her sister-in-law's kids in addition to her own was considered a virtue (i.e., mutually helping through difficulty). Fortunately, there were persons along the road who were willing to lend a hand with the kids.

Then with the student movement two years ago, Mrs. Yu and the children received a dose of tear gas. She hung her handbag from her neck, took two children in each hand and ran. As with a U.S. Post Office, neither snow nor rain. . . stays her from getting those kids to school. When Shu-chiang, the youngest, entered fourth grade last year, Mrs. Yu finally stopped the daily journey.

Though they leave their house before 6:00 o'clock, by the time the children have waited to catch a bus, the train and finally the subway, they arrive in Myongdong just before 8:00.

Belated praise back at home:

Their father and two uncles say the kids are lucky. When they first went to elementary school many years ago, Seoul had no public bus routes and a train only once every five hours. To catch it, those three boys had to leave the house by 4:00 a.m., walk 40 minutes to a train station and endure cracks in their hands due to the cold. On occasions when they really could not meet the schedule, their grandfather used the bicycle (for his catering business) to transport six kids (two in front, four in back) to the depot.

If the train was missed, they would get to school in the afternoon. Luckily, their teacher did not punish or scold them, but instead called them to the podium at the head of the class and praised them, knowing why they were late and that the Yu children would not be ones to abandon education.

[Picture Caption]

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Amid the early-morning chill, the Yu children grope their way through darkness to catch the first train, then eat breakfast in the dim light inside the coach. Mr. Yu, the second and third uncles and the aunt are all ex-students of this primary school. Though they leave their house before 6:00 o'clock, by the time the children have waited to catch a bus, the train and finally the subway, they arrive in Myongdong just before 8:00.

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Yu family photo. The mother (2nd right) left her restaurant business in charge of the hired help for six years in order to accompany the children to and from school.

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Mr. Yu, the second and third uncles and the aunt are all ex-students of this primary school.

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Outside of the capital city, Pokjuchon's only Chinese kids pal around, both at school and when playing games.

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"We call our family dog Little Red," announce the cheerful Yu children.

Yu family photo. The mother （2nd right） left her restaurant business in charge of the hired help for six years in order to accompany the children to and from school.

Mr. Yu, the second and third uncles and the aunt are all ex-students of this primary school.