Amanda Knits

On the way to and from class tonight I was knitting. On the subway.

We all know ow adventuresome that can be in South Korea.

A pack of ajummas+ (meaning ajummas on the cusp of being halmonis) were staring at me, fondling my knitting (why do ajummas do that?), talking about it. They started asking questions, in Korean, of course. I think I said I was working on that sweater for 6 years. Oops.

One asked if I was knitting the sweater for my husband. "No, I am not married."

She looked at me, her eyes getting wide, "How old are you?"

"Don't ask her that," another one scolded her. "Women hate that!"

"Twenty-eight."

"And not married! Oh, oh," she started clucking her tongue.

A third woman asked, hopefully, "Do you have a boyfriend?" while a fourth said in English, "Ah, miss? You miss?"

"Yes, Miss. Yes, I have a boyfriend."

The pack of wild ajummas gasped. "Is he Korean? Is he handsome? How old is he?"

I blushed as I answered all of their questions.

When they were satisfied, the primary woman said, "Ah, 28. I remember 28. But now I am a halmoni [grandmother]."