Lesson 3 Together We Make a Family

After having dinner at my grandparents’ house, I

Our Digital Family Album
received a message with two photos from my father.
Jina won first prize in the school singing contest. She
He said, “Jina, what do you think about these two
chose a popular song from the 1980s to sing in
photos?” The first photo was in black and white, and
front of all the students. Jina’s best friend, Eunji,
it was taken when my father was very young. In the
recorded the performance on her cell phone. After
picture, all the family members were eating some
the contest, Jina showed the video file to her
fruit together. As I saw their smiling faces in the
parents. Jina’s father said, “Oh, your grandfather
picture, I could feel real happiness. On the other
should watch this! This song is one of his favorites.”
hand, the second photo was totally different. My
Jina wanted to send the video file to her grandfather
father had taken this photo before we had dinner. I
right away, but she realized he didn’t have an email

address or a smartphone. She felt sorry about this was playing online games on my smartphone, and

because she had no choice but to wait until she my brother was talking with his friends using a

could visit her grandparents. Here is her story. mobile messaging app while my grandfather was just

watching TV.

When I visited my grandfather, he used to tell me There seemed to be an invisible wall separating us

about when he was my age. I have heard it from our grandfather.

hundreds of times, so I already know what he will
I felt sorry for my grandparents as I saw the photos.
say after, “When I was your age, ...” One of his least
I began to understand how my grandfather felt, so I
favorite things was any kind of digital device. This
asked my father how I could bridge the gap
time I thought I could change his mind because he
between my grandparents and me. He said, “Jina, I
really enjoyed watching my singing performance on
know you’re very good at computers. Why don’t you
my phone. I told him, “Grandpa, I really want you to
make a digital family album? Even better, you could
have a smartphone or an email address. If you use
add some songs we all love, along with your singing
it, we can share many things and talk more often.”
contest video file. Your grandfather will be very
However, my grandfather kept saying that it would
pleased to be able to share his life history with you.”
be too difficult to use a smartphone or email. He

believed digital devices worsened the generation gap. I thought digital devices could connect our family

I wondered why he held on to his negative attitudes and strengthen the family bonds. I suggested the

toward digital technologies. I found it hard to narrow idea to my grandfather, and he accepted it with a

the gap between us, so I said to my father, big smile. Our digital family album starts with “When

“Grandpa simply can’t understand my generation.” my grandfather was my age, ...”

When my grandfather was my age, the Korean War We found it interesting to make our own digital

broke out. Things were quite different from the way family album together. My grandparents said they felt

we live now. He remembers how people suffered closer to me and my brother because our family

from cold, hunger, and poverty even after the war. talked about the photos and the old days. I was

My grandfather decided to leave his sick mother, two glad to learn about their past, and they also looked

brothers, and three sisters because he was the only happy to share their stories with me. We have

one who could earn money. Finally, he moved from finished making the first two chapters of our digital

his hometown to Seoul to make more money. As a family album, and we decided to choose some

laborer in the 1970s, he worked for a big photos of my grandmother for the next chapter. My

construction company in Saudi Arabia and Iran for grandmother has already selected her favorite song

many years. When he thought of his family in Korea, for the background music.

he had to put up with all his difficulties.

Our digital family album will never end!

A love of music runs in the family. Music has been

my grandfather’s best friend throughout his life. He

often listens to music when he feels sad. He told me

he really liked the song that I sang at the singing

contest. He also introduced me to a lot of songs I

had never heard before. They were really amazing.

We chose the first song for the background music of

our digital family album.