Shut Up Patty!

My mom, sister, and I went to visit family in South Korea six years ago. While the trip was interesting from start to finish, nothing was as funny and rude as what my sister said when we got off the plane. It had been fourteen long hours of me being ill and unable to stand on my own.

On the plane, I was dizzy, and no food that I ate would stay down. I looked at my mom and sister sitting on either side of me with a look of confusion as to why I was the only one sick since both my sister and I had never been on plane (excluding when we traveled from Korea as babies) and also with a look asking for help to make this go away. “Shut up Patty! You’re faking it.” My sister said jealous of mom’s attention.

I knew I wasn’t, but she didn’t believe me. When we arrived in South Korea, I had a hard time, walking and standing up for that matter. My mom held my arm as we walked off the plane. My mom said to me “Don’t worry, Patty. When we get to Uncle’s house, we will get you medicine.” I nodded and thanked her. We saw my uncle then, smiled, and bowed. I had a pain in my stomach and whined for a second. After my sister said the next thing, my uncle stared at her like she was the rudest niece in the world. “Shut up!”

Point: Be conscious that everyone believes different things. While saying shut up in America in front of an elder is accepted, it is not accepted in Korea. Shut up is an insult there, especially since my uncle thought she was talking to him.

Word Count: 250 Words