"Good-Bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong"
by Frances Park and Ginger Park

Student Edition
Unit 5, pp. 198–215

Realistic fiction tells about events that could happen in real life. Does anything in this Selection Snapshot remind you of an event from your life?

Jangmi heard raindrops on the roof when she awakened. It was the beginning of the monsoon season in Korea. It would rain a lot. But Jangmi and her family would miss the monsoon season. They were moving from 382 Shin Dang Dong in Korea to 112 Foster Terrace in Massachusetts, in America. In a few hours she would be on an airplane.
Jangmi looked around her room. Everything was packed. Only her memories reminded her of the scrolls and fans that were once on the walls.
At breakfast, Jangmi's best friend, Kisuni, came over. They went to the outdoor market to buy some chummy, a sweet melon. The girls often sat under the willow tree in Jangmi's yard, eating chummy. They did not want Jangmi to move away! Today the chummy was for a farewell meal. Family and friends were gathering to say good-bye. Then the family left for the airport.
On the plane, Jangmi asked about Massachusetts. She was curious about their new home. Mom described their house. It was a row house with radiators and a fireplace. It had a shingled roof and wooden floors and doors. In Jangmi's Korean home, warm pipes under the wax-covered floors kept the room warm. The doors were made of rice paper, and the roof had clay tiles. The new house sounded very different.
Mom talked about the seasons. Massachusetts did not have monsoons. Mom also told Jangmi that her name meant Rose in English. She could use that name if she wanted to. Jangmi said, "No, I am Jangmi, not Rose."
Already Jangmi felt homesick. She would live around the world from Kisuni. She would not have friends, her willow tree, chummy, or the monsoons.
When they got to the new home, Dad told Jangmi to look in the backyard. "It has a tree just like the one at 382 Shin Dang Dong."
"It is not a willow," Jangmi disagreed.
Dad said, "No, it is a maple, and it is beautiful."
Later that day, the furniture arrived. Jangmi began hanging her scrolls and fans on her bedroom walls. Then many neighbors came over to welcome the family. They brought dishes of food. A girl her age named Mary gave Jangmi a sweet fruit called honeydew. It was as delicious as chummy.
After everyone left, Jangmi sat under the maple tree. It really was beautiful. She had made a friend. Maybe someday she and Mary would sit under the tree together. Maybe someday she would use the name Rose. But today she was still Jangmi.

(Updated) Reprinted with permission of the National Geographic Society from Good-Bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong by Frances Park and Ginger Park. Copyright © 2002 Frances Park and Ginger Park.

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