I can’t remember the particular movie I watched where this word, 'eomeoni' was pronounced so rapidly that it tingled my ears, and I got used to it. You know, most of the Korean movies we watch in Nigeria have English subtitles, and in that movie, the word “mother” was repeatedly pronounced so quickly that all I could hear was “momonie, momonie.” I had to go and make a search to get the correct spelling, and that’s when I found out that it’s “eo-meo-ni” and not “momonie.” I was close, very close.
So, this word “eomeoni” in Korea means “mother.” It was the tone and manner in which it was pronounced that made me acquainted with the word, and it’s one of the few Korean words I’m familiar with.
The word generally carries great weight; everyone knows it and values the importance of a mother in our lives. Just as we know, Mother’s Day is celebrated countless times around the world, and it makes me want to say that mothers are valued more than fathers in our world today, and I’m not far from the truth.
In the Korean movie that I watched, the young lady who lost her dear “eomeoni” when she was a teenager couldn’t fill the vacuum even after she became an adult and got married. Every time she had memories of her mother, the word “eomeoni,” which sounded like “momonie,” kept coming out of her mouth, mixed with tears. That’s exactly how difficult it is to lose a mother.
My mother is very much alive, and I pray that she lives to a very old age, when I’ve become a family man and have my own home, so I wouldn’t feel it that much. Because as of now, if I were to lose my mother, the pain would be heavy and unbearable. But aside from this, I have friends who have lost their mothers, and I know the magnitude of the pain they passed through.
Thanks.
