Kindness of Strangers

i have been in correspondence with a fellow Korean adoptee, CJ for awhile. He is a nephew of my uncle's girlfriend. Follow that? Good. He actually decided to do this whole teaching thing around the same time as i did. It was from him that i received Steven's name and was able to finally get to Korea. We have been sending messages to each other for a few months now. Mostly, it is him giving me answers to my grillions of questions.

On Saturday, we decided to meet up in person. He had made contact with his birth family a while ago and has been welcomed with open arms since he has arrived here. His youngest sister [Hae Mi] who happens to live in Suwon, and her husband [Sung Jae], and CJ picked me up near the intersection by the school i will be teaching at.

Usually, i would be a bit fearful of this kind of situation being awkward. Luckily, i felt comfortable immediately. i felt as though we had been old friends catching up. We went to E-Mart to get some groceries and other necessities. Let me try to explain what E-Mart was like. Imagine an open-air market, Ikea and a Super Wal-Mart piled into one store, during the busiest of holidays. i am going to need to take a Xanax every time i need some milk and eggs! People were bashing into each other with carts every which way, children were screaming, and ladies were giving out samples around each turn.

i bought mostly produce, since i have been starved for proper nutrition these last few days. i also wanted to buy a rice cooker, but CJ informed me that they are very expensive here! The cheapest one we could find was like $40. If i am going to pay that much it better do my dishes and laundry too. How ironic! i yearn for my $15 one i bought from Target.

The best part of the trip was our discovery of an outdoor brand called The Redface. Oh yes, it's just a gift wrapped in hilarity. It's obviously ripping off The Northface, but i don't think they get the joke in the translation. Everyone that knows me has experienced my "redface" at one time or another as a result of alcohol consumption. Not all Asians are lucky enough to turn a shade of crimson but many do. Expect some photos of me suited up in some Redface gear...rockin my own "redface" as well...haha.

After what seemed like eons, we proceeded to the checkout. i was exhausted! We piled all of our stuff into the car and headed over to Hae Mi and Sung Jae's place for dinner.

They cooked us a delicious meal of soup and a vegtable dish consisting of mushrooms and peppers. It was so wonderful to have a home cooked meal. The soup had a nice kick to it. They tease CJ because of his inability to eat spicy things. Apparently, it runs in the male side of the family.

Sung Jae had borrowed a Nintendo Wii from a friend of his and hooked it up for us to play. Now, i'm not really a video game person at all. i played old school Nintendo a bit as a child with my brother. CJ claimed he had only played Wii twice, but i beg to differ. He schooled me in bowling and tennis. i have to admit, it was much more fun than i thought. But, i still think i prefer reality to virtual.

We hung out for the rest of the evening watching some Korean variety shows. i was also surprised to see them bust out a tub of ice cream for dessert. i didn't think dairy was big here or that a lot of my fellow Asians could digest it. i was wrong. i guess i can no longer blame my being Korean on my shitty digestive problems.

They drove me back to my house [after me not being able to find it] and helped me unload my things. i can not express my gratitude enough. They made me feel so welcome and at home in a place where i have not felt either since my arrival. How often do perfect strangers go out of their way for you? CJ is indeed very lucky to have them as family. Thanks again!

i passed out shortly after returning home and woke again at four in the morning. Despite taking and Ambien, i still got little rest. i am just going to have to work harder to over come this obstacle in the line of many.

***the above photo is some of my own Korean-inspired handy work.