The middle of March was extremely chaotic. Spring break was coming, poetry portfolios were due for my writing classes, laundry needed to washed and folded, and I needed to prepare my apartment for my first overseas guests. My college friend Rebekah and her boyfriend Carl came to visit Korea!!!! Here is a quick detour about my connection with those two.....
I went to college with Rebekah. She starts dating Carl. I go with Carl and Rebekah to his family's house for the fourth of July for a bbq. I meet Carl's sister Kirstin. She and I attend a job fair together, get teaching job in Korea, and become roommates.
Carl and Rebekah decide to come visit us both. Hence my excitement!
They arrived on a late Thursday night, and it was so nice to see them both. My heart just leapt for joy seeing someone from back home. I won't lie, but a HUGE rush of warm fuzzies erupted in my stomach. A touch of home had arrived. Rebekah is a dear friend to me. Our favorite pastimes include shopping, sushi, movies, books, music, exploring Chicago, and talking about life. We slipped right back into the flow of conversation after being gone for eight months. I felt as if we had never separated!
The four of us traipsed around Seoul all weekend. On Saturday we went to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) and spent the afternoon learning about the history of Korea and looking at the government buildings that separate the North and the South. I was a little nervous the entire trip. The ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers guard a small blue room where negotiations take place. Each ROK soldier is trained in tae-kwon-do and could break a man in half. Yikes! Our tour guide mentioned that one of the tables was in South Korea and the other half was in North Korea. I actually stepped foot on the North Korean soil! It was very weird! We looked at the desolate N. Korean landscape, “Propaganda Village”, and the tunnels dug by the N. Koreans in hopes of secretly attacking the North. Korea truly is a divided nation.
We spent the rest of the time viewing a performance arts show called Nanta, visiting the Korean War memorial and shopping in Insadong for traditional gifts. It was so wonderful to share my favorite haunts with my friends. We came back exhausted to Daejeon after a whirlwind in Seoul.
Kirstin and I sent Carl and Rebekah on day trips while she taught and I spent time recovering from the stomach flu. We had time to just TALK. Rebekah and I went to one of my favorite restaurants and talked for over three hours about life. It was wonderful to pick where we left off. I was extremely sad to see them go, but it was amazing sharing my overseas adventure with friends back home. They took back a piece of Korea with them. Especially the shrimp fries and kimchi. :)
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