Yesterday, my friends Joy and Chloe and their friend Yong-joon came over to my apartment to fix my computer, which mysteriously died and then came half-way back to life earlier this week. Yong-joon has the computer knowledge, and he spent most of the time at the keyboard, trying this and that to get the thing operating smoothly again. Meanwhile, I pulled out all the American and German cookies and candy that I had rationed from various care packages, and I created a veritable smorgasbord of junk food, which was quite a novelty for my friends.
After fooling with my computer for almost three hours, Yong-joon declared it "improved" but not perfect and decided to call it quits. I offered to take everyone for dinner, as a very small expression of thanks. They decided we'd all go to the next city over and visit a restaurant where one of their friends works. It was a very inexpensive fast-food/snack type of restaurant, so I still feel like I owe them something for the time they spent helping me. The food was good, though. As usual when I'm eating with Joy, I let her order for me. I had rice with cabbage and other veggies stir-fried in hot red pepper sauce. Yum!
The restaurant was pretty quiet, and Joy and Yong-joon would occasionally walk over to the kitchen to talk to their friend Eung-seok. At one point, Joy and Yong-joon were both in the kitchen, when Joy called to Chloe for us to join them. "We're going into the kitchen?" I asked Chloe.
"No, I don't think it's a kitchen," she said, to my complete confusion.
When we were back in the kitchen, Joy slid open a very low window on one wall, slipped off her shoes, and stepped through it. Chloe followed.
"Uh, what's happening here?" I thought.
Is it trust in my friends, curiosity, or perhaps a latent lemming-like instinct that made me follow?
I stepped through the window and found myself in a sound-proof back room full of rock band equipment.
"Do you play any instruments?" Eung-seok asked me. I get asked that question a lot. I'm sometimes a little embarrassed by my complete lack of musical inclination, but it gives me an opportunity to talk about my sister, who has more than enough musical talent for both of us. As I stood there in the secret band room, it occurred to me that Sal would appreciate this quirky experience so much more than I. Yong-joon, Eung-seok, and Chloe played some of the instruments. Joy sang a little, and I just took it all in.
Eung-seok had to get back to work in the kitchen, so we climbed back through the window, and Yong-joon, Joy, Chloe, and I went to a nearby park. It had an expansive rose garden (everything in bloom) and an artificial waterfall. It was quite dark, but the flowers were still pretty in the moonlight. Here are a couple photos. Yong-joon took the first one of Chloe, Joy, and me. Joy took the second one of Chloe and me.
A short while later, Eung-seok joined us at the park, too. We had a late night picnic and just hung out and chatted. Of course, most of the conversation was in Korean, but I could understand some of it, and someone would occasionally interpret other things for me. Yong-joon was worried that I would be bored since I don't speak/understand much Korean, and none of them speaks English fluently. I assured them all that I was happy. Communication is far deeper than what words are said, and to me, just to be included in this outing was meaningful.So I find myself at a point where I am once again thankful for my friends and for the glimpses they give me of real life in this country. I am thankful for the windows they give me, not just to see through but to climb through, to experience the things that aren't in the guidebooks.
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