I thought I was done blogging for this trip. But I just have to tell you about Sang Lee. Koreans have a reputation for being rude. Kind of like New Yorkers and Parisians, I think. Well, it's not true there, and it's not true here.
I'd already toured a very colorful Palace, and I was getting ready to enter the Royal Shrine when Sang Lee approached me and introduced himself. It seemed like he just wanted to talk. Turns out he has family in Seattle. His English isn't great, but he does just fine, and it was clear he wanted to use it. He asked if he could buy me a drink. It was 2 p.m., but I knew better than to say no; this is when travel magic happens. So we went to a sidewalk window where he ordered makgeolli, a Korean rice wine (it was either that or Russian vodka), and we drank it from tin cups. After the drinks and some conversation I was on to the shrine, feeling all-the-more 'serene'.
And this wasn't my first such experience of the day. A man came forward to help me buy a transit card for the subway when I couldn't find my way. Then a young fellow in a store selling traditional drums said 'you are always welcome' after I didn't make a purchase ( I was mostly there to ask directions). An elderly man sat down on a bench with me and offered help as I pondered a map, and another one said 'thank you' and shook my hand. I think that the 'thank you' was for our country, not for me.
I'm staying three nights here in Seoul, making my way home. And I slept 10 hours last night, as usually happens for me at the end of a Habitat trip. I'm not far from the radiation in Japan or the crazy Kim Jong-il in North Korea, but right now the world feels like a very safe and friendly place . . .
1 comment:
Hi I'm a friend of Tim and Laurie B. Laurie forwarded your blog to me becaase she knows I like blogging as well. I loved your entry about the beautiful encounters you had with various 'strangers' in Korea. I was offered apple tea by a stranger (male) at a tiny corner shop of some sort near the port on a cruise stop in Turkey last year. I was on my own at that point and said yes.. then got nervous and said i had to go. I later regretted not taking the opportunity to stop and visit. This individual probably just wanted to talk and practice his english as well. It's a little different for a female when your on your own .. but next time I'll think of your blog and see if I can find a way to say yes safely rather than say no out of an over abundance of caution. Your thoughts are most welcome. Cheers
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