Southern Hospitality

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I can’t help but share with all you friends, one example of the genuine kindness and warmth of the people here, which has happened time and time again during the short four weeks I’ve been in South Korea. The severity of change and of cultural shock has been greatly reduced through the assistance of the many good people. A good sense of humor and laughing about things is very useful, but can only take you so far. It was in this dark, back alley, used appliance dealership where things really came to light.

I got dropped off at the downtown bus terminal after school to meet Cassie so we could go to the outdoor market, a larger and more special market that only happens every five or so days. She also mentioned something about meeting up with Mrs. Moon, and Eun Hee, two workers at her school.

We met on the corner and started walking. They are the cutest two ladies, very small and petit, that have the great Korean sense of style. We took a left turn down a small street that resembled one of those back alleys you only see in movies. I didn’t think too much of it, and apparently neither did the ladies since they went about in their merry ol’ fashion. Mrs. Moon quickly turned in my direction, she does everything quickly, looked up at me, and just below the glasses at the end of her nose gave me one of those ear to ear smiles and said, “This is my car.”

The bite size automobile was parked at our destination, a used or recycled appliance store owned by a friend of hers. Here is what I mean by the title of this blog, ‘Southern Hospitality,’ not just the lyrics of a Ludacris song. The reason we were going to this shop was becase Cassie may have mentioned, most likely in passing, that I was interested in getting a rice cooker, but were too expensive. Well, Mrs. Moon and Eun Hee, were so eager to help us in any way to make our stay here enjoyable, got on the horn, and got us a rice cooker lined up that very same day.

This isn’t just a solitary phenomenon. I mentioned to Mr. Kim that I wished I had a guitar here because I would play it in my free time. Well, low and behold, the next morning, he had a dusty old six-string in his backseat that had been his wife’s back in college. It is just those types of things that make you feel so welcome and invited in such a foreign land.

And just to think about both of these situations, neither of them were too easy. Teachers here are worked very hard and put in long hours. To take valuable time out of their life to help us purchase a rice cooker was above and beyond expectation. In the guitar case, I just picture Mr. Kim burrowing through a deep dark closet, through an entire family’s life and memories to fine this instrument that was most likely forgotten about decades ago. What a great quality in this culture that more of us should possess.

To illustrate this fact some more, I will continue on with the saga of the appliance store…

As with any used appliance store in anywhere-ville, you can imagine it may not be the tidiest of places. This store fit the bill. We entered what seemed to be a backdoor to an enclave of refrigerators is various stages of repair, some heaters apparently ready for sale, and a wall of fans. The ladies led us around a corner where two older men were watching television; the owner, and Mrs. Moon’s husband.

These two gentlemen sprang out of their chairs to meet and greet us. It is hard to put into words the enlightenment they expressed on their faces when we walked into the room. Mrs. Moon’s husband even grabbed me for a bear hug and squashed his excitement for a second to find the English words for, ‘very nice to meet you.’ It was a great moment.

A moment that was over relatively quick, because, in a second, they were off into a frenzy of activity. Mr. Moon got the water boiling for coffee, rather, was instructed to do so by his wife and the owner of the shop was busy, based on the clatter from the other room, finding operable rice cookers. Before we even finished slurping our piping hot coffee, there was a lineup of cookers being assembled for display. No sooner than we could point to one, the ladies got into the mix, choosing a couple that looked good to their standards and testing them. The sight of eight hands all in the same place and the round-a-bout English explanations (which are the cutest ever, when they search their brain for some kind of related word they can use to help explain things) is one I will never forget. Cass and I just looked at each other in amazement of these four.

We ended up leaving with a beautifully cleaned, red rice cooker, and a hand drawn map of what the front panel says in English for a mere 40,000 Won. Again, going far above and beyond the necessary, with the coffee, the test runs, the hug, the map…

We went home that night and watched President Elect Obama’s moving acceptance speech on the internet. It was really something to see people believe in him and his words of hope so much that it moves them to tears. For so long I’ve felt apathy taking over and thought maybe people should simply believe in anything… that anything would be better than nothing at all. I have had some very interesting conversations regarding the U.S. presidential election with very educated people that may never touch U.S. soil. It is a wonder the far reaching effects our country has on the entire world.

It is honor and respect that rule here in so many more ways than just a trip to a rice cooker dealer. I sincerely wish hope is truly restored back home, and that through Obama, we as a people and country are the vehicle that shares hope, belief, level headedness, and innovation throughout the world.

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Photos

Proof the eyes of the world are on America. "Obama" written in Korean Hangul
This picture was taken by Natarsha N. Wright, www.natarshanwright.com

Comments

[Natarsha N. Wright]

Wow!
What a great time to be in Seoul! Nice article.

[dannys]

great blog
southern hospitality!! I feel that too

[Debbie H.]

If only!
Cassie, Love the blog journals and can't wait to read each one. We are sharing in the office because your world sounds so much more interesting than our world of PSP's! We just have to read them in 15 minute increments!! Keep on blogging! I am using my last initital because I noticed there is another Debbie writing in. Debbie H.