Strange Times
As always, I've been meaning to write for some time, but have been too busy. Actually, I shouldn't be writing now, as I've got a lot of other homework to be doing, but it's good to take a break now and then, right?
Now when does this story begin? It must have been November of 2014? I could find my journal, but don't have the time to go digging for it. Anyhow, as a missionary in Korea, out nearly a year, I got the transfer call from the mission president to transfer to Gangnam Korea. Yes, the very same Gangnam that the annoying song by Psy is about.
I really didn't want to leave the area that I had been serving in—Suwon. Suwon was a dream, a bustling city, that was mixed in with lots of old history. Our church building was located right next to the ancient palace. Every day, we walked through the old city gate, to enter the walled palace part of the city. A very artsy place, with random events, always taking place, Suwon was my kind of town. With lot's of really interesting and friendly people, by the numbers, it was by far my most successful area during my mission. I didn't think that I was ready for the big city. I mean, Suwon is a big city, but you can travel a few blocks and still find rice fields.
Anyhow, this story is taking far too long to tell...and I've got homework to do. So, I move to Gangnam and get settled in there. In Suwon, English class was my forte. I was fortunate enough to teach the advanced class, and we had the best of times! I would make up a topic for class, and we'd roll with it. Often doing crazy role plays, and teaching lots of useful (but missionary appropriate) American slang. I was later accused by fellow missionaries of ruining that class, cause I apparently a lot of people stopped coming after I left?
Gangnam English class was similar. Not as big of a class, and certainly a different vibe. But there are always a few die-hard students who like hanging around we foreign missionaries, even if they don't have any gospel interest. I quickly made some good friends in the English class there. There were three females that regularly attended, and were pretty good at English. But don't worry, it's not like that! Though unconventional, I was a well-behaved missionary. I tried to live within the rules, as much as one can, while still having to navigate existing in a foreign country, when you often have no idea what people are talking about. Anyhow, I became good friends with these ladies. They were—all three—pretty good friends with all of us in general. Here and there, they'd take us out to dinner, or come to other church activities with us.
Here's where things turn back to the story of my life: two of the three were much older than us, late 30's at the time. As is the story of my life, foreigners and middle-aged/older women always seem to love me the most. Nothing romantic has ever happened between us—then or now. But they definitely loved me for some reason. I've never really been able to work out this whole charm thing. I seem to have an abundance of it, but not when I think it matters. Hopefully, I'll master it someday.
So I became good friends with these ladies there in Gangnam, and have kept in loose contact with them since my mission. They always complained about Korea and were determined to make it to the US. About two years ago, they did! A few months ago, I was eating dinner with another missionary who lived with me in Gangnam. We decided it'd be fun to give one of them a call. So we talked to her for a minute, and actually got thrown out of the restaurant—apparently, we were being too loud...
A few days after that, she calls me and says that she has purchased tickets for her and her other good friend from the class to come and visit me! I tried to see what they wanted to do while they were here if they wanted to visit other missionaries, etc. But I was told that they only wanted to visit me. Strange, I thought, but then again, I did build a better relationship with them than a lot of other missionaries. They were never my investigators because we mostly were not allowed to teach females in my mission. But we were good buddies. I'd always go out of my way to help them learn and understand English better, and was approachable for answering their gospel-related questions at English classes.
Skip forward a few months, and I picked them up at the SLC airport. I like to keep identities vague on here, so I'll refer to the two as U and C. It was so great to see them again, it'd been nearly four years since I'd last seen them. U and C really go together as a pair. They are best friends, and their personalities complement each other perfectly. It's too bad one of them isn't a male, or they'd actually probably be married to each other. Anyhow, U flew in from California, and C flew in from Grenada to visit for two days. I took them around a lot of Nothern Utah. We explore SLC a little, visited Temple Square, went up to Park City, and explored a lot of Provo. The trip was short but sweet. I tricked them both into doing to rock climbing and snowshoeing. They'd actually never heard of snowshoeing before, so that was fun!
(we three snowshoeing)
After snowshoeing, they came to Sunday family dinner at my grandparent's. That went better than expected. But U kept telling them that I was her plan B for getting married and staying in the US...yikes. So that was awkward. It's definitely her joking sense of humor to say so, but the problem is that she wasn't/isn't really joking?
Yeah, my life is strange again. Picture me chauffering two 42yr old Korean women all around Utah, certainly makes me laugh. I think that I sold the trip too well! Now U is scheming a way to move here! Hopefully not with the intention of marrying me! Though I'm convinced that's a part of it. I mean, we're good friends and all, and I've always joked about wanting a sugar momma, but from my point of view, it's not in the cards. So uhhh, guess we'll see where that goes.
I wish I had the time to flesh this story out in greater detail, so you could better understand the dynamics and their personalities, but homework calls. Perhaps I'll have time to revisit it later.
Now when does this story begin? It must have been November of 2014? I could find my journal, but don't have the time to go digging for it. Anyhow, as a missionary in Korea, out nearly a year, I got the transfer call from the mission president to transfer to Gangnam Korea. Yes, the very same Gangnam that the annoying song by Psy is about.
I really didn't want to leave the area that I had been serving in—Suwon. Suwon was a dream, a bustling city, that was mixed in with lots of old history. Our church building was located right next to the ancient palace. Every day, we walked through the old city gate, to enter the walled palace part of the city. A very artsy place, with random events, always taking place, Suwon was my kind of town. With lot's of really interesting and friendly people, by the numbers, it was by far my most successful area during my mission. I didn't think that I was ready for the big city. I mean, Suwon is a big city, but you can travel a few blocks and still find rice fields.
Anyhow, this story is taking far too long to tell...and I've got homework to do. So, I move to Gangnam and get settled in there. In Suwon, English class was my forte. I was fortunate enough to teach the advanced class, and we had the best of times! I would make up a topic for class, and we'd roll with it. Often doing crazy role plays, and teaching lots of useful (but missionary appropriate) American slang. I was later accused by fellow missionaries of ruining that class, cause I apparently a lot of people stopped coming after I left?
Gangnam English class was similar. Not as big of a class, and certainly a different vibe. But there are always a few die-hard students who like hanging around we foreign missionaries, even if they don't have any gospel interest. I quickly made some good friends in the English class there. There were three females that regularly attended, and were pretty good at English. But don't worry, it's not like that! Though unconventional, I was a well-behaved missionary. I tried to live within the rules, as much as one can, while still having to navigate existing in a foreign country, when you often have no idea what people are talking about. Anyhow, I became good friends with these ladies. They were—all three—pretty good friends with all of us in general. Here and there, they'd take us out to dinner, or come to other church activities with us.
Here's where things turn back to the story of my life: two of the three were much older than us, late 30's at the time. As is the story of my life, foreigners and middle-aged/older women always seem to love me the most. Nothing romantic has ever happened between us—then or now. But they definitely loved me for some reason. I've never really been able to work out this whole charm thing. I seem to have an abundance of it, but not when I think it matters. Hopefully, I'll master it someday.
So I became good friends with these ladies there in Gangnam, and have kept in loose contact with them since my mission. They always complained about Korea and were determined to make it to the US. About two years ago, they did! A few months ago, I was eating dinner with another missionary who lived with me in Gangnam. We decided it'd be fun to give one of them a call. So we talked to her for a minute, and actually got thrown out of the restaurant—apparently, we were being too loud...
A few days after that, she calls me and says that she has purchased tickets for her and her other good friend from the class to come and visit me! I tried to see what they wanted to do while they were here if they wanted to visit other missionaries, etc. But I was told that they only wanted to visit me. Strange, I thought, but then again, I did build a better relationship with them than a lot of other missionaries. They were never my investigators because we mostly were not allowed to teach females in my mission. But we were good buddies. I'd always go out of my way to help them learn and understand English better, and was approachable for answering their gospel-related questions at English classes.
Skip forward a few months, and I picked them up at the SLC airport. I like to keep identities vague on here, so I'll refer to the two as U and C. It was so great to see them again, it'd been nearly four years since I'd last seen them. U and C really go together as a pair. They are best friends, and their personalities complement each other perfectly. It's too bad one of them isn't a male, or they'd actually probably be married to each other. Anyhow, U flew in from California, and C flew in from Grenada to visit for two days. I took them around a lot of Nothern Utah. We explore SLC a little, visited Temple Square, went up to Park City, and explored a lot of Provo. The trip was short but sweet. I tricked them both into doing to rock climbing and snowshoeing. They'd actually never heard of snowshoeing before, so that was fun!
(we three snowshoeing)
After snowshoeing, they came to Sunday family dinner at my grandparent's. That went better than expected. But U kept telling them that I was her plan B for getting married and staying in the US...yikes. So that was awkward. It's definitely her joking sense of humor to say so, but the problem is that she wasn't/isn't really joking?
Yeah, my life is strange again. Picture me chauffering two 42yr old Korean women all around Utah, certainly makes me laugh. I think that I sold the trip too well! Now U is scheming a way to move here! Hopefully not with the intention of marrying me! Though I'm convinced that's a part of it. I mean, we're good friends and all, and I've always joked about wanting a sugar momma, but from my point of view, it's not in the cards. So uhhh, guess we'll see where that goes.
I wish I had the time to flesh this story out in greater detail, so you could better understand the dynamics and their personalities, but homework calls. Perhaps I'll have time to revisit it later.
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