The Tipping Point

I’m not sure I can tell you exactly how this trip is different from the last one but it is.

I remember being very antsy last April when I got off the plane. Everything was in Hangul. While I hade been watching dramas for months, I had only ever heard Korean spoken. I had not really seen very much of it written. While most things were also posted in other languages including English, the Hangul was most predominant. I was a bit intimidated being in a foreign country knowing only a handful of words and very heavily dependent on Lizzy who was much more fluent than I. The fact that Korean is character based rather than alphabet based made it even scarier.

I didn’t feel that this time around. After a year of classes, I could actually (fairly) confidently read the characters syllable by syllable as opposed to sounding them out letter by letter. During the school year, I never feel like I am progressing. I always feel like I am so slow and belong with the 5 year olds learning nursery rhymes. However, as we boarded the train to the baggage claim area, I realized that I had also learned enough to chuckle as I overheard a male flight attendant hitting on a female one.

We grabbed a taxi and headed for our first BNB. The taxi driver spoke absolutely no English, but we confidently told him the number in our party and where we wanted to go. Yes, we still relied on Lizzy to take lead, but this time, rather than being clueless, I understood his questions and her responses. I also knew that it would have taken me longer, but if put in the position I could do so. Note to self: learn the phrase for talk slowly.

Another difference is that this time around we are staying in a series of apartments in different districts and cities booked through Airbnb. Our first destination is the Mapo-gu district of Seoul. We plan to use this as our place to recuperate from jet-lag and get onto Korean time and plan for the rest of our stay.

You would think that since we are only chillaxing for the first couple days that there wouldn’t be any stories. You would be so very wrong.

Our first one starts as soon as we entered the apartment. The head understands that we are renting an apartment and that it is not a hotel. The head also forgets that this means none of the things that we take for granted will be present.

No towels. No problem. We all brought beach towels for when we go to Busan. No toiletries. No problem. We all brought our own anyway. No toilet paper. BIG problem with this many females sharing one bathroom. A recon party is sent to find the nearest convenience store and scout for food. They return with mandu (dumplings) and soju. Oh yeah, and toilet paper. All is right with the world.

We all crash relatively early. This puts us awake too late for the open late places and too early for everyplace else. We are stuck in between. When we see from our window that the city is starting to stir and morning rush hour is underway, we head out for breakfast.

We barely make it out of the elevator before our tales begin. An older gentleman in the lobby, obviously the security guard, stops the girls as soon as they get out of the elevator. He wants to know what apartment we are in. I am busy in the back counting to myself under my breath starting from one. Il, i, sam, sa … Kim blurts out chil (7). I correct her with pal (8). At which point the security guards demeanor changes entirely. He stands up and comes out of his little room. He wants to know who I am. They introduce me as ‘ouri eomma’ (our mother).

This is technically untrue. I am biologically only Lizzy’s mother. However, I do ‘mother hen’ the other two who are with the party. In addition, in Korean culture, Lizzy wouldn’t introduce me as ‘my mother’ since I am also have other children. So family members are referred to collectively.

While the girls only got a slight nod of the head to their ‘annyeong hasaeyo’ (hello) when they exited the elevator, I got a full 90 degree bow to mine and the girls started giving me looks causing me to blush. They continue to tease and harass me as we walk down the street. And every time we return to or leave the apartment as we drop off packages and he greets me first and specifically.

Our destination is a place called Paris Baguette. Why would we visit a French bakery while in Korea? It is because this place is a popular filming site for many KDramas and Koreans like eating there because it’s not Korean. Since one of the goals for this trip is to experience Korea like Koreans instead of like tourists, this is on our list even though it technically covers both for us.

While everything is an adventure, our next tale comes from dinner. On our morning shopping excursion we passed a BBQ place and decided that it was what we wanted to try that night. It was not really crowded yet and we got a nice spot on the deck. There were two other parties already seated - one to our left and one behind us.

The one to our left was a couple and very much absorbed in each other. The one behind us were a party of three – two women and a man. From the number of empty soju bottles on the table, they had been there for at least a little while. And they were definitely having fun. As were we.

Lizzy was maknae meaning that she was the youngest. This means that she is responsible for grilling the meat for dinner. She does a marvelous job and we are enjoying the heavenly tastes of galbi (beef) and toasting with soju (konbae!).

The gentleman at the table behind us fell backwards off his bench onto the floor, bumping into Lizzy and Mallie as he did so. “Gwenchanayo?” we all asked simultaneously. Several things then happened in very rapid succession.

First, he assured us that he was indeed okay. Next, he realized that we had spoken to him in Korean and began to ask us questions which we answered. Third, we ended up with him buying us a bottle of soju. He is impressed when the girls hold the glass properly with right hand and supported on the bottom with the left hand. “Korean style” he notes with a nod of approval as he fills our glasses and gets to Mallie.

Now Mallie is not much of a drinker and she takes a single sip to every shot that we take. We are fine with this. That means more soju for us. However, this is not okay etiquette for us being bought a bottle of soju. She must finish what is in her glass so that he can fill it again.

“One shot” he tells her and she shakes her head. At which point, he takes the rice spoon from the drawer and gets a scoop and tells her “one spoon” as he spoon feeds her soju until her shot glass is empty and he can refill it.

I get the honor of filling his and we click our glasses to chorus of ‘konbae’ and ‘one shot’ and Lizzy gets extra brownie points for turning to the side before she drinks hers. He returns to his party obviously having moved up in esteem with his two female guests for his knowledge of English and we have a new target and tease Mallie about him flirting with her; the security guard forgotten for the moment.

And so ends our first full day in Seoul.