Travel Korea Day 1: Fun in Gwangju

After arriving in Gwangju at 2pm on Saturday, my Korean friend Gwen and I had plans to spend the rest of the day together in order for her to show me around her hometown. I took a taxi to her neighborhood and she met me at the corner where the driver dropped me off. She then took me to her apartment to store my things, where her boyfriend, Ryan (whom I had met before, the night I arrived in Korea), met us minutes later. Together we drove to Lotte Department Store to have lunch, a fancy-shmanz multi-story shopping mall complete with jewelry dealers, makeup and perfume counters, and an elegant, upscale restaurant. It was the ritz, like The Galleria in Houston or The Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio, the finest shopping experience money could buy. We walked around in the store a bit after the meal, but I just couldn't swallow all the ostentation; it was much too over-the-top for me. We then headed outside to the car and to taste a little of Gwangju's downtown scene.

The meal with Gwen and Ryan was amazing! One floor of the department store was dedicated solely to food and housed its restaurant, a buffet-style fine dining facitily called [ ] Alaska. They served pasta, seafood, mandu, salad, sushi, and even steak! Most of what I ate this afternoon was delicious, although the mandu was a little disappointing. I tried a Chinese version of mandu that tasted suspiciously like something I might find at the bottom of a dishwasher after a load of dishes. The steak was quite good: It was different than any other steak I've had (and certainly not the kind served in Texas) because it was sweet and I found that so satisfying somehow. The mashed potatoes were also wonderful, served with cream in a tiny square bowl (for those of us watching our figure). The restaurant, food, and company were all so elegant. It felt so good to treat myself to something really nice.

After dinner, the three of us drove downtown to meet friends of Gwen's who own and opperate little shops. One of the shops was an accessory store where I met a cute little puppy dog named Ti who aparently fell in love with me and followed me all over the store. There, I found some Korean earrings to add to my growing collection. It was my first experience trying on earrings before I bought them, as well as my first time having someone else put my earrings on for me! Koreans go out of their way to be gracious and hospitable, I tell you. I thought about buying a hair clip, too, but it was a bit expensive so I put it back. The proprietor of the store felt bad about the expense and gave me the earings free of charge. I didn't want to just walk out of there without giving her something, though. "You can buy this," Gwen suggested, indicating the clip. As a way to say thank you for her generosity, I purchased the clip for 32,000 won.

Our next stop was an upscale nail salon managed by Gwen's friend, Yum Seong Yup, to have my nails done. I think this was my first ever professional manicure. Looking at the result, they did an outstanding job! They worked with my natural nails to shape them, squaring them off smatly, and prep them for polish. We looked at several different colors of polish, from charcoal grey to sea-foam green, finally settling on a shimmering lavendar glitter. I watched Seong Yup paint my nails with such artistic care and detail. I thought I was meticulous at painting nails, but he turns this into a serious art form. He later offered to take my picture with his Polaroid and took one with us as a souvenier for me. He said he'd remember me if I came back to visit.

Gwen, Ryan, and I toured downtown a bit more after that, walked to a special artistry road that's lit up year-round like the light festival in Japan, and finished off the night with a few rounds of pool at a dong ku jong (I think). This "bang" is a small pool-hall-like room with no more than four tables; it reminded me of the places I'd frequent during college, but I like this one better because it was so close and intimate. We took turns playing each other and I taught them Cut-throat, a pool game where the object is to leave the balls on the table instead of "pocketing" them. Gwen seems to be at a similar level to me, while Ryan looks every bit as much the pool sharp. He beat me all three times we played Nine Ball, once merely through pocketing the nine ball on the break. After playing pool, we decided to call it a night. I had a great time getting to know the two of them today. I feel as though the LORD has led me here this weekend, if for nothing else than to build relationships. I am ever grateful for Gwen's hospitality and allowing me an entrance into her life.