One Last Hurrah

*Saturday, July 10, 2010*

"Emily got her visa this week!" my friend Holly emailed me excitedly at the beginning of July. She was referring to a friend of ours from church, Emily Park, who had been waiting to hear word about when she could leave Korea for the States. She had recently gotten engaged to a young man from California who was currently working in Del Rio, Texas, and was hoping to marry him by the fall. "She will be leaving the last week of July, this month," Holly continued. "Are you still up for going [with us] next Saturday? One last horrah!"

The three of us, Emily, Holly, and me, had grown close during Korea's warmer months. I met them both around the middle of March when I first moved up to Suwon and first started coming to SIBC on a regular basis. We had hit it off right from the start, but it wasn't until May that we began to really get to know each other. On impulse one Sunday afternoon in Itaewon, after discussing it briefly with Holly who was walking beside me, Emily invited me to on a trip to Busan that the two of them were planning for the end of May. The trip itself became the centerpiece of our friendship over the summer and the two of them began inviting me to other events and activities outside church. We enjoyed Saturday outings to the outskirts of Seoul together, times where we took in the view, shared food we had never tried before, and encouraged each other in the LORD.

The plan for that next Saturday was to hit up some islands off the coast of Incheon, a busy metropolis on the Yellow Sea just west of Seoul, after browsing Korea's war museum near the center of town. I packed a sheet for lounging around on the beach and donned my polka-dotted swimsuit for the occasion. As I rode the subway into Seoul that afternoon, however, I learned that plans had changed. It was predicted to rain due to a typhoon [hurricane] hovering over one of Korea's seas, and Emily was worried about weather conditions on the island. The girls still wanted to see the museum, but instead of the island they thought we could hit up one of Seoul's many coffee shops afterwards. Though I was a little disappointed about not going to Incheon, the day turned out to be as crazy, upbeat, and fun as the girls I spent it with!

From L to R: Emily, Dawna, and Holly. Dawna also goes to SIBC and I have had the pleasure of getting to know her over the last several months as well. She went to the same college that Holly did, Bethel College in Minnesota, and knows many of the same people as she. Dawna was a nice, pleasantly spontaneous addition to our trio that day.

We enjoyed an array of foods on the grounds of the museum prior to entering the exhibit. Emily brought steamed mandu and chopped veggies and Holly brought bagels and little single-slices of cream cheese. My sheet made the meal all the more picnic-y.

Dawna, Holly, and I were slightly unprepared for what was meant by the "Korean War Museum." There were literally floors of displays for every war Korea has fought, beginning with ancient battles between the three original peninsular kingdoms. We spent so much time walking through Korea's distant past that we had little energy for what was of greater interest, displays of the modern Korean War from 1951-1953.

Instead of a coffee shop after the museum, we decided to check out Heongdae, a trendy shopping district near City Hall. We browsed an outdoor market near the area, where Seoul's upcoming artists were peddling their wares. It had the feel of San Antonio's First Friday, with interesting handicrafts and even caracture-drawings.

As a prelude to our meal, on the streets of Heongdae we decided to try the world's tallest ice cream cone, for about 1200 won each. It was good, as long as you raced to finish it and didn't let it melt!

We originally journeyed to the shopping district for some tasty Mexican food from Dos Tacos, but when the wait proved two hours decided to try a girl-y pasta place instead. The food was nice, the atmosphere pink, and the company priceless.

As we walked back from the restaurant, Dawna spied a purse she seriously contemplated purchasing. In the end, she decided against it and put it back. Smart move, Dawna. Smart move.