MUSEUM
Today, I had a coffee date with Connie, a sweet lady from my church, to talk about the possibility of her family hosting me during my second grant year in South Korea. I know Connie from the afternoon English service at Ttang Ggeut Church. When I had just first arrived in Yeongdo, she offered to give me rides to and from church, insisting that she was practically my neighbor. I gratefully obliged!
We had coffee together at this beautiful marine museum in Yeongdo. The place was not as busy, the conversation was easy, and the sky and the sea competed in blueness just on the other side of the clear glass windows.
BARISTA
The only unpleasant thing was being momentarily startled and paralyzed upon seeing the bruised face of the barista who handed me my order. The slopes of her cheekbones were blue and green in hues, and I wrestled with what to say to her nearly the whole time I was sitting down, enjoying my macchiato and sharing a muffin with Connie. I stood up to grab refills of our table napkins and attempted to say something but, each time, the lady was curt, quickly moved away from me, and hid her face.
Connie and I must have talked about our whole lives this afternoon. The talking was easy (or easier) because she is a middle school English teacher. She had also lived in the U.S. for about 10 years, raising three children there before moving back to Korea.
COOKING
Connie was willing to host me for next year, but was unsure of whether I would further consider staying with her because, she said, she does not cook.
With a look half embarrassed and half joking, she said she has heard all year about how amazing a cook my Korean host mom is, and that she was not able to compete with that. (I hadn't realized how much I bragged about my host mom's cooking to, well, everybody until today!). I tried my best to assure Connie that if I stayed with her, I would learn how to cook, and might even start cooking for her and her family! (heh, I know, right!).
APARTMENT
We left the cafe at the museum, with me not having done or said anything to the lady, and headed to Connie's apartment complex for a quick tour. She was gracious enough to prepare a small snack for me while there. The place was older than my current host family's apartment, but comfortable - it smelled comfortable, and looked well-lived through.ORCHID
I left knowing that I had many things to consider in the coming days. Before I made my exit, I wandered over to their small patio and saw a purple orchid growing vibrantly among other healthy green plants. This simple sight was enough to reassure me that whatever next year might bring, God will be there right alongside me. I breathed a silent grateful sigh and ushered myself out the door and back into Connie's car, heading to the address that had become home to me this past year. |
| Purple orchids, my favorite flower |
:)
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