A Strange Encounter

Last night, after a long and exhausting day at work, nothing seemed more appealing to me than large cup of coffee, a comfortable chair, and a book. So I decided to walk over to the Starbucks near my apartment and relax for a little bit before making dinner. I get my coffee and start to walk towards the big comfortable chairs in the back, tucked away in a corner so I can read in peace. As I'm about to sit down, I hear "Hello, Hello." Since I have never seen another non-Korean in this coffee shop, I turn around. Sure enough, two old men are sitting at a nearby table and waving me over. "Hello. What are you doing?" one of the men asks me. "Umm, I'm just getting a cup of coffee," I reply. I'm then bombarded with a series of questions: "Do you live around here?" "What are you doing in Korea?" "How long have you been here?" "What do you think about Korea?" "Where are you from in America?"

Whoa...

I answer their questions with the faint hope that I will at some point be allowed to return to my jacket and scarf, waiting patiently over in the comfy chair by the corner. Instead, the two men insist that I sit at their table. Seeing no other viable option, I grab my things and sit down beside them. The conversation begins in a surprisingly bleak tone. One of the men (the older and shorter of the two) tells me about his two sons in America, one in New Jersey and one in Washington, DC. He tells me that his wife died ten years ago so he tries to spend as much time as possible in America with his two sons. However, they get sick of him and he must return to Korea, where he feels lonely and sad. As I am trying to think of a way to respond to this, the other man turns to me and says, "Yes, my wife also is dead. I am lonely too." 

Thankfully, the conversation soon shifts from death and depression to Shakespeare. I learn that the older man's name is Dr. Joon Hyon Kim and he used to be a prominent English professor, having written multiple books on Shakespeare. I told him that I was an English major with hopes of being a professor some day, eager to keep the conversation on more positive topics. "Oh this is great," he says, and gives me the most unexpected high five of my life. 

I begin to notice that Dr. Kim keeps repeating the same questions to me. "How long have you been in Korea?" "What do you do in Korea?" I find myself explaining the same details three to four times in the span of about twenty minutes. I assume that it is just a product of old age, possibly Alzheimer's , so I just answer as if for the first time. Then suddenly the other old man (who looks like the Korean Larry King) slams his hand on the table and shouts, "YOU ASK SAME QUESTIONS MANY TIMES. YOU OLD MAN." I don't think he quite realized how loud he was, as many people around us looked over in shock. They were probably also a little curious as to why a shaggy-haired white kid was sitting at a table with two old Korean men. 

Then, as if to redeem himself, Larry King (I can't remember his name) tells me that Dr. Kim was the personal interpreter of General John Hodge when the Americans entered Korea and kicked the Japanese out in 1945. This was a big deal considering that Hodge pretty much ran the show until a Korean government was established. Dr. Kim did not have too much to say on the subject and seemed more intent on talking to me about Shakespeare or Dickens than General Hodge, so I didn't ask about details. 

As I was just beginning to think of a way to sneak back to my apartment so that I could eat dinner, Larry King turned to me and said, "You like Chinese food." I assumed he meant it as a question so I simply agreed. "Well then, I will treat you both to Chinese food. Let's go." They both stood up and looked at me. "Sure," I thought. "Why not?" So we walked upstairs (we were in a mall-esque building) and went for some delicious Chinese food. There wasn't much else in the conversation department as Koreans tend to focus 100% of their attention on the meal in front of them. However, the food was great and the Soju was flowing freely. 

Afterwards, I shook hands with Larry King and Dr. Kim, and headed back to my apartment. I realized that this is just one of many moments in Korea that have just been truly unexpected. It is hard to always keep that "open" attitude towards new and strange experiences. Sometimes you just want normality, to sit down with a book and a cup of coffee. In the end though, this is the experience I will remember. Two Korean men went out of their way to get to know me and share a little bit of their lives with me, even inviting me to dinner. That has to be somewhat of a unique opportunity and I'm glad that I got the chance to meet these two men, sip some coffee, and slurp up Chinese noodles.