I wrote my first article for the newspaper this weekend!
I went downtown to an interesting coffee shop and interviewed the owner (with the kind help of his girlfriend as our translator). When I arrived, I expected to order something nice and settle right down into asking all my questions, but instead I was invited to a back room where the staff was preparing Korean barbecue!
The owner, his girlfriend, and the part-time man on staff welcomed me and talked with me. The part-time man and the owner's girlfriend cooked the meat and I enjoyed tasting the soup the girlfriend made.
It was wonderfully cozy, and it made the whole scene seem more intimate.
I had stumbled across the coffee shop a few weeks prior and immediately been welcomed by the owner's girlfriend, a gracious Korean woman who teaches English at another academy. She had stayed and talked with me for quite some time while I was there, and the owner had offered me a free berry drink in addition to my order.
The next time I came I got permission from the owner to write the article about their shop.
While I was helping his girlfriend clean up after the barbecue dinner on Saturday, she asked, “Is it too awkward for you, having a meal like this with people you have met only one or two times?”
“No,” I said, “I don't feel awkward at all. Do you?”
“No,” she said.
I continue to be amazed and impressed by the gracious hospitality and generosity of the people I meet here.
I went downtown to an interesting coffee shop and interviewed the owner (with the kind help of his girlfriend as our translator). When I arrived, I expected to order something nice and settle right down into asking all my questions, but instead I was invited to a back room where the staff was preparing Korean barbecue!
The owner, his girlfriend, and the part-time man on staff welcomed me and talked with me. The part-time man and the owner's girlfriend cooked the meat and I enjoyed tasting the soup the girlfriend made.
It was wonderfully cozy, and it made the whole scene seem more intimate.
I had stumbled across the coffee shop a few weeks prior and immediately been welcomed by the owner's girlfriend, a gracious Korean woman who teaches English at another academy. She had stayed and talked with me for quite some time while I was there, and the owner had offered me a free berry drink in addition to my order.
The next time I came I got permission from the owner to write the article about their shop.
While I was helping his girlfriend clean up after the barbecue dinner on Saturday, she asked, “Is it too awkward for you, having a meal like this with people you have met only one or two times?”
“No,” I said, “I don't feel awkward at all. Do you?”
“No,” she said.
I continue to be amazed and impressed by the gracious hospitality and generosity of the people I meet here.
