Mr. and Mrs. Davis in Korea

Friday Sept. 29 - Delayed flight- next day or not – stressed

And so the day arrived, mom and dad were en route to Korea and I just had to make it through the longest day of the work week and I’d be getting a taste of home. I went to turn off my computer just as I was heading out the door and there was an old message from my brother Sheldon saying my parents were on a later flight and I needed to check it out. No time then, but I figured I could try when I got to work – only to find that the internet was down (and would be all day). Luckily it was one of the few days during the week when I have a long enough lunch break to go home so when I did I spent it trying to figure out what was going on through calling brothers, looking online, and calling the airline. The only info I could get led me to believe my parents were stuck in Vancouver and wouldn’t be coming until the next night – a stressful day got even more frustrating with that news. But just when I had given up all hope of seeing them and of getting to go to the festival I’d planned to take them to my cell phone (which I shamefully had with me in class) rang and I found out they’d be here – albeit 3-4 hours later than expected. So that night I headed downtown and was able to greet them just as they were coming off of the bus!

It was weird though, how un-weird it was. It felt absolutely normal to see them, to have them come to my place. You would almost expect it not to but it was just as if I’d seen them yesterday. I was glad to see them for sure, but I wasn’t really emotional or anything. Perhaps I’m just a person who’s too jaded – don’t know how to really enjoy things like I should – but then at other times I know I enjoy certain things much more thoroughly than the average person – meh.

Saturday Oct. 1

The next morning, not wanting to let mom and dad give into jet lag, we were off to a downtown festival. My first yet in Korea. (I don’t count the Busan one as it was rained out.) When I found out that there was going to be drumming, my excitement level jumped about 10 notches. I was positively tingling while waiting for them to start. Even the drums themselves were beautiful, and when the men came out in their Korean dress and started to play . . . It was incredible. They had such passion, such joy and the beats . . . oh the beats! I was drastically cut between snapping pictures and trying to control my intense desire to break out and just let my body go with the rhythm in reckless abandon! I remained in my rather squished in place among the crowds - but with the exception of a little boy who ran on stage to 'bust a move' I think I was moving the most of everyone in the crowd. There were also some enjoyable skits/plays, puppet shows, and musical groups, and even a ‘B-boy’ performance later on in the evening. One of the plays in the evening was a very moving production following Korean history – but the drums were by far my favorite.

Early on while at the festival we met a family from the southwestern US who are living in Daegu at one of the American army bases. We exchanged numbers and contact information and were going to join them the next afternoon at their church but it turned out the friend I had thought I had cancelled plans with decided not to cancel them after all . . .

Sunday Oct. 2

And so Sunday came, I took Mom and Dad to my church – introduced them to some of the people I’ve made friends with – and after a lunch there we were off to visit a the home of a Korean friend (I know her because she did an English program in Toronto and became friends with Serene who then gave me her contact information!). I’ve been in Korea for over three months and yet to visit a Korean home and my parents get to their second day here! And what a visit it was. It started with lot’s of confusion during the planning – it was on and off and possibly at other dates and times a number of times but eventually we got there. Bridget’s family was very nervous to have foreigners visit, but also very excited. Bridget is the only one who could speak English well but her father certainly made an effort! He was talking away with us the whole trip. Bridget also told me that one of her sisters was practicing things to say to us in English from earlier on in the week! They were all incredibly gracious and welcoming – serving us traditional Korean food and taking us on a road trip to a famed Korean temple where we saw some Korean cultural sights, including the tallest Buddha in the country and where my mother met a little girl who seemed absolutely thrilled that this foreign woman was talking to her. It was really wonderful – so often my life here isn’t really very different from what it would be in Canada since I spend so much time in my apartment and then with foreign friends.