XXVII. Hold on to your pants.

For the next several posts I'm going to recall the events that have happen within the past few months. Let's just say I'm a bit behind...

Kay's Wedding

On September 5, a bright, clear Saturday morning, I hopped on the KTX headed to Busan. I was going to a wedding for a good friend, Kay. I fell asleep for a bit (on the 3 hour ride) and after waking, was offered a cold Lotteria bulgogi burger by the lady next to me.

She knew four languages, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and English, and was a teacher herself. It is a Korean custom to use Chinese characters on wedding paraphernalia, so she helped me sign the wedding card in Chinese! So cool. Can't believe I didn't take a picture of the card. Wompwomp.

I was curious about Korean weddings, because, shockingly, I heard nothing but negative comments about them from the natives. Korean weddings have the reputation of being overly extravagant, detached, and fast. The ceremonies were about 30 minutes long and it was common to see people walking around and/or casually talking on their cellphones. Yet, I carried the distinct feeling that Kay's would be different.

The service gently welcomed visitors through sweet songs of worship. After the ceremonial necessities, the surprises followed. A group of friends came up to share a special song. In the midst of missed falsetto notes and off-harmonies, I noticed the symphony of approving smiles and nods from the emotional audience. To top it off, the groom's youth group put together an especially adorable video wishing them love and blessings. Intimate. That's how it's done.

On returning, my co-worker, John, and I got acquainted with two of Kay's friends. Their English names were Joseph (요셒) and Sam (히삼) and to our surprise they spoke fluent English. Our bus decided to stop at a beach and treated us to some traditional-style seafood. It made our 8 hour journey so worth it.