Saturday, May 4

A BASKIN ROBBINS SUMMER (Part X of ? If you are ne to this true story, please start from beginning, here: A BASKIN ROBBINS SUMMER

SEOUL

Many chapters later, I lifted my head and saw that we were in the city. Gone were the mountains and greenery, and in its place were tall buildings, everywhere.

When I got of the bus, I stood, again confused. This was always the tricky part, because I had no idea what my relatives looked like. They had a description of me, and knew my schedule, that was it. I must have looked confused enough, because a man in his early thirties with a woman in her mid-twenties made up their mind to approach me. For a minute, I thought how funny it would be if the wrong family picked me up, and I spent the entire rest of the summer with complete strangers. But as they peppered me with questions, I realized that the two, my cousins knew too much about me to be strangers. We rode for another 30 min or so, while they both chatted away, frequently asking questions, offering information, and generally yakking it up. Tae, my guy cousin who looked about thirty, was married, had just finished seminary, and was serving in a pastoral capacity at the church. Soo, my female cousin, was in her late twenties, served as choir director, and was apparently looking for a husband. She asked, with a laugh, if I knew of any good guys in America. After one week of near-silent existence, their conversation seemed really loud to me.

I gradually became used to the volume of their voices and the frequency at which they spoke. Surprisingly, they had a fair grasp of English, the best of all the relatives I had visited so far. They tried out their entire repertoire on me. It only took the car ride for me to feel like I’ve known these two cousins for a long time. They were extremely friendly and easy-going, and I would have wanted friends like these, even if they weren’t my relatives.


yakob at 9:38 PM

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