Now that I've been settled in for the better part of a week, I figured I'd set the scene a bit better and fill you in on my living situation. I'm staying at a homestay we found through AirBNB in the 서대문구 (Seodaemun-gu) area of Seoul, located in the north-central part of the sprawling city. Seodaemun-gu is a pretty typical neighborhood in Seoul, with mixed residential and commercial elements from the imposing yet indistinguishable high rises so characteristic of all Asian metropolises to the Taekwondo gyms and plastic surgery clinics more endemic to Korea. My homestay is in a small apartment complex perched halfway up what surely must be one of Seoul's steepest hillside streets. Our host family, the Goos, own two facing units in the building (apparently the Korean analog of Dame Maggie Smith lives a floor or two up) and regularly rent out most of the bedrooms to visiting students. Their place has become so popular in recent years that Mr. Goo, once a corporate man, has begun tending his homestay business full-time.
Our flat's little patio.So without further ado, The Goos:
Mr. Goo (구무상): The consummate host, Mr. Goo is a super nice, if a bit eccentric, guy who clearly really loves his homestay gig. He's already thrown the guests here a welcome/going away party complete with Korean fried chicken and inhuman amounts of soju and makgeolli (Korean booze) conditional upon (for serious) Peter and I providing musical entertainment. His favorite activities include coercing foreigners into eating hong-uh (just wait for the next post) and telling everyone how he thinks I'm a cartoon character; his catch phrase is "pahty woooo!"
Mrs. Goo (임수잔): If Mr. Goo is exactly how I described him, and so far he seems to be, Mrs. Goo is the practical and grounded part of the family who not only cooks us delicious Korean meals twice a day, is unfailingly kind and patient, and works as a teacher, but also, I imagine, is the one that reminds Mr. Goo that he must actually collect rent from his tenants for the whole homestay shtick to work properly.
Minsoo (구민수): At 9 years-old, Minsoo is the very talkative and delightfully tactless daughter of the Goo family. She enjoys dancing to K-pop songs, sneaking into the guest unit to steal our candy and cookies, playing the Howl's Moving Castle theme on the keyboard, and talking back to her older brother.
Minsoo picking out all of the potatoes.
Minook (구민욱): 12 year-old Minook, with his black belt in Taekwondo, prodigiously early mastery of Korean fashion, and aloofly disarming smile is certainly a heartbreaker-in-the-making, and also just might be the most interesting Goo in the world. He doesn't always play videogames, but when he does, he plays Pokemon with me, and wins.
"Stay Korean, my friends."Currently, there are also 7 guests staying with the Goos for varying durations, so here is a quick run-down of the 외국인 (Waygookin) Foreigners:
Peter (박수훈): For those of you that don't know Peter, he is one of my best friends from medical school. After hosting him for his interview, I claim the majority of the responsibility for him coming to UMMS. He grew up in Seoul until moving to Toronto for high school, is an incredible musician, plans to match into Internal Medicine, and our bromance has been described as legendary.
Grace (그레스): Grace is an Aussie from Brisbane who's here to study Korean and international studies at Yonsei University. She seems very mature for her age of 19 years, but that perception is belied by her ravenous, unabashed obsession with K-pop bands and Korean pop-culture. She enjoys taking unflattering pictures of herself and others and then distributing those pictures to arbitrarily selected targets, and is generally awesome.
Creighton (그레턴): Creighton is an American international studies student finishing up his last year abroad in Seoul. His wardrobe is as composed as his demeanor and though he's come off as a fairly serious sort so far, Grace assures me that he'll rep USA well when the soju hits the table.
Mina (미나): ㅁ ㅓ메묻ㄴㄷ Shit I forgot to switch the keyboard back. I'm just gonna leave it... Mina is a Japanese student majoring in French, studying in Seoul. Yeah, I don't get it either. She's very quiet and keeps to herself, but seems very sweet.
Mohammed (모함먿): I've seen this human precisely one time and on that occasion, more soju shots had entered my mouth than words had left his, so I can't say much about him.
Honorable mention: Sophie (소피): Grace's PIC (partner-in-crime for those readers, erm, less versed in current cultural jargon, not necessarily having anything to do with one's age, which might be greater than average) and fellow dance crew member, Sophie looks like a younger, Australian-er Zooey Deschanel and will be mad that I wrote this once she reads it. She was a great addition to the flat, but unfortunately left for home yesterday.
I sat here for a good while trying to think of who the 7th tenant was before I realized it was me. Clearly, it's too late to be writing, so I'm going to call it a rap.
A brief update on the adoption front (blog posts are backlogged about half a week, but as of 2/17): no additional word on finding my biological family yet, but I've arranged to meet up with a couple non-profits that work with Korean adoptees who've returned to Korea and will be able to meet some other adoptees and share perspectives soon!
Whatever happens on the adoption front though, you've now learned a little about the people that will make up my major support system and home base for my time in Korea. They all seem like wonderful people and whatever the rest of this trip holds, I am a firm believer in the potential for formative value and lasting memories that comes with spending time with a group of remarkable people. It is precisely the reason why I'm writing this blog, why I was able to make it all this way here today, and why I'm lucky enough to have all of you in my life.
Until next time,
Mark
Please enjoy this picture of the message Mr. Goo left us with some valentine's day chocolates:
The Korean parts say "You must eat it!! Japanese sake. It is chocolate!!"
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