Went to worship with Hae Jin and her family at their church (Sarang Presbyterian Church) and then met with their pastor. He and I met two years ago and because I was from America he had questions as to whether I was really a true Christian. At the time, he spent 20 minutes peppering me with Bible questions to test my proper understanding of the scriptures. Two years later, things had improved slightly – only 5 minutes of questions. Christianity here in Korea is very strong, vibrant with a heart for missions – America being seen as one of their mission fields.After worship we ate at a very simple Korean restaurant in the neighborhood where Hae Jin lives. Nothing fancy about this restaurant as Hae Jin said, “its sort of like our Nor’easter.” There are hundreds upon hundreds of these small quaint restaurants where most people eat everyday, if they are not eating at home.
After lunch we spent three hours visiting the Changdeok Palace (1405) which is one of the royal palaces of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). To get in the spirit of things Hae Jin’s sister, Hye Jeong and I got dress up in traditional royal clothing. At the gift shop of the palace Soon Hee bought Dottie a traditional Korean apron that would have been worn during Joseon Dynasty. Soon Hee desperately wants Dottie to come on our next visit. While they talk with each they haven't seen each other in two years and both miss each other greatly.
After dinner at a Korean barbeque restaurant we headed home to relax a bit before heading out for some karaoke style singing. Hae Jin’s family loves to sing and sings when they are cooking, driving in the car or simply walking from place to place. In Seoul (and in the Korean
sections of New York and Boston) there are karaoke establishments on every corner. You go in and rent a room that is set up with the most high tech computerized sound machines and you pick from thousands of songs and everyone has a mike and everyone sings. Of course, they wanted to hear me sing some of my favorite songs in English, so I attempted a few – not sure this was such a good idea; however, they all joined in singing with me since most songs have English lyrics along with Korean lyrics. We had a fun time with lots of laughing.At home we relaxed watching a Korean variety show and Soon Hee feed us lots of fresh fruit. I stayed up til 1:00 a.m. preparing materials for Hae Jin who will continue to do a little follow up work after I leave. Tomorrow I leave to head back to Dover. Before I headed to bed A Young and her dad called to say good-bye and wish me safe travels. I already miss these families for which I have such a deep affection.
