Just about a week ago, Julia and her sister Jeong insisted on taking me to get some Korean food for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon. I told them I had never tried Korean food before and that I would absolutely love to go and give it a try! I planned to meet them in front of the Bluu, where they would pick me up so we could travel to the restaurant together. While we were in the car, I learned that Jeong was the only one in their whole family that was able to drive here in America. I began to ask her about the differences between driving in Korea and America. She said that there was no such thing as stop signs in Korea, and so she was still trying to get used to the concept of stopping wherever there was a big red octagon. I slowly sat back in my seat and braced myself as we traveled down Berry and quickly approached the large 4-way-stop intersection directly in front of the Track field. Thankfully, she slowed and stopped when necessary.
It took approximately 20 minutes to reach the restaurant on Bryant Irvin. It was a small, family-owned business with only a few other people dining for lunch as well. The waiter and owner were excited that we had come to have lunch, and they immediately welcomed us, introduced themselves, and seated us at a table. The waiter was fully aware of my complete inability to speak Korean or comprehend it in the least bit, so he spoke mostly English while taking care of us. Both Julia and Jeong would speak Korean with him every once in a while, which was the first time I had ever heard either one of them speak a single word in Korean. My time spent with them has been so focused on perfecting their English vocabulary that I had lost sight of the fact that they spoke Korean both fluently and beautifully. It was fun to see both of their faces light up when they held a brief conversation with our waiter and the owner in Korean. It was evident that for just a moment or two, all four of them felt as if they were right back in their home country speaking with other neighbors and natives who were also out to lunch.
I had absolutely no clue how to read the menu or understand what would be served in each menu option. Therefore, I gave Julia and Jeong a brief overview of what kinds of food I like, and I trusted them to order for all of us. To start off, we had an appetizer dish that was the Korean equivalent of eggrolls. They were large shell noodles stuffed with beef and vegetables, dipped in soy sauce. To my amazement, they were absolutely delicious! Then our main courses came out, and they told me that they had ordered me the most Americanized dish that the restaurant served. The main dish was short ribs, and there was quite an assortment of side dishes, most of which were raw vegetables. I got a few laughs from both Julia and Jeong at my inability to work with a pair of chop sticks, so I eventually asked for a fork and enjoyed my meal. Some of the side dishes were interesting, but the short ribs, rice, and cucumber dishes were all delicious!
We all pulled away from the restaurant feeling full and satisfied with our afternoon meal. Jeong insisted on paying for my meal, which meant a lot to me. This entire experience was yet another example of the appreciation that these two women have for me and my efforts to help them practice their English. What they most likely do not understand is that not only is my job to help them practice very easy, but it is also very enjoyable and quite a learning experience for me. Their English is most certainly still broken, but I have already begun to notice several improvements in their vocabulary and pronunciation. It is fun for me to help them pronounce a word that they cannot seem to say on their own, especially when I am able to determine what it is that they’re trying to say on my own. On the other hand, it is also fun for me to see them correctly pronounce a word that I taught them during a previous outing. Their continuous improvements and everlasting determination to keep learning motivates me to continue to help them in any way that I can, and it inspires me to work equally as hard at my own goals and aspirations.
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