d-Wizz Hankuk Travel Diary [2005]
Day 18 (2005-08-13) / Day 19 (2005-08-14) / Day 20 (2005-08-15) 
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Day 19: 2005-08-14 (Sunday)
I woke up, had a shower and prepared breakfast. I had to use one of the foam bowls from the ramyun for my cereal, after giving it a very thorough wash in the bathroom sink to remove all the spicy residues. Knowing that I would be leaving the hotel, I ensured that I used all the milk, drinking straight what I did not put on the cereal.
Having finished breakfast, I packed up all my effects and checked out of the hotel at 0930. I rode the subway for the third time in three days from Dong-daegu to Jungangno, arriving there at about 1000. I looked for the fountain, and had trouble finding it at first, but after wandering around for about 15 minutes, I located it and sat down to wait for Jimmy.
Jimmy arrived, and we walked a short distance to a bus stop and caught a bus to the church. We arrived a few minutes before the service was due to begin at 1100. The church building, like most other buildings in Korea, was a multi-storey complex, with the sanctuary on the third level.
The sermon message was based on Psalm 104 and Exodus 28: 15-17.
After the morning service, Jimmy introduced me to a few of his church friends, and then we all filed downstairs for lunch, which was served in a large dining room. Jimmy wrote the name of the meal in my book: 비빔밥 (bi bim bap). It consisted of rice and a range of salad vegetables, but no meat, so it was rather bland. Jimmy suggested I put some of this spicy sauce on it. I went to put about a tablespoon in, but he stopped me, saying it was too much. He was right, the sauce was very salty, and even though I only put in half what I was going to, it was still probably excessive.
We went into another room for a youth group meeting. This involved the singing of a number of familiar songs and choruses in Korean, including Darlene Zschech’s “I Will Run To You”. I mentioned to Jimmy that most of the songs were familiar to me, but similar to my experience in Jack’s church in Suwon the previous Sunday, I was incomprehensive of most of the other proceedings going on. The youth group leader noticed me sitting next to Jimmy and came to ask if he could introduce me later on. I agreed to his request (Jimmy became an impromptu translator during this episode). I asked Jimmy how to tell people my name in Korean: 저는 데이빗 입니다 (jo-nûn dae-bid ip-ni-da). I practised this phrase a few times under my breath for the next couple of minutes.
After a while, the leader motioned to Jimmy and I to come to the front and he asked me a few simple questions. Jimmy interpreted my answers into Korean for the group. This youth group was not small: there were probably 100 young people in the room. I introduced myself by exhausting my total Korean vocabulary: 안녕 하세요! 저는 데이빗 입니다. 반갑습니다! (an-nyong ha-se-yo! jo-nûn dae-bid ip-ni-da. pan-gap sum-ni-da!) In English, I said, “Hello! My name is David. Pleased to meet you!”
My maiden Korean speech drew rapturous applause from the audience. I then proceeded to explain (in English) when I had arrived in Korea, why I had come, where I had been and was planning to go, and what I thought of Korea so far. I was feeling brave, so I asked the leader if I could sing a song, and he said it was OK. I told the youth group about my musical activities in Australia, and that I wanted to sing a song for them. I could sing with one of the backing tracks on my CD, or I could sing while playing the drum kit. They did not have a CD player, so I said that I would play the drum kit for them and sing the song while I played. I explained that I had done this kind of thing often in Australia, but it was never easy to do. So, I walked over to the drum kit and they organised a microphone for me to sing into. I decided to play “I Will Run To You”, which had been part of their worship earlier in the meeting. I introduced it by saying that many of the songs they had sung were familiar to me, because they were part of worship in my church in Australia, but of course, we sing them in English there. I would now perform one of the songs they just sang, but in English. With that introduction, I launched into a simple 4/4 backbeat and began to croon:
Your eye is on the sparrow, and Your hand it comforts me...”
After a few bars, the guitarist came up on stage and began to accompany me, which helped a lot. I only sang one verse and then the extended chorus to finish. I played a small fill on the drum kit at the end and the audience cheered! I thought briefly about playing “Lord I Lift Your Name On High”, singing in Korean, but I wasn’t sure if I could remember all of it correctly, so I decided in the name of caution not to spoil the euphoric atmosphere. I thanked the audience and the leader, and returned to my seat. The room was buzzing and it was all a bit surreal for a moment. I asked Jimmy, “have I become a superstar?” He replied with certainty: “YES!!” We both laughed at my instant celebrity status.
There was a small gap before the afternoon service was due to start at 1500. Jimmy attended a meeting to plan for a church camp which was coming up soon. This lasted only about 10 minutes, then we went back to the sanctuary for the afternoon service, which was similar to the morning one, but with a few changes.
After about one hour, the service was over, and Jimmy invited me to join a few of his friends at a restaurant for an early dinner. I think he was aware that the last bus to Gwangju was probably around 1900, and this was now less than 3 hours away. We got into a very small Korean car driven by In-Mok (one of Jimmy’s friends). There were five of us in a car smaller than a Volkswagen Beetle, and although it was crowded, it was not really uncomfortable. I was somewhat amazed that the car could fit five people in it, given its size. We drove across Daegu to a university, where we parked, then walked five minutes to a restaurant. The meal (called 안동찜닭, or an-dong jjim duk) was served in a large bowl, and consisted of a spicy soup with rice cakes, vegetables and chicken, with a bit of tofu for added protein (but no added flavour). It was very tasty, and one of the features of the dish was the whole red chillies. Most of my fellow diners seemed to avoid eating the chillies, but I did not mind, so I tried one, and then another, and ended up eating about a dozen, to the surprise of some of those at the table with me, and shock from others. I took some photos of Jimmy’s friends in the restaurant, but it was a bit dark and they didn’t work out very well.
We arrived back at the church to collect my luggage and Jimmy noticed that time was running out for me to get to the bus terminal, so he asked another of his friends, Lee Sung Moon (이상민), to drive us there. It was 1822; I expected there would be a bus leaving at either 1840 or 1900, but I wasn’t sure which time it was. I did not think we would make it back before 1840, so I was hoping for the later time.
A few quick group photos on the steps of the church with a bunch of Jimmy’s friends, and then we quickly got in the car and headed towards Dong-daegu. We arrived at the terminal at 1837. Jimmy and Sung-Moon took my luggage out of the car, while I rushed inside, noting with dismay that the bus was due to leave at 1840 – I had less than 90 seconds. I ripped out two W10,000 notes from my wallet and said “Gwangju” to the ticket clerk, took my change and ticket and shook hands with my two friends as I got on the bus just before the driver, who closed the door and left immediately. There was no time for goodbyes! I was on my way back to Spike, having spent three full days of enjoyment in Daegu with my friends there and making many new friends as well.
I called Spike and told him I was coming, with my ETA of about 2200. He said he would not be able to meet me when I arrived, but to join the taxi queue, and call him when I was about to get in the cab, so that he could tell the taxi driver in Korean where to take me. I decided not to bother with that, confident that I could explain to the taxi driver myself where I wanted to go, because I had previously confirmed with Spike the location of Un-nam on my map of Gwangju. So, when I got off the bus at Gwangju, I joined the long but fast-moving taxi queue. I was at the front very soon, and I loaded my suitcase into the taxi. I opened up the map and pointed to Un-nam. The driver studied the map for a few seconds, and then nodded in understanding. I asked him about his English proficiency (“English?”), but he shied away, waving his hand to indicate that he did not understand (or maybe he wasn’t interested). So we rode together in silence. When we got near the ‘6’ series of apartment buildings in Un-nam, I motioned to the driver to stop, and I got out. The meter said W5,500, but he let me have it for W5,000. I thanked him and made my way into the concrete jungle.
I located building 601 easily, but I initially went to the wrong side of the building, so I had to circumnavigate it to find the stairwell for Spike’s apartment. When I knocked on Spike’s front door, he was a little surprised to see me, because I had not called him to say I had arrived in Gwangju. As it was getting late, I simply put my luggage in Spike’s room, had a shower and went straight to bed.
Day 18 (2005-08-13) / Day 19 (2005-08-14) / Day 20 (2005-08-15)
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