Meet and Greet: Random Interactions on the Subway ^^

I've met very many people while in Korea and have had very fun, interesting, and random conversations with random strangers, be it the taxi drivers who tell me their life stories, about their world travels or their children who are now living in America, or the husband in front of me in line who seems to be a little tipsy from dinner and TRYS to stir up a conversation in English as his wife looks a little embarrassed. Overall, I've had pleasant experiences meeting the natives, but today was by far the best, and possibly the most memorable for me.

On my way to hip hop class with Michael on Wednesday, I had a pleasant conversation with a 할아버지 (grandfather) during our entire subway commute. So here is how our interaction began: I was about to sit on a seat in an entirely empty section of the subway, but Michael stopped me, telling me that I wasn't allowed. I told him that I was allowed to sit in those seats but that I would be permitted to move if an elderly person, an injured person, or a pregnant lady came and needed the seat. We went back and forth for a little bit. Then the 할아버지 stepped in, telling me that I could sit down. I said thanks to the 할아버지 and sat down, while Michael stayed standing. A couple of stops later, the 할아버지 came and sat next to me. I thought that perhaps he wanted to be closer to the exit. But no, he just wanted to talk to me ^^ He asked me about school and what I wanted to do while in Korea. Then he went on about how I should be proud of being a Korean and even as a Korean-American, I cannot forget that my roots are in Korea. The things he said just reminded me so much of the things my own 할아버지 used to say to me. It was a very nostalgic subway ride.

After hip hop class, I bought some 뻥튀기. While on the subway, as I held my new bag of snacks, I saw and heard a couple sitting across from me, whispering to each other. The topic: how much they wanted some  뻥튀기. I'm guessing the girl saw my bag and wanted some so she kept telling her boyfriend how much she wanted some. While glancing over at my bag, the guy asked if she wanted to buy one. I laughed to myself, because I could clearly see and hear what they were saying, but I'm assuming they thought I was a foreigner and couldn't understand Korean. After watching them for a couple of minutes, I walked over and asked in Korean if she would care for some 뻥튀기. They were both a little embarrassed , but we all had a good laugh. They picked out a piece and seemed to enjoy it. They seemed so grateful and embarrassed.

Fun, random things to remember.....