Delicious Fellowship

Friday evening. I think this is one of my favorite, if not the most favorite, day of the week. Life seems to decelerate a bit when that sun starts to set. Being in Korea has made me miss my Friday nights back in the U.S. Some good music, a clean house, no obligations or responsibilities, a good book, vespers, and the often late-into-the-night discussions with good friends. And yes Kelly, I dearly miss our Friday afternoon Ugly Betty marathons. :)

A Friday evening here consists of coming back from the market, cleaning house, having a bit of supper, and then heading to the chapel to put on the vespers program and lead out in conversation time for the few students who decided to attend that night. There is not a real atmosphere of warm fellowship. Deep spiritual and life discussions are far and few between. It's up to you to make your Friday evening special.

Tonight however, was the most pleasant Friday evening I have had in a while. Earlier in the week, I invited to dinner one of the Korean teachers, Jenny, who is also my neighbor. We also invited one of the foreign teachers, Ray. I spent the afternoon (and actually the entire week) getting my apartment ready. I wanted it to be perfect. Scrubbing and mopping the floors, which was about 3 hours worth of work down on my hands and knees on a Sunday afternoon; making artwork and fancying up pictures to make my walls look more attractive and less naked (because no one likes a naked wall); changing out my old beat-up tablecloth for a new one about 20 minutes before dinner (it may or may not have been a large curtain that had been wasting its days away inside my closet); chopping, rising, washing, drying, sauteing, baking, setting - yeah, all that good stuff that goes along with make an entire meal that you want to be the greatest thing your guests' taste-buds have ever experienced. As a short side-note, cooking here has been slightly different than back home. I never realized how readily available (and how much cheaper) items were, things I never thought I would miss and may have taken for granted - cheese, tortillas, salsa, good pasta sauce, Earth Balance (which is nowhere to be found unfortunately, even in the international marketplace in Itaewon). Also, I've been learning how to cook and bake with the few pans I have. No glass baking dishes, no pie tins, no 9x13 pan for me - Koreans aren't really into much baking and continuously are shocked when they find out that I actually have, and use, an oven. Ok, so let's get back on track here.

I did everything to get ready. I was so ecstatic (but only on the inside, of course) to be hosting my first dinner in my apartment. I was proud of the way my place was beginning to look and how clean it was. I was hoping and praying that dinner turned out well (I still have issues with converting Fahrenheit to Celsius at times - and my oven uses Celsius. lol)! I was worrying that I would not be ready in time. But, when 5:30 rolled around - dinner was fresh out of the oven, rice cooker, and fridge; the house was clean; and the awesome David Lanz Pandora Radio station was keeping my ears company. Dinner went off without a hitch. And without even realizing it, the warm intimate fellowship was just what I had been needing. As the conversation and laughter carried on through the evening, a strange and foreign feeling slowly began to move from the sounds and smells and seep under my skin. Familiarity. What an amazing and forgotten feeling! This has been a breakthrough moment in the Korean life of the American Ashley Schebo. I think it means I'm going to do just fine.