My First Korean Friend

Let me tell you about Mr. Park. He's in his midforties, married, a father of two young girls, an ex interpreter for the Korean Army, the host of a radio show (he played American pop-songs and told his audience, in Korean what they meant), the best English speaker I've met thusfar, and my new friend. After that initial meeting at the nightclub, he told Smith he liked me and arranged a meeting. Since then we've been going out together on Friday nights for casual drinking at distinctly Korean spots. This is exactly what I wanted: an authentic Korean to learn the culture from and a celebrity too! He has taken to me because he sees more respect for Korean culture in me than in most foreigners and he needs practice with his English. He hardly lets me speak Korean, but he'll always clarify things for me. His English is impressive though- he has all the idioms down, phrases, and he's hilarious. We talk about how Western culture is changing the respectful, conservative Korea he remembers. Sitting in an outside restaurant at the foothills of a mountain, he told me in great detail all about the girls he used to take to this very park and innocently walk with. It turns out we both lost our mothers at similar ages. This definitely endeared me further with him, and he with I. After his mother died, Park was taken in by an American missionary couple that taught him English and became his parents. He was nearly crying when he spoke of how kind they were. This, he says, is why, no matter how much disrespect he sees in foreigners, he cannot help but love them. His story is a remarkable one, and one that I will share as I further this relationship. He's already invited me out to the beach with his family and told me that, as respected and important as he is, the age difference doesn't matter at all because he likes me.