친구야~

I don't have very many Korean friends in Korea because, well, I've never lived here before. Sometimes I'll come across people I instantly want to befriend - they range from the sudden urge to say hi to a Mormon missionary to random girls on the subway clearly studying for their TOEFLS, and people who just seem like they'll have a good story to tell. I've realized that befriending a stranger is a lot easier in the US because people won't look at you like a crazy person for smiling at them. (Or maybe I still look crazy in the States? Don't you sometimes start a conversation with someone on the subway? No? 내가 이상한가?)

Anyway, one day I was sitting on the 3003 bus from Seoul to Suwon late in the evening. The bus stopped at Gangnam Station and I saw a blonde girl get on the bus. Particularly eager to have an actual conversation with someone to make sure my English wasn't deteriorating (or maybe I just missed girl-talk?) I looked to see where she would sit and lo and behold she sat next to me! At that point I was thinking, "I probably look like a local to her... I should say hello! But that would be a little awkward. What if she's not American??" While contemplating, I accidentally tapped her leg with my foot as I was uncrossing my legs and quickly exclaimed, "sorry!" which then made her get out of her seat because she thought that I was getting off the bus. I said, "no no! It's okay I'm not getting off" and she sat back down.

Two seconds later we both turned our heads to one another and asked at the same time,

"Where are you from??"

Jenny and I have been having lunch almost every week ever since! Ah, meet-cutes haha :)