Today was a very special day. It was the day I’d come back to my hometown
of Busan. I had been eager to arrive
because Jessie and I had plans to spend the day with Amanda, a great friend in
Busan. It was her birthday the day
before so I arranged to smuggle off a birthday cake and Danishes from the
ship.
Jessie and I left the ship early and boarded on a shuttle
that took us into town. From there we
hopped on the subway and in about an hour, we were knocking on Amanda’s
door. At first there was no sound of
anyone answering, so I was unsure as to whether I had the right door or not,
but sure enough, Amanda dashed into the hall to give me a big hug.
We spent the next hour catching up, giving birthday presents
and eating cake. It was great to be in
her apartment again, because after 2 months of traveling, it’s nice to have
something that feels like home.
Amanda had spent the last few months learning to play the
violin so she performed a small concert for Jessie and I. We were both very impressed at the skills
she’s acquired…. I’m sure she’ll be famous one day!
At around 11:30, we decided to grab a quick lunch at the
kimbap shop. Jessie had been talking
about kimbaps for the past week and was salivating at the thought of them so it
was time. We had a delicious and very
Korean lunch that passed by too quickly.
When we returned to Amanda’s apartment, it was time to pick
up our luggage (that she’s kindly been storing for the past 2 months) and catch
a taxi to bring us back to the ship.
Unfortunately the ship was only docked from 7:30am-1:30pm today so that
didn’t leave much time. On the plus
side, we’re coming back later in the week and have plans to meet back up with
Amanda, so that will be very nice.
Later this evening, the ship had a formal night. Jessie and I got dressed up and met with our
friends for dinner. We’ve made a nice
little family with two other couples on the ship. First there’s Julie and Neil, who are from
New Brunswick. They’re in their 50’s and
are a very nice couple. We also made
friends with Renata and Dick. They’re in
their 60s and from Boston but Renata’s originally from Germany. We sit with them almost every evening and
Jessie and I always have a nice time joining into various different topics of
conversation. (Sometimes it’s nice to
have company that extends beyond each other).
Julie, Neil, Renata and Dick surprised Jessie and I
tonight. They invited us to join them at
the fancy surcharge restaurant, Sabatinis, as their guests. Renata’s a very funny and spunky lady and she
told us “we know you’re a little ‘low on the dough’ so we want to treat you
because you make us feel young”. Jessie
and I were so touched by their kindness and generosity. Also, her husband Dick said that it wouldn’t
be as nice eating dinner without his ‘daughters’. Haha, it seems that Jessie and I manage to
make a family wherever we go. We’re very
blessed to have met such wonderful people.
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