A Lesson in Inter-Cultural Dating
Last week I kept waiting for the Korean to text me.I waited and waited and waited and waited.
But Friday night rolled around and nothing. I figured, "To hell with convention! This isn't Provo, I do what I want!" (Sometimes I have a bit of a Willoughby vocabulary when speaking to myself) He texted back and it was all very lovely. But he wanted to make plans for Saturday night. Saturday night happened to be stake conference. And I happened to have told the stake president I would be there. Because it just so happened that a general authority would be coming and as the only foreigner in the stake, I would need to be introduced. And so I said I would call the Korean after my church meeting ended at 8:30 and we could do something then. He agreed and that was that.
Stake conference was particularly delightful, and I would write about all the spiritual enlightenment I received here. But that's not why you came to this blog is it? ;0)
It was late after the meeting finally ended and I had a chance to call.
When he picked up the phone, he asked if I was done with my meeting. I said yes. Then he asked if I had plans.
Too embarrassed to say that I thought we had made plans together, I told him no that I wasn't doing anything at the moment. He said he was on his way home, but then subsequently said he would turn around and meet me at the church. We then went to a fancy little pasta place.
Here's where another problem arose. The Spirit whispered (or my bladder) that I should go to the bathroom at the church before I went out with him. But I ignored the prompting and decided to wait until the restaurant instead. However, the restaurant was housed in a complex of restaurants with a bathroom down a long corridor and did not have an actual bathroom in the establishment. Ever fearful of having to use a squatting toilet, I was delighted to find a room full of stalls. I entered a stall and found no toilet paper. Entering the next, I found the same thing. I repeated this even though I knew what fate had already bestowed upon me. Toilets, toilets everywhere, but not a ply of precious paper in sight. Or an employee to whom I could make a discreet inquiry. Oh, I need to go right now just thinking about it.
Exhausted by the long day I had had, I went home directly after dinner. The evening had been nice. I laughed at his perfect usage of the phrases, "Holy smokes," "Anywho," and "Hollah." There had been that lovely chemistry again, but nothing was quite as magical as the first night. Perhaps I should blame my bladder.
I was rather bold in inviting him to stake conference the next day, although I didn't expect him to show up. The meeting ended, and as I was dragged around the chapel by one of the YW, who do I see standing in the back but the Korean! He had shown up after the closing prayer. I had to leave immediately as a I had another appointment with a member, leaving him at the church surrounded by the missionaries who were more than ready to teach him a lesson. Inadvertently, I think I have been playing a game of 밀당 with him (it means push-pull, and is a huge part of dating in Korean culture.... as I only learned this last week from my students).
The reality is that as much as I've joked with my friends this past week about having a Korean boyfriend, I just don't think I can. The real truth is that I see the Korean as an investigator more than anything else. So although we might spend more time together, don't expect me to give up my citizenship any time soon.
However, I think the members have gotten the wrong idea about me and the Korean. But that post will have to wait until tomorrow.
Until then XOXO,
-the Romantic
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