Ediya is my "Cheers." A place that I can walk into and see the friendly faces of people that are glad to see me; people who invite me to sit a while and tell them all of my day's adventures; people that I could listen to for hours and never think once about where the time has gone. Ediya is my home away from home; the place that makes me love Korea.
My story of Ediya begins the very first day I was left alone in Seoul. Because of the business nature of my neighborhood, my area is littered with coffee houses (mostly coffee/hoff, but that's a different story). I didn't have internet in my apartment, so I wandered around trying desperately to find a coffee house that had free internet access with the purchase of a beverage. Most places were closed on a Sunday, but I wandered further down the street and saw this place that I had never heard of, Ediya, was open. I was greeted in Korean with the kind smile of one of the very few employees of Ediya named Min. I walked up to the counter and said, "Internet?" and got a confused look. Then I said, "Computer?" and it all came together. I ran home to get my computer, not realizing at that moment what an amazing story had just begun.
I would go to Ediya in the beginning at least three times a week to use the internet. I would have gone more, but it was getting expensive and I didn't want to look TOO lonely. Each time I went, Min would try out another sentence in English, until very soon we were carrying on complete conversations. A great friendship was formed, and because of Min's kindness, the floodgates were opened to an ever-widening river of Korean friendships. Soon thereafter, I met SuJin, another employee. Min was having trouble getting his point across one day, and brought SuJin over to help. My friendship with her was instantaneous. Then there's Mr. G, the manager of Ediya. He doesn't know any English, but we communicate with a lot of hand motions and laughing. He's quite stoic and fatherly with me, but he's a softy.
Min and SuJin are always thanking me, and I have no idea what I have done for them. It seems as though every time I am in there, they are doing something else kind and selfless for my good. For instance, I told Min that I was ready to buy a cell phone. He said, like he always does, "Whatever you need, I will always help you." And next thing I know, he's taking me to the cell phone store with a friend of his that he said could speak better English. I found out later that the friend was really the owner of Ediya! These two people, one of whom I had known for three weeks, and the other I had just met, took hours out of their Saturday night in order to help a foreigner in need! Jason, the owner, also became my friend. That day, he asked if I would just sit and talk to him in English so he could practice. I even gave him his English name! We haven't seen each other since, but we've communicated through Min and I've talked to his adorable daughter on the phone. Also, when I started to learn how to read Korean, Min willingly took on the job of my ever-so-patient teacher, and Ediya became my classroom. He spent hours with me, kindly correcting my mistakes and boisteriously praising my acheivements. I believe I could write a novel filled with the kindnesses shown to me by Min and SuJin. I can't ever thank them enough.
One of the groups of friends that I gleaned because of my time at Ediya is a group I call "my little high school friends," though I shouldn't call them little since one of them stands head and shoulders taller than me! During my second or third time at Ediya, I was sitting and typing away when the person next to me said, "Excuse me, I would like to ask you a question. May I talk to you in English? I would like to be your friend." This person was Vincent, a junior in high school. We must have talked for at least an hour. He had two friends sitting with him that were not so eager to use their English because they were a little embarrassed, but Steven eventaully warmed up to me and freely speaks to me in his broken English. Now I meet Vincent, Steven, and their friends all the time when they come to study. We sit and talk about culture, student workloads, travel, and about anything in general. I've given quite a few of them English names (at their request, of course). Vincent keeps me updated on his major tests (he's super smart!), and I'm trying to convince him to go to Harvard. He even called me last week because one of his friends didn't believe that he had a friend from the United States.
One rainy night, they asked me if I had eaten, and I said no because I didn't have any food and didn't know how to order. We all ended up going to a bib-im-bap restaurant (on me because I'm the oldes; that's how it works here) and sharing a few different kinds of bib-im-bap. These guys crack me up! I get a text from one of the members of the group at least once a week saying, "Are you coming Ediya tonight? My friend wants speak you English."
Back to Min and SuJin. Man, they are the greatest! Back in April I spent the day with SuJin and she even bought me dinner! I blogged about that if you want to go back and read it. And Min always astounds me by the way he's willing to drop everything to help me. I don't deserve them. One night, as I was talking to Vincent, Min walked by and I asked him was he was holding. Next think I know, he runs out the door and comes back with a duplicate of what he was holding. It was soup. I had simply asked what it was, and he went and bought me one so I could try it! Vincent and I shared it (it's a Korean thing), but Min gave me the chopsticks and Vincent the fork. Go figure! He sat down with us and also gave us a bag of kimchi and brought us water. Before I knew it, I was eating dinner in Ediya!
Another thing I love about Ediya is how it can turn an ordinary night into a great memory. There are many times that I have to pass Ediya while walking home from the orange subway line, or just wandering my neighborhood. I'll walk by the coffee shop and Min will be sitting on the patio with Mr. G and I'll go over, just to say hello, and end up staying a few hours. Or they'll see me walking by and I can hear them announce to the room that I'm there and I get a mass greeting (like Norm from 'Cheers', hence the title). What a feeling! And I can't even number the times where I'll be sitting and sipping on tea and Min will come over and ask, "Have you eaten dinner?" which is the Korean equivalent of "How are you doing today?" If I answer with no, he'll ask why, and I'll say "mu-la-yo" (I don't know). He'll laugh and then return with a piece of cake or a bagel and sit and chat with me. On another day, I stopped by to say hello to SuJin. She wanted to give me a free drink because "the boss was out." I told her she didn't have to. Just then, Mr. G came back in and told SuJin she should give me something for free. I said, "Why do you want to do that? I don't mind paying." He said something to SuJin and she started laughing. She said that Mr. G said, "It's because we all love you." Aw!
Min and SuJin came over to my apartment in the beginning of the month because every time I mentioned that I cooked dinner, they would say, "I would like to eat the food that you make." So I had them over for spaghetti and meatballs. They quite overwhelmed me with gifts; a beautiful cake from SuJin and a bottle of wine from Min. And he wasn't at all offended when I told him I don't drink! They never stopped telling me how much they liked my food, especially the garlic bread! We laughed all night and had a wonderful time.
In the beginning, I would go to Ediya for the internet; now I go for the people.
Why am I writing this blog on this particular day? Because today marks the break-up of my Ediya family. I found out some time ago that SuJin will be leaving Ediya soon because she will be going back to school in the fall. There is the possibility of her working weekends, but she's not sure. Then I found out a while back that Min was hired for a pretty amazing full-time job and today is the day he starts his job. It also happens to be his birthday. Full-time work is the only true job security in Korea, so I'm very happy for him, but a little sad that my two favorite Koreans won't be at Ediya to make me feel like a million bucks when they announce my arrival or to make my heart light up with their smiles and conversation. I'm going to miss my fun girl-talk with SuJin while she makes a latte, or the way she laughs every time I ask for a mango-yuja flatccino. I'm going to miss the way Min turns a simple muffin into a special creation, or the way he says goodbye that makes me think these people were genuinely glad to see me today. This is, by no means, the end of my time with them. I am sure we will do things together because Min would like some more help with his English, SuJin wants more Italian food, and they promised to take me to norebang. But it's not going to be the same at Ediya without them. I guess it's just you and me, Mr. G!
Happy birthday, Min!
