맛있어요!

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to attend not one but two LDS activities! Both wards in my stake had game activities--one came with lunch and the other came with dinner.

Everyone was so nice and welcoming. I spent practically the whole day with the several missionaries in the area meeting other LDS members and learning many new Korean words and phrases. One that I learned is 맛있어요 (ma-shi-so-yo), which means "it is delicious!" I ate a lot of food today so it was quite relevant. One of my meals was in Nonseong with a pair of sister missionaries. I had bulgogi (grilled marinated beef) for the first time and yes, "맛있어요."

Bulgogi is in the pot on the left. We order the meat and it comes with several side dishes. Also the ladies working there gave us free kimchi soup! So sweet!

One of the most important things I want to draw out of my Korea adventure is getting to know and love the Korean people. I want to discover and experience their culture, their language, their food! Today was so very fulfilling because the missionaries helped me to do this. I met a lot of welcoming Koreans today. Unfortunately, it will take me a while to remember names but they've already taken to calling me "Colorado" instead of "Chloe" anyway! 

I already love these people. We had a blast playing both traditional Korean games and the kind of games you would see on a Korean game show. Even though the language barrier is still very strong, they are encouraging and patient when I say something in Korean to them. I also love encouraging their efforts to speak to me in English to improve their language skills. At times not understanding each other can be frustrating. But I'm learning that taking the time and effort to truly understand each other is fun, beautiful, and something remarkable.