One bad thing about a good thing.

  One bad thing about making good friends in Korea is eventually you will have to say good-bye. 

  When I said the same thing to friends back in Austin, I said it full knowing that I would see them again some day.  That we would miss each other terribly, but in a year we would be back doing the same things we normally do;  lunch, coffee, watching the kids play out front etc.

  What I didn't expect when I made friends here in Korea, was how fast we would bond over such little things as ordering coffee and getting the right drink, or finding a closer grocery store or finding that little ingredient that makes a huge difference in a recipe like celery (yes this took us months to find).  I think being in a country where the population speaks a different language makes you bond with those friends even faster.  Having a conversation in your native language makes you fast friends with something in common instantly. 

  I made a fast friend just this past April because our girls were playing soccer.  Within two hours of rooting for each others kids (luckily they didn't have to play each other they were in different brackets) [Army] Heather and I  were good friends. [I had to nickname her 'Army Heather' since her husband is in the army and I had to keep all the friends I know named Heather in Korea separate.] The type of friends I knew would last longer than the soccer tournament.  Even though we only met up again 2-3 times before she shipped out with her family, I know we will be keeping in touch for a long time. 

  I had the same difficulties saying good bye to my stitching friends.  I met Paula at a girls varsity basketball game that she was the nurse on campus for.  We instantly found common ground in stitching. Mishele was brought into the group when we started a Korean embroidery class in early February.  This spring we have enjoyed several field trips to Seoul seeking out needlework exhibits and thread shopping opportunities.   

  The hardest good bye so far has been watching the Metz's leave.  Today their adventures in Korea came to an end as they headed home. I won't be able to talk about my adventures here in Korea without mentioning and/or thinking of Heather [Metz] because they are so entwined.  From becoming "professional" drivers in Korea,  to navigating through Seoul, or getting her flip flops run over we have been through it all together...laughing the whole way.  I have no doubt that we will meet up with them again someday.  California and Texas are really not that far away, but it won't quite be the same.  It will be a visit or perhaps a vacation.  Not quite the same as the living experience that we have had the past 10 and a half months and I guess that was what made today so sad for me. 

  Good luck Metz's in your transition back to American life!  I miss you already!