Us foreigners, though I vouch I'm not technically a true "foreigner" anymore but instead am an "honorary Cheonanite" [hahahaha], always seem to kick up attention when we go out, especially when we go out out together and out of the way. Today we drew up some attention out in Buyeo. I headed out of town to Granny Kim's house with Snickers and one of my friends/Hulkies and then we headed to the factory outlet.
Granny Kim was quite surprised when I showed up with my friend, an American girl who is just as much about her health, fitness and running as I am. Granny Kim's face lite up like a Christmas tree when she saw us getting out of the car and her friends who were with her all looked on with such curiosity. It was super cute introducing my friend to Granny Kim -- my friend tried to practice her Korean with her while Granny Kim smiled big and kept on calling her pretty.
The restaurant at where we ate at is very much so off the beaten path and nestled in the mountain side. We ate this amazing pot of chicken and nibbles in sticky rice and side dishes. I've been there before but today, me showing up with a foreign friend, meant both owners lingered ground our private dining room area, chatting with us and smiling -- so cute.
Lunch was followed by shopping. We headed out to the factory outlet we had first seen last week. Snickers and Granny Kim strolled around the mall while my friend and I went on a mission for new training clothes. I'm sure the factory outlet must get its share of foreigners but there were some obvious and not so obvious store sales clerks that were unsure of how to approach us. It wasn't a big deal but I could have made it a big deal when one sales clerk insisted they didn't have my "larger" size in a certain pair of training pants. It's funny because in Canada I'm considered very small but here in Korea I think I'm average among the women my age. The younger generation of Koreans have been increasing in size -- height and width -- over the years and I've seen it evolving.
It was a nice chill day out in Buyeo with Granny Kim, Snickers and my friend. It was pretty cool to introduce Granny Kim to one of my members not only because I think she's a great gal but because it was nice to have Granny actually meet someone I train, someone who comes to our business. More over, it was great to show my friend a side of Korea a more meaningful and remote part of Korea that perhaps the average foreigner doesn't get a chance to see.
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