Maedeup Memories

I had kept all the practice maedeup that I had made from my Korean maedeup classes. I recently found the plastic bag and emptied the entire bag onto my bed. As I picked up each maedeup, it became a walk down memory lane as I remember learning each knot and how some came so easily while others I struggled to remember each step.

My class was on Saturdays from 12-5 in Seoul. I would ride the bus into Seoul with Curt, hop the subway to the right station and we would catch some lunch. Curt would drop me off by 12 and then do some exploring of Seoul. He would pick me up promptly at 5. Hellena and Hannah also took the class with me when they didn't have to work (they had to work on Saturdays sometimes). We would either have dinner with the girls or head home usually to stop by a mandu (dumpling) shop. They charged 1000 WON ($.80 US) for seven mandu. You had your choice of meat or kimchi. We usually got one of each.

Looking at the pile of maedeup on my bed I realized how far I have come from my first day at class. I miss the girls I met in class and especially my maedeup teacher, Su-Mi. Even after I had taken all the maedeup classes available I continued on with private lessons. Su-Mi would come to my apartment every week. She loved to have an American dinner with us. She was excited to see what I would be cooking and I always sent the leftovers back with her for her family to enjoy.