Amanda Takes Off...

I drank soju with Master and got kissed tonight.

"Amanda are you busy?"

"No."

"You like chicken? We have chicken and soju. OK? Wait..." Master picked up his phone to order food.

Today I cast on and knit one row for a tank I'm making. I am using a very thin yarn, double-stranded, that has a tendency to twist upon itself. It had gotten into a tangled mess.

When I was told "wait," I started to untangle it. His wife gasped and asked me where I learned to knit while she helped me untangle it.

Afterwards, she brought out four beautiful sweaters, dresses, and outfits that her daughter has. Her mother made them. I sneaked a look at the seams—breathtaking.

Master said, "My wife mother, used make hanboks [the traditional Korean clothing]. Not now, but before."

I complimented the work as best I could in Korean and said words in English knowing the intent would be understood even if the words weren't.

This work was beautiful.

A half an hour later, I was sitting in Master's kitchen, chowing on chicken with his family and getting ready for soju.

He asked me something in Korean and I said, "One day, we will only speak English. All day long. Korean is too hard. You understand?"

He thought. "Amanda. Wait. I not drinking yet. One hour, I am American."

I nearly choked with laughter while his wife laughed, too.

At one point during dinner I said in Korean, "I don't have a house. My hogwon boss is crazy. Two bad jobs here. So I think 'maybe I will go to America now.' But...Bush is still President."

Master understood right away; it was his turn to nearly choke on his chicken.

Somehow we got going about personalities. He said some people change depending on where they are. "Dojang one way. But Cyworld page another. But I see your Cyworld page and think, 'Amanda dojang, Amanda Cyworld, same.'"

I said, "Master, too. Dojang, house, outside, same." I taught him the phrase "what you see is what you get."

He made a little circle with one hand. "I like some people like this." He made a huge, unclosed cricle using both arms. "I like Amanda like this."

"Me, too," I said, making a big open circle.

Grin showed up at one point. "Amanda, you know [Grin]?" Grin, Master's Wife and I all laughed. I didn't even have to answer, as his wife chastised him gently, "Of course she knows him, they were in the same class together."

Grin is part of his University's demonstration team, which is why he hasn't been around. That's awesome. I'm proud of him. I also found out that Studious is majoring in taekwondo.

Master taught me Soju Rules tonight. "One shot, one rule."

"How many rules are there?"

"I don't know."

Actually, it started out one rule for one shot then turned into two for one. I swear there ended up being two rule nines, but neither of us could remember the original rule nine. The rules were more interesting in person, with demonstrations and our blended language. You miss out because you're getting the full translation, I assure you.

Rule One
The eldest (or highest) person pours to the others in order of age (oldest to youngest). The eldest person can use one hand on the bottle and place the other hand under his armpit. The younger (or lower) people must accept holding the shot glass with both hands.

The youngest person then pours the eldest a shot. The youngest person must use two hands on the bottle.

Amongst friends or "little age different", you can pour and accept with one hand on the bottle and one hand under the armpit.

("But what about us? Little age difference, but you're Master." "Ah, we're not in studio. So we're friends. One hand.")

Rule Two
"My father rule, first and last shot, full shot."

Rule Three
Don't touch the lip of the shot glass with the bottle when pouring. (I think this may have been another "my father rule.")

Rule Four
Don't get drunker than elders or superiors. But freely get drunk with friends.

Rule Five
When cheering (geonbae!), the supporting hand must be under the arm. The younger/lower person's glass must be lower than the highest person's glass. "But we friends, so..."

"Ddokatda?"The same?

"Yes, good," he said, clinking his glass exactly with mine.

Rule Six
If you can't take a full shot, sip a little first after everyone has had their drink poured for them.

Rule Seven
Master chunked out the shot glass with his fingers. "Pour to seven eight or eight ten. You know?" Yes, pour the glass 7/8ths to 8/10ths full.

Rule Eight
Don't let a glass stay empty.

Rule Nine
Don't top off a glass.

Rule Ten
If there is only a little soju in a bottle, you must not pour it into a glass. You must not pour any soju from the full bottle into the nearly-empty bottle. You must pour from the almost-empty bottle into the full bottle.

And based on how he demonstrated, keep the bottles below table height while you do it.

Rule Eleven
I asked why women cover their mouths when drinking in front of men. He explained that it's not just women, men do too in front of their elders. (Yet, traditionally women do it in front of any man, which tells you something about the status of women here.)

He said in Korea it's rude to show your open mouth, so you turn your head away from each other, and younger/lower people cover their mouths. Even friends often turn their heads to the side.

By this time, the chicken was gone and his wife had prepared sausage, seaweed soup, grapes, and Asian pear slices for us.

Master promised the last shot was our last shot. "Is it really, or three last shots?" I asked.

"No, one last shot. OK!"

He poured, then I poured, and his 35-month old daughter bawled. She had wanted to pour our last shots for us. I said, "OK, two last shots."

She poured using both hands.

While we were waiting for the taxi to come pick me up, Master's kids crawled all over me. His daughter smacked some of my lip balm on just like I do. She shoved her lips full-on into the tub. His son took some and then rubbed some on my lips.

The three of us made grape-scented kissing faces at each other.

His son suddenly kissed me on the cheek. "Ah, thank you!" I said. He moved and kissed me on the lips. First kiss, grin. Second kiss, laugh. Third kiss, scream and laughter.

His wife threw her head on the table, laughing. Master grinned. "My son like you, daughter, too."

His whole family walked me out to the taxi, his kids waving and his daughter yelling, "Annyeongkasayyo, Amanda!"

"Amanda, you get friend house, you call OK?"

It was 12:20. Where had nearly three hours gone?