Conor's last week.
The gang at Haimoni Gamjatang; (l to r) Julius, Aubrey, Babbie, Ara, Rachel, Paul
A honkin' pile of pork spine
Conor attacks a gamja (potato)
The gang
Seeing Conor off from DongjinThis week (today, in fact) we bid farewell to another beloved English teacher and friend, Conor O'Leary. He is now en route to Seoul, where he will leave tomorrow on a plane bound for Thailand. He is going to spend the next few months traveling throughout southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) before returning to Ireland (his homeland).
We met Conor a few weeks after our arrival here, at Helen and Kirsty's Australia Day party (end of January). Conor worked at an academy (ECR) nearby AP, and we often hung out together with him and Ara. On a walk through the countryside back in early spring, he proposed the idea of a writer's group. That day a writer's guild (like C.S. Lewis' Inklings) was born, and he, Ara, and Paul started meeting faithfully every two weeks to share their writing, laugh, and discuss life (over beer, of course). Since then it has expanded to include a few new female members (Babbie and Ruthie), with promise to grow even more.
My first impressions of Conor are the ones that have remained with me to this day. The day I met him in the girls' apartment he was funny, friendly, and comically philosophical. Conor could keep any gathering lighthearted and jovial, yet he also had a very deep analytical mind. He was also so even-keeled that he brought great balance to our often mixed set of personalities and tempers. He was also not afraid to talk to anybody, Korean or foreign. When we'd get together at the Western, or ride the bus back from somewhere, it wasn't uncommon to see Conor sidling up to the locals, testing out their English, and using his personable charm to beckon a smile from them. He had a way of making others feel comfortable and happy with themselves, and helped us all not to take ourselves so seriously ;) I can imagine him right now, at a bar in Itaewon, making friends with the visiting foreigners...
Conor's final dinner request with us was for gamjatang (pork spine soup)--our favorite!! So we all headed to Haimoni Gamjatang (Grandma's Pork Spine Soup) Wednesday night. We had a great time joking with each other, teasing Babbie and teaching her Korean drinking etiquette (the youngest person has to pour drinks for everyone!), and savoring the 'tang with Conor.
Today, we went to the Korean buffet restaurant in Conor's honor (he didn't wake up early enough to join us!). Conor loved the buffet (who wouldn't? It's only $5!) and ate there almost every day (he didn't do much cooking at home). We then met him at his apartment and saw him off at the downtown bus terminal. Good-byes here are rather surreal. It's actually the suckiest part of this line of work--saying good-bye to really good friends. When waiting for the bus to arrive, the conversation is never the meaningful last note you want to leave on--it's just a necessary evil.
Conor, we hope you have eventful travels! We are really gonna miss you around here!
We met Conor a few weeks after our arrival here, at Helen and Kirsty's Australia Day party (end of January). Conor worked at an academy (ECR) nearby AP, and we often hung out together with him and Ara. On a walk through the countryside back in early spring, he proposed the idea of a writer's group. That day a writer's guild (like C.S. Lewis' Inklings) was born, and he, Ara, and Paul started meeting faithfully every two weeks to share their writing, laugh, and discuss life (over beer, of course). Since then it has expanded to include a few new female members (Babbie and Ruthie), with promise to grow even more.
My first impressions of Conor are the ones that have remained with me to this day. The day I met him in the girls' apartment he was funny, friendly, and comically philosophical. Conor could keep any gathering lighthearted and jovial, yet he also had a very deep analytical mind. He was also so even-keeled that he brought great balance to our often mixed set of personalities and tempers. He was also not afraid to talk to anybody, Korean or foreign. When we'd get together at the Western, or ride the bus back from somewhere, it wasn't uncommon to see Conor sidling up to the locals, testing out their English, and using his personable charm to beckon a smile from them. He had a way of making others feel comfortable and happy with themselves, and helped us all not to take ourselves so seriously ;) I can imagine him right now, at a bar in Itaewon, making friends with the visiting foreigners...
Conor's final dinner request with us was for gamjatang (pork spine soup)--our favorite!! So we all headed to Haimoni Gamjatang (Grandma's Pork Spine Soup) Wednesday night. We had a great time joking with each other, teasing Babbie and teaching her Korean drinking etiquette (the youngest person has to pour drinks for everyone!), and savoring the 'tang with Conor.
Today, we went to the Korean buffet restaurant in Conor's honor (he didn't wake up early enough to join us!). Conor loved the buffet (who wouldn't? It's only $5!) and ate there almost every day (he didn't do much cooking at home). We then met him at his apartment and saw him off at the downtown bus terminal. Good-byes here are rather surreal. It's actually the suckiest part of this line of work--saying good-bye to really good friends. When waiting for the bus to arrive, the conversation is never the meaningful last note you want to leave on--it's just a necessary evil.
Conor, we hope you have eventful travels! We are really gonna miss you around here!
posted by streetwise at 6:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home