Internationalmatt's Blog

Sharing seasons of life- my friends Lee, Jin and Alicia from Korea

My work with internationals living in Lincoln brings opportunities into my life to befriend people from all over the world at different stages in their lives. I have gotten used to meeting people and being friends while they are here and saying goodbye. It is a privilege to be able to share seasons of their lives with them as we add to each others lives through friendship while knowing the day will come that we say goodbye.

me with Jin and Lee at their baby shower

I met Lee and Jin in the summer of 2007. They started to come to the classes at my church and were a welcome addition to our group. We shared many fun times together such as watching a Nebraska football, birthday parties for people in my classes, going to Nebraska City to see some historic sites, or having dinner and hanging out at their apartment. One time I even beat Lee in a Wii game which gave me a laugh. I always appreciated how Lee and Jin connected with the other people in my classes regardless of where they were from or their life situation.

Lee and Jin with Yoshio from Japan, Lien from Vietnam and Julia from Germany at a dinner party

They came here because Lee was doing Post-Doctoral research. They were in the early stages of building their life together. They were newlyweds as well. One day they came to my Saturday conversation group to share some news with me. Jin was pregnant with their first baby. Our whole group was excited for them. I went to a baby shower for them and saw how many friends they had.There were people from Korea, Brazil, Bosnia, China, Japan, Nepal, and Iraq there. I was also impressed by how involved Lee was with the whole process of Jin having their first child.

Lee and Jin at their baby shower

Jin gave birth to a beautiful girl Alicia. I visited their apartment about 6 weeks after Alicia was born and we were surprised when I was able to get Alicia to smile by gently tickling her under her chin. Alicia brought even more joy into their lives.  The day came for Lee and Jin to return to Korea. They came as newly weds and they returned new parents. Lee had a great job offer so they returned a bit early in the Spring of 2009. I am grateful to have been friends with them while there were here and am happy to receive any follow up emails. There are some people we meet in life that we never forget and for me Lee and Jin are two of them.

Alicia in Korea

January 27, 2010 - Posted by internationalmatt | Experiences of international friends, International Friendships, Internationals, Korean friends