By Honorary Reporter Rijo Tobing from Indonesia

Photos = Rijo Tobing

I met my first Korean friends in Japan while I studied there almost two decades ago. They came from Seoul and Daegu. They were cool, exotic and different from me but also some of the kindest people I'd ever met. 

I formed a great friendship with Yu Yu-jin, a former classmate and neighbor, and even after she returned to Korea, she invited me to Daegu and I also spent time with her family in Seoul.

Yu Yu-jin and I took this photo on her last day in Tokyo.

As students, we continued communicating through postcards but stopped when both of us moved to other cities for work. I still had her address and tried to locate her when I went to Korea on vacation, but found out that her house had been demolished and replaced by an apartment building. We lost contact, but I cherish my memories with her because she was my first Korean friend.

In my town in the Indonesian city of Bekasi, 10% of the residents are foreigners, of which 90% are Korean. The nearby industrial complex also has leading Korean companies like Samsung, LG and Hankook Tire, as well as a commercial area dubbed "Koreatown" by the locals.

My town also has an international Korean school along with Korean supermarkets, restaurants, karaoke boxes, bakeries and cafes. Anywhere I turn, I see Koreans. They first came as expats, and before long, their families joined them. They built factories, provided jobs and grew as a community. Thus intercultural friendship, business ties and even marriage are not unusual in my town. 

A decade later after losing contact with Yu-jin, my daughter and I signed up to train at a taekwondo studio. The students there were all Korean except for me and one French national. We communicated by using minimum Indonesian, body language, and most importantly, a kind heart and good will. Senior students helped me to adapt to the training and taught me the senior-junior culture I see in K-dramas. They took me under their wing to guide me.

I started learning taekwondo when I was 34, so it was definitely not easy. I'd never been keen on sports, but the elegance and beauty of taekwondo poomsae (forms) made me fall in love with it. My seniors helped me in class and rooted for me during my first belt test. I was so nervous that I thought I would faint, but they distracted me by taking so many group photos.

After I passed my exam to advance to yellow belt, I took pictures with my classmates to celebrate. One even made me sikhye (traditional sweet Korean rice beverage) as a present.

Senior students helped me (left) earn my yellow belt.

Right after the test, our studio held a bazaar to raise money to buy taekwondo equipment. Everybody did everything they could to contribute. Since I couldn't cook Korean food, I volunteered to make the poster and flier for the event. And my experience of helping make kimchi was one of the best in my life.

I helped make kimchi with other classmates at the studio's bazaar.

What truly warms my heart is how my friendship with Koreans goes beyond the studio. Before the pandemic, we had lunch once a week at the newest Korean restaurants in town. We also had lunch once a month with our taekwondo master. My Korean friends are regulars at many Korean restaurants, so I learned from them where to find the freshest kimchi, the most savory naengmyeon (cold noodles) and the tastiest samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), three of my favorite Korean dishes. In return, I introduced them to Indonesian delicacies and snacks. Believe it or not, they like Sundanese food because of sambal (chili paste).

Korean food is a major component of my friendship with Koreans. 

When I gave birth to my youngest child two years ago, my Korean friends brought seaweed soup to revitalize my energy. Our children are in the same taekwondo class, so we are all friends.

The studio Taekwondo Cheon Ji In Dojang is in Bekasi, a suburb of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

This year marks the 48th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Indonesia. I've had my Korean friends since 2016 and we're still going strong. Two of my classmates are now my best friends, companions and confidantes. Though we hardly see each other in person, we still share news about each other's lives.

Our studio is temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I miss taekwondo training but miss my Korean friends even more. I sincerely hope they're doing well and staying healthy, and cannot wait to see them again after this pandemic is over.

kalhong617@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.