I hit the Jackpot with Hyun!

Judy: On my recent trip to the CNBlue concert in LA I naturally selected the Uber option that listed Hyun as the driver! Well, Hyun did not disappoint. After a few pleasantries in my rudimentary Korean we got down to a great discussion. He grew up in K-town and shared lots of info with this Gmama… for example I learned that Trot music is actually pronounced with a long A…. Like throat but without the r. And like many Korean words it has a slight uh sound at the end. Kind of like Trot-uh. Who knew?

I’m sure I absolutely slayed our conversation and am certain I was the only 71 year old grandma from Tucson who could be remotely as knowledgeable in all things Korean that he would transport that day.

Straight from Hyun..... Did you hear that at a recent LA Kings hockey game the grandmas of Korea town performed the national anthem on harmonicas? In traditional hanboks. Yes the local senior citizens' center put together this ensemble and they’re making waves… daebak!!! I want to be an honorary member!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoxGYnvNBBs

https://www.tiktok.com/@br_openice/video/7495963680228576543

He suggested I find the video of Kpop group XGalZ at Coachella…. I of course told him I’m only interested in boy groups. But in truth I took a peek. The costumes! The dancing! So Kpop!

Our discussion focused mainly on cultural things as he is a virtual neophyte about KDramas in comparison to my extensive knowledge on this subject. But discussing kimchi with Spam was a viable topic.

I so enjoyed my 45 minutes of time learning new things, laughing with a total stranger, and continuing on my journey with ‘Korea’.

I actually had 3 Uber rides in LA. The second one wowed me after he began playing CNBlue songs in transit to the concert…. He inquired who we were going to see and searched for their music to play on the way! Impressive. Driver #3 was also Korean (I boldly ask them) and we discussed a few KDramas…. Bloodhounds is popular for the guys. And of course he was impressed that I was there for a Korean rock band.

Favorite driver Hyun assured me he would become a loyal follower of the Gmama’s blog. Naturally I’m skeptical but we shall see. I would certainly spend more time talking with him given the opportunity.

Favorite Uber driver, Hyun!

Judy, you’re making this Gmama jealous! Seriously, how totally great these three cool guys were your Uber drivers. It was meant to be!