Cozy and comfy, my brother and I cuddled in bed with my dad. It was 9am and we were goofing around with my dad’s new app, Affably/BotAffably. Affably uses human data analytics to analyze human’s facial expressions and texts.

We experimented with taking different pictures of ourselves and seeing what the computer would say. Whenever my brother took a picture of himself, BotAffably would say he was a girl or a woman! My dad said it was because he was a pretty boy.

Once, my dad posted a picture of himself from a conference and the computer basically said, “Scott=$”! Even though the picture had no mention or suggestion of money!

Every time I put a picture of myself it said, “Pretty, beautiful, girl, innocence.” When I put a picture of my mom, it said, “Beautiful, model, movie, and actress”. This didn’t surprise me, as I already knew that my mom was gorgeous.

The rest of the day was dedicated to meeting our old friends from previous trips to Korea. At 10am, we went to visit Ally and Ara.

Ally and Ara are sisters younger than me or my brother. They’re both really cute. We met at Mecenatpolis and ate lunch at a nearby restaurant. Mecenatpolis is a bustling shopping mall with stores and restaurants.

After lunch we ran around outside and discovered a Galaxy s7 exhibit showcasing their virtual reality glasses. We tried them on. Observing in awe, we saw first figures from Cirque du Soleil. Next we visited a virtual Tahiti and surfed under colossal waves. Cool and refreshing, the waves were so realistic.

Then, as quick as a flash, we were transported to a snowy mountain where we skied with excitement. Rushing down the slippery mountain, I could almost feel the wind blowing in my face.

We went to Ally and Ara’s house and played for a long while. Finally, we had to leave. We were going to meet Jung Heum and his family, now.

Jung Heum is my brother’s best Korean friend. The second time we came to Korea (We’ve been to Korea 3 times), they were in the same class. Jung Heum would wait for Christian (my brother) to arrive so they could walk in together. Chris had multiple play dates, outings, and meals with Jung Heum.

We met them at Mecenatpolis. Mecenatpolis again! We had thoughtfully brought some American candy and some easy English books for them. We bought them Kit Kats, Twix, Snickers, Nerds, and Skittles. My mom figured they didn’t have access to them in Korea- or at least not at a cheap price.

I had brought some of the books I read when I was younger- that were in good condition- for Jung Heum’s sister. They are both learning English and Chinese- not to mention Korean. We thought some English books might help, as they have very limited selection in Korean libraries.

I brought Rainbow Fairies books along with some other girly ones. Jung Heum was given books too. I was afraid they were too easy, because his English is nearly flawless.

We played at a park for a while then went to eat at a traditional restaurant. There were many courses and delicious BBQ. To crown all, at the end we were given a celestial cranberry juice. Piquant and saccharine, the juice had cinnamon and pine nuts in it.

After wrapping up our meal, we went outside to talk and play before parting again.

 

Tune in for more adventures in Korea.

-Mackenzie

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