In March, my Korean friends took me to a place to make pottery. It was a great day in the country, and I really enjoyed doing something different. I also appreciated the chance to be creative, even though my imagination was strictly monitored. I think they were afraid that since I am a foreigner, I wouldn’t know how to successfully do something Korean. As soon as I accepted the supervision, I realized it was more beneficial than not.

Even with all the coaching, I did manage to screw up my mug! When I went to put the date on the side, I wrote May instead of March. I didn’t know how to fix the mistake, so I decided to change the incorrect month into a word. Now my mug says, “May your cup always be full!” It is a rather corny quote but it did make us laugh. On the other side of the mug, my friend Cindy wrote the saying in Korean. We thought it kind of balanced out my mistake and made it more special.

After our masterpieces were finished, Cindy cooked us sweet potatoes over a fire. My hands were freezing and it was delightful to warm them up with a tasty treat. They were by far, the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten.

Yesterday I got my mug back and it turned out better than I expected. You can’t really see what we wrote on the sides but I still think it’s lovely. The sentimental value definitely improves its beauty.

Here is a photo of my newest cup and matching spoon: