WhoTom Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 The people who opened their home to stranded Korean tourists during a blizzard got some good Karma as they were treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to South Korea, compliments of the Korea Tourism Organization. Snippet: Quote About five months ago, in the middle of a deadly and ferocious blizzard, Alexander and Andrea Campagna answered a knock on the door of their home near Buffalo. Outside were 10 South Korean travelers whose van had become stuck in the snow on their street. The Campagnas welcomed the stranded travelers in, and, in doing so, provided a much-shared story of compassion and good will during a vicious storm just before Christmas. On Thursday, the Campagnas were in Seoul, the South Korean capital, touring some of the city’s most historic sights, marveling at the painted wood beams buttressing the curved roofs at Gyeongbokgung, a sprawling palace built in the late 14th century. The whole article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/20/travel/buffalo-korea-stranded-travelers-reunion.html 3 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Am article without NYT restrictions: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3220639/honour-and-blessing-us-couple-who-opened-home-south-korean-tourists-during-christmas-blizzard-visit Quote He found two South Korean strangers in soaked clothes at the door. Park Gun-yong, 55, and his tour guide reached the closest house they could find and asked for shovels to dig out their van from the heavy snow. Along with eight other South Korean tourists, they were stranded on their way to Niagara Falls amid the deadly blizzard. “I said, ‘Sure, of course’, but immediately realised there was no point in using a shovel,” he told reporters in Seoul on Sunday. Campagna and his wife Andrea, both lifelong residents of the city of Buffalo, deemed the idea of shovelling one’s way out – in one of the worst storms they’ve seen – like “using a spoon to take out water from an ocean”. Quote The Campagnas were lifesavers on that day for the 10 South Koreans, but the American couple was simply happy to do their part, citing Buffalo as a “city of good neighbours”. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 In 2016 we were heading up the mountain road to Strawberry Hot Springs (Steamboat Springs) in the rental pick-up, Dodge 3500 4x4... There was a group van full of Japanese hot springs seekers stuck on the side of the road, slid off and stuck in the embankment. Must have been about a dozen of them. Another truck helped pull them out, we played spotter and sent them up the mountain on their merry public hot springs seeking way. We never got a trip to Japan... Let alone a gift card to Benihana! Some thanks! 😕😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 21 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: In 2016 we were heading up the mountain road to Strawberry Hot Springs (Steamboat Springs) in the rental pick-up, Dodge 3500 4x4... There was a group van full of Japanese hot springs seekers stuck on the side of the road, slid off and stuck in the embankment. Must have been about a dozen of them. Another truck helped pull them out, we played spotter and sent them up the mountain on their merry public hot springs seeking way. We never got a trip to Japan... Let alone a gift card to Benihana! Some thanks! 😕😞 That’s because although you helped them, your incessant complaining about Asian carp left them wishing they stayed stuck in the embankment. 3 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Water Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 On 5/20/2023 at 1:34 PM, WhoTom said: The people who opened their home to stranded Korean tourists during a blizzard got some good Karma as they were treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to South Korea, compliments of the Korea Tourism Organization. Snippet: The whole article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/20/travel/buffalo-korea-stranded-travelers-reunion.html That is such a cool story. So glad to hear the good samaritans got some recognition - it's not a small thing to take 10 people into your house for an indefinite amount of time, let alone 10 strangers from another culture. As the article said: Quote They also heard about inyeon, or fate. The holiday weekend had turned them into believers. One of the mysteries of the story has been how the stranded Korean travelers ended up at the door of the one house in the area that was likely to be stocked with Korean condiments like gochujang, or spicy red chili paste, and chamgileum, or sesame oil, and enough produce and proteins to cook Korean food for everyone. “How did they end up on our street in Buffalo? In a home where we happened to love cooking Korean cuisine and have those spices?” Mrs. Campagna asked. “How did that all happen?” Then she answered her own questions: “Fate,” she said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted May 26, 2023 Share Posted May 26, 2023 I love this story. There is enough bad news in this world. Nice to read about something nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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