The Last Few Weeks

It's been a while since I wrote. After my trip to Taiwan, it didn't seem like anything could be that exciting to write about. However, the past two weeks have been filled with fun. Britney's birthday was Sunday, November 15th, so we headed to Seoul to celebrate the night before. On Saturday evening, we had a delicious Thai dinner and then had a fun night of bar hopping in Itaewon. Some of the evenings highlights include: dinner, of course; free drinks for women at one bar; my first picture with a Korean after three months of being here; my friend Zeb's dance moves; running into our other teacher's out that evening; and all the fun pictures we got on a great night out in the city! On Sunday, we (London, Shuana, and I) knocked on Britney's door to surprise her with her favorite Korean cake, Hapy (missing one P as a common Korean/English translation problem) Birthday candles, and a tambourine as a present. Now, she has her own tambourine to practice and bring along to Noraebong nights, as that's her specialty. Britney and I then headed to Seoul to do some Christmas shopping. We spent 7 hours in the bitter cold, realizing the crisp fall weather was finally here. We ended up buying scarfs, mittens, and socks off the street to stay warm while I was determined to finish getting all my gifts! It took the entire bus ride home to un-thaw!

Not much new has happened in school. Since the school closure, the chatter of H1N1 has come to a calm. Kids are slowly coming back to school and we don't hear much of the flu anymore. I even got two new kindergarten students, Richard and Haily, who are cousins and very cute!

On Friday, I headed to Jeonju once again to spend the weekend with my aunt and uncle who are leaving at the end of December. I didn't catch a bus until 10:30pm, so I arrived around 1:00am to uncle Bob waiting for me at the bus station. (Oh! When I left Suji, there was excitement from the first snow fall that melted by the time it reached the ground.) Saturday was a beautiful fall day that we spent shopping in downtown Jeonju and the market as well as trying lots of new street foods (chicken skewers, deep fried vegetables, and sweet potatoes). Of course, we also snacked on some Songpyeon, my favorite traditional Korean snack! Then, we visited the Jeonju paper museum where I learned about the history of paper, discovered the many things made from paper, and got to make my own sheet. We made our second attempt for the famous Jeonju Bibimbop, which I liked better than the first place we tried. I still have to say that Suji has my favorite Bibinbop (sorry Jeonju)! We ended the evening at a performance by a group of well toured Korean musicians playing traditional drums. Their speed and synchronicity were incredible, but somehow the rhythmic sounds still allowed me to fall asleep! On Sunday, we attended a Korean church service. I cried for my first time of homesickness, but also tears of joy. I was so happy to be in such a special place with family while I was so far from home, but I also realized how much I miss my parents as church is the one place we always go together when I am home. The tears quickly passed as the service began and I was able to recognize a few words I had learned over the weekend and one contemporary song that I sang along to in English! After lunch, I started learning the Korean alphabet thanks to uncle Bob and aunt Shina's willingness to tutor me. I'm just starting to be able to sound out Korean words. I'm excited to be able to read the words all around me. I might not know what they mean, but reading is a place to start! My aunt and uncle are leaving at the end of December after 10 months here. I can still remember last Christmas when they told us they were arriving in February. Now, they are already going home, and my time is going just as quickly! I have been making the best of my time here and with them as I will see them much less frequently once we both return home. It was a great weekend, and I hope to see them and Shina's family once more before they leave! Thanks again Bob and Shina!