That's an appropriate title for the post because that's exactly what my weekend entailed.
On Friday morning I met with my college students. They are June, Jess and Cassie. We just talked about the stuff they want to learn in class. They're all really nice and have great personalities. That goes along with their solid speaking ability. It's going to be fun to see them every Friday, and out for the occasional drink.
We started out Friday night in Guworldong celebrating Stacy's birthday. Stacy, our head teacher, turns 25 (or 26 depending on your country and calendar). Either way, we headed to a singing room.
All the teachers chipped in to buy her perfume. For the party, it is Korean custom for the person celebrating the birthday to pay for everything for the guests.
I was in kind of a bad mood to start the evening because I was still feeling a little sick and I was worried about some other things. No matter. A few hours into the night, I snapped back to my normal self and had a good time. I even scored a perfect 100 on Meatloaf's "I would do anything for love". Not even Meatloaf can say he's done that.
When the birthday party broke up, a group of the teachers wanted to go to the night club. Now, the weekend before, a small group of us had a really good time there. But this was totally different. Instead of three girls and four guys, it was five girls and two guys.
The numbers didn't work out. So Vicky, Eli and I went in as a threesome, while the other four teachers, including Jess, went as a group. That was lame, because it meant they separated us. So Eli, Vicky and I were stuck at a table with four dorky Korean guys, while the other four teachers were trying to meet guys.
Well, this place is expensive, and I saw no point in hanging around so they could meet guys. So Eli and I took off and went to Rio's. It was a little brash, maybe. I didn't really consult the teachers too much. I just basically told them I was going.
I was thinking like an American and not like a polite person. Even though I thought it was a bit selfish of them to break up the group, I should've been more clear when I left.
As it was, the other teachers were worried that they made me mad. And I unintentionally left Vicky with them. I thought she might want to hang with them. But in my haste to leave, I didn't get that she didn't want to be there either.
So she came to Rio's and met Eli and I, as well as the other westerners who flocked there that night. The whole Yeonsudong crew, including, Dan, Robin, Colin and Tim were there. It ended up being a pretty good night.
On Saturday, Vicky came over just to hang out. We were both wiped out from the night before, so we just sat around and watched tv for awhile. We went to get some dinner, then came and back and laid around some more. Later on in the evening, she picked me up and took me to Homever so I could get some sweatpants in which I could lounge around the house.
Now when Sunday rolled around, Vicky and I still weren't up for doing anything, but Eli and Jess wanted to do some sightseeing in Seoul. Being a nice person and not wanting to just leave them on their own, Vicky agreed to go. So I also agreed to go so I could hang out with her.
It turned out to be a pretty good day, albeit rainy and a little cold. We went to a palace called Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was built in the late 1300s. It was a pretty cool site. The place was massive, and the traditional architecture and dress of the workers was impressive to see at the historic site.
After that, we made our way over to Insadong, which Vicky and I visited a couple weeks ago. We just got some lunch and walked around a bit with Eli and Jess. We were ready to go, and they wanted to stay a few more hours. So we found the bus route home and let them know, and took off for home.
Now the bus is really convenient, and it takes anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours. That's only a little bit more than the subway, except the subway involves multiple transfers. The bus goes right from Insadong to our door in Onyundong.
Vicky and I filled the two hours just goofing around, so it ended up being fun. When we got back, we picked up some noodles and dokboki (a rice cake and noodle dish) and went back to my place to watch some Korean tv. Even though we were exhausted, I think the day was pretty good.
After she left, I had to get my homework done. Since the teachers are so impressed with my language ability thus far, they're happy to help me improve. Vicky picked out a grammar book for me to buy, and Gemma gave me the assignment of writing a Korean entry in my journal of at least three lines.
So I write six lines. There were two four each day of the weekend. I gave it to her today, and I was happy to find that I only had a few mistakes, except for in the last sentence, which was kind of a mess. But overall, there were just a couple spelling mistakes, and some prepositional errors.
Not two bad for my first Korean essay. So she helped me correct it and I rewrote it properly. I think the essay writing is going to be really helpful, as will the grammar book. Also, hanging with Vicky so much has really helped my casual speaking a lot. I'm not at the point where I can hold full conversations, but I can understand probably 90 percent of what I hear.
Check above for the pics!
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