St. Pat's with Ex-Pats

So I spent my first St. Patrick's Day in Korea, and was not disappointed at all. But let's go in chronological order.

On Friday night, the teachers at my Jungchul campus went to dinner and then to a noraebang. You know how when your boss takes you and your co-workers out and everyone is civil for awhile? Then, as soon as the boss leaves, it gets fun?

Well, that's how it is here. When Sunny was with the group, everyone was talking about work, and I mostly felt annoyed. But as soon as she left, it turned into a really fun time.

Of course, we had to get up reasonably early on Saturday because Tim, Vicky, Vicky's friend, Chong Wa and I went to an area near Seoul for a St. Patrick's Day festival.

Vicky saw St. Patrick's in New Zealand, but she said nothing really happened besides a few people wearing green and drinking.

But this was a great festival. It was almost all foreigners, with only a few Koreans sprinkled in. But here's why that's good. People actually said "excuse me" or apologized when they bumped into you. And everyone was socializing and having a fun time. They didn't whole themselves up with their group and ignore the world.

It was in a little closed off park area, much like market square. There was also a big pavilion there for bands. They had some Koreans playing traditional Irish music and even some Korean step dancers. We also got a free cup of Guinness and got our faces painted for free.

To top it off, they had a Korean U2 cover band that literally rocked the party. These guys were actually very good. Yes, I was surprised.

All four of us really had a great time. We had such a great time, in fact, that even though the others had tentative plans for the evening, they decided to keep our party going.

So after the St. Patty's festival, we got some dinner, the headed into Hongdae to keep the celebration going. It was a really great night.

The girls left around midnight, and Tim and I stayed maybe an hour later. I also spent way more money than I usually like to. But it was a celebration and a special occasion. And it turned out to be a great weekend.

Back to school on Monday, I found out my schedule was changed. I have four classes Monday and Tuesday, five on Wednesday and Thursday and seven on Friday. That sucks. I like having another day with four classes, but I never want a seven-class day. It's just brutal. That means my classes run from 2 to 9 p.m. non-stop. It's better than staying later though, which I think is partially what we were trying to avoid.

Also, I finished my second Korean study book. I have another book that is a little more advanced that I'm ready to move onto. I also can still work on all my vocabulary. But that's all coming well. Especially because I could help translate for Tim during his date with Vicky's friend.

Since I just passed six months, I'm going to add a big post soon with my first half observations. Also, I have a bunch of pics to add soon. Hopefully I can do the pics tonight. Until then, stay safe and I miss you guys!