Well another weekend has passed. My fellow teachers went to Jeju Island (described as the Hawaii of Korea) but I did not have the funds to go, so was left to my own devices for the weekend. Not a big deal, as two of my friends from Canada were in Seoul Saturday night on a layover on their way home from Hong Kong.
So Friday was really low-key. I shopped around for a while, and then took myself out for sushi. I finally joined the gym, something I've been talking about for months. And then went for a walk with one of the teachers who was also not on Jeju.
Saturday I went to Seoul in the afternoon to do some more shopping in Dongdaemun market. Went to this really creepy flea market inside an old baseball stadium. It was hot and smelly and just generally weird. Stalls and stalls of useless crap amidst the odd laptop, stereo, musical instrument (tuba, saxophone, violin, guitar, you name it). Not to mention a jade carving of a foot-long penis. Very lifelike...except the green colour and the footlong-ness. Unfortunately my pics don't seem to be liking their existence on this computer and I don't have my camera with me today so I can't post the pics from the flea market. But once I bring in my camera I will put some up.
So after a long hot (a thermometer in the flea market read 39degrees...not counting the humidity) day of shopping and not really buying anything I went to the hotel Amanda and Calvin would be staying in to wait for them. They didn't show up until nearly 11 and I was just about to give up on them and take the last subway home. I'm so glad I didn't though! It was so great to see people from home, even if only for a few hours.
After they were settled in their hotel room we went out for food and I introduced them to galbi. They enjoyed it, I think. Then to the convenience store for drink and snack. And introduced them to soju. Which was less well received, but that's really to be expected. We stayed up playing a card game called horse. Something we play all the time at home, so it was really cool...felt just like old times. And though I didn't win (came in second from last) I did beat Calvin, who is usually a pro at all card games. Perhaps it was the influence of the soju. After that we piled three in the bed and stayed up til 4am giggling and gossiping. It was just like a high school sleepover. Except there was a boy present.
Sunday the visiting Canadians took off to the airport to go home and I took off on the subway to find a bookstore I've been wanting to go to for some time. I found it, but it was closed. But I discovered that across the street was a palace. So, even though I was totally exhausted and not really in the mood for things historical, I went to check it out. It was really beautiful. I didn't find myself enjoying it as much as I usually would have, but managed to get tons of amazing pictures. These are just a few. (yeah I have a thing for ceilings...what's it too you?)
If you want to check out the rest of them here are the links. I recommend that you do. I can't really describe it right now...my brain seems to be on stand-by this morning.
Anyway, after the palace I went home and got a CVS supper (convenience store) and fell instantly asleep. I think I was actually still chewing...
No comments:
Post a Comment