Onnuri

I haven't been going to church recently. I can't say exactly what it was, but I wasn't feeling at home at the church I'd been going to. But, I miss church. So this week, I scoured the internet for English services in Seoul. I found a few large churches, but I really wanted something specific. I wanted to be sure that the church's beliefs and values were aligned with my own. So, I finally found the website for Onnuri English Ministry, which has campuses in two locations. I decided to go to the location near Yongsan held at 4pm on Sunday.

Post Office

Yesterday was another good day of vacation, albeit a slightly less active one. Erin and I needed to go to the post office, and decided to go together. I needed to send a few things back to my mom and Michael, and Erin needed to start shipping her things back to her family (namely, her clothes). After a relaxing morning taking my time getting ready, we met around 2:30. I had a bag of things to mail, and Erin had 2 suitcases.

A Pre-Christmas Weekend

I think I am still a little bitter that we have to work on Christmas Eve. I mean, not bitter... but, it makes Christmas not as exciting, I guess. I shouldn't let something like that affect how enjoyable my Christmas is, but knowing I still have another day to work before I am truly on vacation is really hard. It's been a good weekend, though.

Whirlwind Weekend

Well, as you saw from the previous entry, my mom is in town!!! She arrived on Wednesday night and it was fabulous! I was eagerly awaiting her arrival when the taxi driver called me. I figured he wouldn't know how to get to my building exactly since it is on a side street, but I looked out the window at the front of my building and there was a van and a little blonde standing next to it looking around! I flew down the stairs faster than I've gone in a long long time, and into my mommy's arms!

An Attempted Korean Wedding

Happy Monday, readers!! I have hardly had time to sit down this weekend, and unfortunately that means I have had no time to write a blog! But, the good news is all that time spent away from the computer translates to better blogs for you :) see, I'm just thinking of you!

My blog about the weekend will be split into 2 parts. This is Part I.

Seoul Tower, Etc...

Today was jam-packed. In the best way possible!!! I had a mild meltdown last night, and got some incredible encouragement from my mom and also from my Nana via email in the AM. I decided that while I know I'll have my ups and downs, I MUST make the most of this year. I am not a quitter, and I refuse to leave before my year is over. And if I'm going to stick this out, I might as well try to retain a positive attitude even when I am desolate...

Tornado Potato

I didn't plan to write a blog today. Throughout my day I felt like nothing interesting was happening, but after recounting my day to my mom on FaceTime tonight, I realized that it was a pretty good day, and some things were worth writing about.

Baseball in Korea

This weekend was absolutely exhausting. It's what I get for complaining last weekend about being stuck in my apartment. My motto this weekend was Go with the Flow! Yes-man style.

Saturday night, I was thankfully holed up in my apartment, blogging and watching a movie (Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, if you must know...). Sunday was so long, though! I woke up at 9am, and had to get out the door by 10am. If you know me, you know that I usually require over an hour (at least!) to get completely ready for my day, including hair, makeup, breakfast, and finishing touches. So, waking up a bit late on Sunday put me in a rush. I skipped breakfast since Tab and I had plans to get an earlier lunch.

Right before I left, I checked my email and saw I had an email from a guy I had contacted from Craigslist about a table. He had previously told me someone was going to buy it already, and I told him to contact me if it falls through. Well, he was emailing to let me know it was back on the market! I gave him my number and we planned to meet in the afternoon to do the deal. And with that, I was off to Itaewon for church...

We had planned to meet at the Itaewon subway station around 10:45, in order to make it to church at 11am. Well, I got there at 10:40, and planted myself on the stairs leading to the exit we had planned to meet at. 10:45... 10:55... 11:00. Where is this girl? Around 11:10, I finally get a text that she is outside waiting on me. Wait, what?! How did she sneak past me?!?!?! I hurry out the exit and see her immediately. Apparently, she had a subway mix-up situation like I did Saturday, and somehow ran right by me on the stairs. I still don't know how this happened, but regardless...

We walk down the road towards the Itaewon Methodist Church. Tab said she had looked up service times, and there was an 11:00am English service. We finally get there, figure out which door to go in, and head up the elevator. I got a little suspicious when we were in the elevator with 6 old Koreans, and no other white people. We walked out, and saw a man in a suit that looked to be a greeter. I think he asked if we were lost? (I could be remembering incorrectly, but he definitely assumed we were not in the right place). Tab asked "English Church?" and he responded "Oh, it's over. It was 9am!" I look at the sign right next to us and see, sure enough, English - 9am. Korean - 11am. Guess the internet is not always our best friend and most accurate source of information!

Tab was upset about this setback, but honestly, we were almost 20 minutes late by now, anyway. I said we will just try again next week; let's get some food. Before we could do that, I needed to go pick up a package Kristen sent me (my ZTA big sister who lives in NYC), and one from my mom. When that was accomplished, we set out to find food! Unfortunately, neither of us had done any research about where to go, so we attempted to find WiFi to get us on the right track. After a brief stint at McDonald's with no luck, we decided to just wing it.

We walked down the street, and I made the impulsive decision to turn down an interesting looking alley. We walked and gawked at the different wares being sold outside the ecclectic neighborhood. It was cute... and then it got residential. I had a vague sense of where we were at, and expected us to come out on the main street. Well, after another 10 minutes of walking, I decided we were definitely not going in the direction. We cut and curved back in the general direction we came from, although going through different streets. Finally we saw familiar sights and knew we were not lost for good. While I was mildly freaking out, Tab was taking photos of the little houses and the view... at least she was in a good mood and not blaming me for having to hike up about 10 hills!

We finally got to the alley which I expected us to originally come out at, and I saw a restaurant whose name I recognized from expat blogs: Wolfhound Irish Pub. We made a beeline, starving and tired. When we were seated at the wooden bench style table, we went over the menu. Tab decided on an English breakfast, and I went with fish and chips. (Interesting we decided on British fare when in an Irish pub in South Korea!) My fish and chips was pretty good, but nothing too special.

When we left, I let the Craigslist seller know that I was available in about 45 min (as long as it would take to get to the station). We chatted back and forth until we decided to meet around 3pm. That left Tab and I about an hour and a half to do whatever, then 30 min to get to the station. Since Itaewon doesn't have much by way of shopping, we headed to Myeong-dong to the Forever 21. I needed some tights to wear under skirts to work, so that was the best place I could think of...

We got there and I ended up getting some great blush-colored tailor pleated pants, some tights, and a couple clearance things. After that, we headed to meet the Craigstlist guy. I asked him would the table be one piece, or broken down. He said it breaks down, and was carriable, but a little awkward. After much debate, Tab and I decided to carry it together to her place. We had plans to go to a baseball game in the evening with some of her friends, so rather than take the table to my place then rush back to go to the game, we would just leave the table at her place during the game, and I could take it back afterwards.


This worked out well enough, but was pretty annoying and cumbersome. We rested for about 30 minutes at Tab's, then headed to the stadium. Luckily, Tab lives very close to the Seoul Sports Complex and we didn't have to trek all over Seoul to get there. One bus ride later, we were at the stadium. We got our tickets ($17) and headed inside.

Apparently, unlike American stadiums which use the health code as an excuse to exploit the hungry and thirsty fans, Korea lets you take your own food and drink into the stadium! There were vendors outside selling pizza and chicken in a box (literally). We passed in favor of getting smaller portions inside the stadium. Tab ended up getting a hotdog (a welcome surprise she wasn't expecting), and we both got some beers (which were also much more affordable than in the states at $2.50 a pop). We got our seats with the rest of the group, and settled in for some great American past time!

A few things popped out at me - 1) Rather than straight up cheering, the fans of each team had songs they sang during the time their players were at bat. 2) Similar to what the Aggies have at Texas A&M, there seemed to be a yell leader who directed the crowds in songs, dances, and other general hooliganisms. 3) There were cheerleaders. Well, not really cheerleaders - more like hybrid dancer-backup singers. They had quite conservative dances (compared to the American standard), and while they showed their stomachs, their necklines were so high even the Pope wouldn't have been able to complain. 4) While I still have not figured out the system on which Korean baseball is based and played, I figured out that anyone can play on these teams. I figured this out when I looked up at the pitcher, then leaned over to Tab and whispered: "Is it just me, or is that pitcher black?!"

Now, you can't call me a racist - there are literally no black Koreans. It just doesn't happen. Some of my American readers may not be able to understand this, since in America you get called a racist for anything. But seriously! It is not possible to be black, and be Korean. While being an "American" is a question of citizenship, being a "Korean" is a matter of race. Therefore, someone being black and being Korean are mutually exclusive. Okay, off my defensive soapbox.

We kicked back and enjoyed the people watching, and of course the sport of baseball. Apparently, we were rooting for the wrong team, since it was a shut out. The other team won, and their fans seemed to have a better time overall as well. If we had not been in a group, Tab and I would have traded allegiances and gone over to the other side. But, alas, we mostly observed.

Halfway through, Tab insisted that I eat something, having had nothing since noon, and been drinking a beer. I agreed to go check out the fare. I ended up deciding on some chicken. I would call them nuggets, but a better word would be pellets. Not like rat droppings, but more like short Cheetos. Does this give you a good idea? They came with a sauce, but I opted to have that on the side.

All of my skeptics who think I should have eaten the dumpling last week, you will be proud. Rather than dissecting the "chicken" to confirm it's variety, I just bit into it. It was cold, but otherwise not bad tasting. I looked at the other side which I still held in my hand. It didn't look like chicken. I smelled it, then had a recollection that Koreans like dark meat chicken, rather than white. I shrugged and popped the other half in my mouth. This was quite an accomplishment. I didn't eat the whole cupful, but I did eat quite a bit. I even tried the sauce, and enjoyed it!

We stayed til the end of the game, then trekked all over creation to find the bus to take us back to Tab's apartment. When we finally got there, it hit me how exhausted I was. And now I have the dilemma of taking this obnoxious large and awkward table back to my apartment on the other side of Seoul. So, my options:

1)Take it on the bus and subway alone (risk bursting into tears spontaneously, hurting myself and/or others, breaking the table)
2)Take an expensive cab ride (between $25-30) with it (benefits would be the ease)
3)Have Tab assist me on the subway then she can turn around without having to pay for an additional ride back home, then take a cab a short distance to my apartment.

This last option seemed to have both the financial and physical aspects under control, so that's what we decided to do. I carried the heavy part this time (Tab had it last time), and we headed out into the rain (which started as soon as we left the baseball game), on the bus, through the subway station, onto the trains, and out. Tab said goodbye, and I was burdened with the entire thing. This consisted of 1 large tabletop (not actually large, but bigger than was comfortable), which bent together but not all the way, only until a 45° angle remained. Also, 2 rectangular sets of metal bars, plus another 2 straight bars in a bag with the hardware. I wish I had a photo, because I must have looked ridiculous carrying this through the subway. It was slow-goings, to be sure.

I was actually kind of disgusted with the lack of assistance. Everyone felt it appropriate to stop and stare at me, but no one felt the need to help me take it even a short ways, up the stairs maybe, or to the end of the hallway. Maybe it's just that I grew up in the South and therefore most men have some sort of gentlemanly blood, but I was not impressed with the Koreans at that point in time.

When I finally got the thing to the top of the subway, I was totally dejected to find there were no cabs waiting at the curb (a frequent habit of empty cabs). I saw a boy, and asked where I could get a cab. He pointed across the street and I headed that way. He was just standing around and I couldn't believe he wouldn't help me, even when he knew I was only going across the street. I hobble over and the one available cab gets taken right before my eyes. I want to cry, but keep it together.

And then, like a ray of sunshine beaming down through the night sky, a yellow cab pulled right up to me and popped it's trunk. I gratefully put the table down into the trunk, and get in the cab. My hands are shaking and my body slumps into the seat. All I can manage is "Kamsahamnida, Kamsahamnida, Kamsahamnida!" (Thank you, thank you, thank you!). He smiles and laughs, and I give him my address. He types it in, and we're off.

I sincerely think God sent this taxi driver straight to me. Every cab driver I've had in Korea so far, no matter how nice, has spoken no more than 2 words of English. This man, while by no means fluent, asks me where I'm from, how long am I in Korea, etc. When I say I am from America, he starts singing Oh Say Can You See. I can't do anything but laugh and clap for him, despite the extreme fatigue making my hands weigh about 10lb each. He goes on to tell me that he loves "America human" because we are so "smile and kind... and beautiful!!" I just laugh and say thank you. He sings for me in Korean and tells me that it's "his song." Wow...

We get to my neighborhood, and I live on a one-way street. This guy goes in the wrong way and pulls me up RIGHT next to my door. I was so happy I could cry. I thanked him profusely and got the table out of the trunk. When he left, I was shuffling up the driveway to the entrance, and saw my landlord. I wouldn't be able to open the door with the table in my hands, so I give him my most desperate eyes and look at the door and back. He gets the hint, comes and opens the door. Then he does one better, and takes the table top from me, gets in the elevator with me, and takes it to my room. I wanted to hug him.

After that, I relaxed and then, I have no idea how I got the energy, but I put that dang table back together. I still don't know how I did it, but it's put together and I love it. It was worth the horrible time transporting it, I'm happy to say.

My Sunday was so exciting and jam-packed that my Monday is utterly boring in comparison. Today,  Typhoon Sanba was supposed to hit. Well, I guess it did. It was pretty rainy and windy this morning. But work was not cancelled, so I sported my rain boots. It was pretty chilly, too. I loved it.

After work, I got some groceries and I am happy to say I found some decent veggies!!! I got home and made some awesome pasta and chicken. Now, my bed is calling me and another day of work is at my door tomorrow. Happy Monday, Blogosphere!

Brunch, Shopping, and New Friends

In case you aren't caught up on all my blog posts, last night was a late one. I didn't get to sleep until 4am. Tab and I went to the Dongdaemun Night Market. It was a crazy experience and I loved it! She spent the night and we woke up with a mission to find an American breakfast.

We have both been so sick of Korean food, and in particular, not having any western breakfasts! Apparently, Koreans eat kimchi and rice for breakfast. I'm not commenting on this practice, but you can guess my opinion.

We did our research a few days ago when we made the plan, and set off to Itaewon: Little America in Seoul. It is situated right next to the Army Post in Seoul, so it caters to westerners very well. We took the subway and met the cutest little girl on the train. I wish I'd gotten her picture, but the whole thing happened quite fast.

Tab and I were sitting on the train (which is kind of a big deal, seeing as seats are prime real estate and if a young person or a foreigner (or, heaven forbid, a young foreigner) sits in a seat, everyone over 50 years of age gives you the stink eye... ) Well, we were only 1 stop away from our destination, and the cutest little Korean girl got on the train holding her dad's hand. We waved at her and she waved back. Dad saw and literally dragged her over to us and (I guess) told her in Korean to talk to us.

Tab says "Hello!" and the little girl says "Hello, my name is Julie" (honestly, can't remember her name...) and we all have a basic conversation in which we find out that she is doing "happy" and we tell her we are Tab Teacher and Chelsea Teacher. She is so bashful but speaks well enough. The dad is so excited for her to talk to us! It was both cute and weird. He wanted us to keep talking, but our stop had come so we said goodbye.

This is probably the most attention I've received in public. Before coming to Korea, everyone told me to expect a lot of attention because of my hair and eyes (being starkly different from the Korean genetic pool choices). But, thus far, most people stare and avoid being in direct contact with me (like sitting next to me on the subway). This was so precious and I didn't even mind that the dad was shamelessly using us for free English practice for his little girl.

Well, once we arrived in Itaewon, we followed the directions to Richard Copycats: All American Diner. Score!!!! We arrived and the first thing I see is a room full of 18-year-old Army boys. We avoid the room and ask for a table for 2. The waitress asks "Smoking?" and points to the sparsely inhabited larger part of the restaurant, "or Non-Smoking?" gesturing to the room full of American guys. Sighing, we head to the small non-smoking, American section.

As soon as we enter the room, we are received with a chorus of "Helloooo ladies!!" (or some variation of the same sentiment). We blush, avoid eye contact, and sit down. Thankfully I got the seat that had my back to the majority of them. As soon as we sit down, we get asked "Come here often?!" I just blush harder and look away, but Tab responds with "Oh, not really." Haha, I just think she is so ironic sometimes...

We get menus and look over all the mouth watering choices. I hear the guys at the table behind me start talking louder (in a (sub?)conscious attempt at impressing us with boasts of how much they can drink or ignorant remarks about Korea). I started to get annoyed, but for the love of bacon I just suffered through it. After we ordered, one group of guys got their bill and stood up to leave. One of these guys came over and let us know that there were guys behind us looking at us. Wow, thanks Sherlock. I would never have guessed, being the only females in a room of about 40 18-year-old soldiers.

Incredible breakfast. Coming at least 1x per month.

Our food took a while but when it arrived, my jaw dropped. Both of us ordered the "Big Morning" with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, sausage patty, hashbrowns, and toast. I sub'd my sausage for bacon, and she did the same but opposide. We each added cheddar cheese to our eggs. This was breakfast of champions if I've ever seen one. It was honestly a TON of food, but we heard "wow!"'s from the boys behind us who all got hamburgers and other lunch things. (It was after 1pm, but all day breakfast menu = heaven). Call me a glutton, but I wanted to eat every bite. I almost succeeded. I left half a pancake, and 1 whole hashbrown. Yes, I did eat several days' worth of calories in one seating, but by George, I loved every bite!

All said, including my OJ, I paid around $20. Glorious, glorious breakfast food!

After we left, Tab and I walked around Itaewon. I looked for a place to get data on my iPad, but was told to come back on a weekday when it could be activated (Korean phone activations will not go through on weekends). After that, we didn't really find any good shops (minus one street cart with "I love Korea!" t-shirts, which Tab and I both bought one of) so we decided to head to Myeong-dong, one of the best shopping districts in Seoul. She had head about their street vendors and I was on the hunt for a purse large enough for my iPad.

After looking in many stores, I finally found a store that only sold purses, and every single one was 10,000 KW, about $10. Now, the quality is obviously very poor. But that was the flat out best price I'd heard, so I found one that suited my needs: cross-body with enough room for my iPad and some papers, my wallet, hairbrush, chap stick, etc. I bought it in coral.

Along the way, we found some great deals at the street vendors. Tab and I both bought some headbands, and I got a silk scarf to use in my hair. We took a little break at a coffee shop and I got an iced chai tea latte, which was amazing.

Around 5:15pm, Tab and I said our goodbyes and boarded subway trains going in opposite directions. She was heading to her apartment and I had plans to meet some friends.

Back story: When I first told my dad that I had decided to go to Seoul, he contacted his Air Force buddy who was currently stationed in Seoul, Ed. Well, he and his family have since reached out to me several times and offered assistance in whatever I needed. Now, among the people I know, everyone says they are there if you need anything, but its just something they say. It's a passive friendship. If you need something, come to me. Thursday afternoon, I got a Facebook message from Heather, Ed's wife. She and Ed invited me to dinner Saturday and also offered to pick up some American groceries for me.

Maybe I don't have very high expectations of people, but this was something I never expected. It was not only kind and generous, they were actively attempting to help me in every way possible. These people have never met me, knew my dad several years ago, and owe my family or me nothing. And yet, they went out of their way to invite me over, offer me dinner, food, and help. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

So, today I headed to meet up with them. They gave me directions, which of course I mis-read and almost ended up at the completely wrong gate. I managed to correct myself before much harm was done, and met Heather and her daughter at the visitors center. To sign in, I had to surrender my drivers license. No prob!

We headed to their home and they gave me a bag full of groceries she had got me: apples, breakfast bars, peanut butter, Cheerios, etc! Wow!! They also offered to take me to look at cell phones. Now, I had basically made up my mind to get data on the iPad and just get a flip phone for local use. But, I said sure, let's see what they've got on Post. I'm sure they have good deals for military members.

Well, we get there and I start looking at the contract phones aka smart phones. The guy behind the counter explained the contracts and my options being here only 1 year. I will skip the pro/con list and the deliberations and skip to the point: I got a 2 year contract with a 1 year return policy (basically, I pay the better price like a 2 year contract, but I give back the phone after 1 year). However, I am sorry to say, I could not get an iPhone. They do not have the return policy (which I could have guessed), so I was stuck with a choice between LG and Samsung. Samsung had the better deal on the phone and contract rates, and it was my preference anyway. Even though they are Apple's biggest competitor and I hate Android, at least it has unlimited data and tethering as well (basically wifi anywhere I go for my iPad!). And the price, you can't beat! $55 a month including the fee for the phone. iPhone contracts are at least $20 more a month plus stuck with 2 years. Finally, I got the phone much earlier than I expected because on Post, I could get the phone without my ARC. If I'd have gotten the plan otherwise, I'd have to wait til I had that.

After some running around to get the proper identification (my license was still at the gate, remember?) we got the phone in hand and everything signed off. I have to wait until Monday to activate it, though. Remember, Korea won't activate cell phones on the weekends.

After all this, we headed to dinner. Originally, they invited me to get some American food for me, but after my amazing brunch, I was not necessarily dying for a burger. We decided on an Indian food place in Itaewon. It was excellent, and I really enjoyed getting to know the family. Finally, I got a cab home (too many bags from shopping plus groceries. Also, I was dead tired and my feet were killing me).

Now, it's time to get my apartment set up. I am very glad I have a day tomorrow to relax and decorate before work starts again on Monday. I'm really living for the weekends now...