So I just spent a wild weekend away in Seoul. Wild, of course, is a relative word, and I suppose it wasn't wild at all by my usual standards, but it sure was a good time!
I left early Saturday morning (before 7!) to meet Bianca in Seoul at noon. I had absolutely no idea how long the journey would take and also figured I should leave myself some getting-hopelessly-lost-time (because whenever I DON'T, I get lost!). My co-teacher told me that if I wanted to go to Seoul on one bus, I should take the 7:15 bus from Hongsan to Seoul, but I decided to switch to an express bus in Buyeo so it didn't take as long. And I didn't get lost! I arrived in Seoul at 10 am, but unfortunately without ANY maps because I forgot those extraordinarily helpful items at home. With a little help from Bianca (en route to Seoul by train), I managed to find my way to the train station just as she was arriving. It was sweet. I was really proud of myself.
Once together, we made our way to our hotel in downtown Seoul. Actually, hotel is a grand overstatement. It really wasn't very nice, but it was clean and cheap, so we took it. Basically, Bianca and I had a room big enough for our two sleeping mats, a small TV (though I don't know why we would ever hole up in that little room to watch TV when we're in friggin Seoul!) and a fan. The owners were nice, and we weren't planning to spend much time there, anyway. And regardless, it was a step up from my initial plans for accommodation the last time I was in Seoul. (We were going to stay at a "love" motel that was actually moderately pricey and fairly sketchy. This was neither.)
After that, we went to Kyobo bookstore, which is this absolutely enormous bookstore with a large English section. I bought some books there last time I was in Seoul. This time, I stuck to the stationary section, which was still HUGE. We also invested in some K-pop. I want to pick up some of the music here, both because I like the local flavor and because everyone keeps quizzing me on my favorite Korean artists and I don't know any yet. My sixth grade girls are all about this group called Super Junior, so I bought their CD but I haven't listened to it yet.
Next, Bianca and I managed to find a nice, vegetarian-friendly restaurant. I had dosolt bibimbap, which is rice and vegetables in a hot stone bowl. It might be my favorite Korean dish. It usually comes with a raw egg on top that is cooked as you mix it with the hot rice, and the rice is deliciously crispy from the hot bowl. Delectable.
We next went to a palace downtown, but I forget the name of it. It was a nice walk, though. I always see so many Koreans at these sort of places that we would consider touristy at home. I think it’s nice that they take the chance to partake in the sights as well. Also, the fact that so many flock to these cultural sites means that they are cheaper for me…usually 1000-2000 won!
I also got my haircut in Sinchon (an area in Seoul near Yonsei University where a lot of students hang out). We actually had some trouble finding a place, but Bianca finally spotted a sign just as we were about to give up. This guy who called himself Steve cut my hair, and boy was he good! He didn't even wet my hair or anything but just started snipping away. I've never had my hair cut so fast and professionally! And he even curled it for me! I am definitely going back to that place...it rocked! We also tried to get some patpingsu in Sinchon, but it wasn't nearly as good as it was in Chuncheon. I was sorely disappointed.
Next, Bianca and went to Itaewon, an area in Seoul known for being "international." There are so many foreigners there! I actually didn't like it that much just for that...I didn't like being associated with the other Americans I saw there, who just seemed loud and obnoxious. It made me uncomfortable to be around them, for some weird reason. I guess I just feel more Korean, but I know when I'm there I'm just another American. Also, American tourists kinda suck, I think...just noisy, disruptive, and dismissive of other cultures. But I'm generalizing, of course. It did remind me that I will probably have a hard time adjusting back to America when I return. If I can't even handle a group of Americans walking by while I'm in another country, how will I deal with constant interaction with them? And I was also thinking about the Fulbright conference coming up in a month...I really don't want to go. There aren't that many people I miss from Fulbright, and the ones I do miss I'd much rather make plans to see on an individual basis, rather than in a huge pre-arranged herd. Plus, the Fulbright conference cuts into my week-long vacation! So I'll probably avoid everyone while I'm there.
Back to Seoul...so we found a good ol convenience store and drank some soju out front. It was not very classy, but pretty fun. Better than the lame and expensive bars we considered entering before. Then we splurged on an expensive Pakistani dinner. It was good (I had very spicy curry and falafel), but quite pricy...I could have gotten 3 or 4 Korean dinners for that price! Next time, Bianca and I decided, we will skip dinner and rely on the appetizers they force us to order at bars. This way, we won't be so full we have to roll ourselves down the street, and we spend much less money. It's perfect!
We went out to the Hongik University area next because our guidebook said it was a hip place for youngsters. And it was...there were SOOO many people strolling the streets! Cars could barely pass by! We walked our food off for a while, then went to a bar that looked interesting. We were halfway through our pitcher of beer and platter of fruit when I noticed this guy staring at us. It was unusual for two reasons. First, Koreans really don't stare. It's considered quite rude. I had mentioned before that no one stared at me the way I expected, and this is the reason why. Also, I usually am oblivious to my surroundings. So this was very blatant staring, and it continued pretty much nonstop for at least the next five minutes. He finally scurried over with two orange slices and ran away without saying anything. We weren't really sure what to do--Fulbright didn't cover this situation during Orientation--so we just smiled and ate the fruit. Then, I saw him leave the table and then return with 4 more slices for us, special-ordered from the bar, and scampered away again. Again with watermelon. So this was getting pretty ridiculous. He finally sort of motions at me and says, "Katchi?" which means together, and I was like, sure. I mean, Bianca's fun, but it's fun to meet some real Seoul people, right? So this guy was WASTED. His "English" name was Jamie and he could hardly speak English--I'm not sure if it was genuine lack of skill or booze--and just kept trying to talk in Korean, with a few random words of English. His friend was better, I think, but shy about talking. I forget his name, because he only had a Korean one and we all know how grrrrreat I am with those. Anyway, we had a fun time trying to talk to each other, while the one guy was basically falling all over me and semi-strangling me, and then we went to a norebang. That was somewhat disastrous because we couldn't sing together in the same language and Bianca and I aren't the greatest singers, but we tried! We did a mean rendition of "The Boy is Mine." Too bad both the guys had good voices, even when absolutely drunk. Hopefully they didn't notice my lack of skill. Jamie began each of his songs with a long stare in my direction and "I love you." It was funny, but a little uncomfortable because I wasn't really into him. I was just looking for entertainment! So Bianca and I finally managed to convey that we needed to go home, and they insisted on escorting us. And then unfortunately, Jamie basically wouldn't leave! He kept leaving, and then coming back to our door 5 minutes later to wish me sweet dreams again. His friend was soooooooo embarrassed. Lucky for him, I was more amused than annoyed. I've never been the object of such persistence! He called and texted me a bunch of times, too, but I doubt I will ever hear from him again. If I were him, I'd be too embarrassed to talk to me again! The other guy called Bianca today, though, and I hope she dates him. He was cute and nice.
On Sunday, Bianca and I decided to find some "nature." We basically picked a random park to go to. We went to Namsan park in the middle of Seoul and it was really cool. You can climb up this steep mountain/hill (or take a cable car, if you're lazy) and have a great view of Seoul in all directions. It's wild! We walked around for a while and then had a late lunch before parting ways. Again, we managed to successfully order delicious Korean food! It was a far cry from our first attempt together, when we accidently ended up at a bar and ordered French fries and beer.
I even got back to Hongsan relatively rapidly and all by myself! Perhaps the only damper on the weekend was that Bianca's watch somehow got set an hour fast, so we could have spent some more time together. But this way, I got home early enough for dinner and lesson-planning...oh, what fun!