I decided yesterday that I would go somewhere today because I’d been feeling so blue and in need of a change of scene, but then I decided to take a day of rest to recuperate. I mean, I have a whole week! This is my only vacation time the whole semester, so I feel a need to capitalize on it, but at the same time, it’s a little stressful to plan a trip relying solely on public transport in a country in which you cannot communicate AND this is possibly the worst time of year to travel in Korea because of Chusok. It’s a really big holiday here (the equivalent of Thanksgiving) and everyone travels back to their hometown to be with the family. Evidently, my family doesn’t really do much because they are Christian or something, so I don’t have the plans everyone else does. Several people had mentioned to me that they wanted to do something with me over the break, but that never materialized and I ended up having nothing to do. So I was going to bite that bullet and wander around by myself for a while. But my host mother just walked in here and asked me if I wanted to make duk (rice cakes—they come in all different varieties and can be quite delish) with her tomorrow, so of course I said yes. My priorities are still family first, and plus, it’s a good opportunity to get in some cultural experience. Not many visitors to Korea can say they’ve made duk!
Today, I embarked on a new workout plan of pseudo aerobics and stretching. It was fairly successful and I plan on doing it daily, now that it’s getting dark here so early. It was dark at 6:30 today! I was so sad. I think I will start doing it in the mornings to get me started right.
I also read a lot and played with the kids. Oh, and I started watching a new TV series my friend Irene recommended to me. It’s a Korean drama series called Full House you can see online on www.youtube.com. Thus, it requires no downloading, only an active internet connection! And I’m being cultural at the same time! Purrrrfect. Speaking of cats, the damn koyangi clawed and bit me today when I was reading outside and I was so mad at it. We are no longer friends.