This is My Life...

It is Monday night of Chusok and as Koreans are dancing in the streets and feasting on rice cakes, I am huddled up in my room at 8 pm and about to eat some delicious Ramen noodles and catch up on reading. Last night Darcie and Meredith took me on a little adventure, which began at a Mexican restaurant and ended with a pack of Turks. The Mexican establishment was a bit on the pricier end, however the tortilla soup was just what I needed to ecscape my rice rut and of course a little margarita to wet my whistle was a must. For dinner we met up with two other girls who teach at a different branch of our school. Of course, one was from Wooster.

Anyway after dinner, Meredith, Darcie and I hopped on a bus headed toward Itaewon. Itaewon is an area of Seoul that is heavily populated with internationals and U.S. Army personnel. Very close to the strip of restaurants, bars and shops is an Army base. Word on the street is that this base has a Taco Bell. Now call it what you must, Toxic Hell, Taco Smell (and I'm sure the list goes on), however after a long and endless night, there is nothing that I want to sink my teeth into than a cheesy rollup. In conclusion, maybe making a military friend or two would not be such a bad idea for reasons which include T. Bell access and protection from Kim-Jong-il's nukes and troops.

So I digress a bit in my writing style but so we went to Itaewon. I was initially shocked because of all the English I was hearing and the people looked different. I was no longer stuffed in the homogenous society and if I wanted to, I could converse with others! We first stopped by a low key bar to grab a glass of wine and check out the scene. Not too much was going on in "The Loft" so we walked down the street and landed upon what is generally more of a lounge environment, but last night they specialized in some crazy electronic beats. The electronica enthusiast inside me advocated our entrance. The first friends we made were Americans, one was from Cleveland and the other upstate New York. I was not captivated by their personalities, so I began speaking to a [who I thought was] Korean. I was thrown for a complete loop when the words that came out of his mouth were all Aussie talk! Wow, that took me about a good ten minutes to digest. His parents were Korean but he was born and raised in Australia, it seemed like a really difficult concept for me last evening...

Anyway after Kyle from Oz, we met some veterinary students from Istanbul, Turkey. Three to be exact (great for a game of three on three). Their English was a bit shaky so I opted against initiating the "Why does Turkey keep trying to horn in on the EU," conversation and kept it light...such as what is your favorite pet to operate on? They were very nice gentlemen and well-behaved, unlike Kyle who was crazy and asked if I was the oldest in my family, who I am voting for in the presidential election and if I thought we were a good match. Peace out.

All in all, the night went very well and of course we all rolled out with some business cards as keepsakes. That being said, this old girl needs to rest up for another week of teaching fabulous Korean children (my favorite is Huey and you will hear about him very soon). I hope everyone is doing well and keep up the e-mails/messages :) I love hearing from you all!

My Friends

I want to tell you about the people I already knew prior to coming to Seoul. As previously mentioned, I know Meredith Thompson. She is a fantastic person and we first met in high school as we wrote on the school newspaper together. Meredith, like myself, enjoys a good time. Another teacher at our school, and fellow citizen of Wooster, is Darcie. While Meredith and I wrote on the school newspaper, Darcie was our Editor-In-Chief. I did not know Darcie very well in high school (partially because she was one WHOLE year older than myself) but we were acquaintances after multiple trips to high school journalism conferences at Columbia University in NY. I really do not understand how the three of us from the same minuscule, rural, Amish-infested town ended up at the same school and with apartments in the same hall, but it has worked out really well and I feel very lucky :)

I would now like to discuss my Korean friends. Nam Wang and Kookno Lee are absolutely ridiculous. While I interned for a semester in D.C., I lived in the same apartment building as these two young men. After weeks of the raunchy smell of kimchi waif down the hall, I thought I should meet these characters. Nam has this laugh. I traveled 5,000 miles to hear this laugh. Even if what he is laughing has no humor value, I lose it. That is all I have to say about Nam Wang. Kookno Lee is just as funny and a little less ridiculous. Kookno Lee loves to imitate the Korean "dog call." This call consists of a two finger (on the same hand) and tongue movement. It is inappropriate and should not be tolerated in any society. I traveled 5,000 miles to see this Korean "dog call." Both Nam and Lee have been nothing less of extremely hospitable since I arrived and they took my American friends and I to dinner the first weekend I was here. Both of them now work in the banking industry so they are generally tied up with adult responsibilities while I go to school and sing the ABC's.

How I Ended up in Asia...

How on earth did Meredith end up in Asia might you ask?

It all began one evening during the Yuletide season at a small, quaint venue in Wooster, Ohio called The Old Jaol. Yes, our aged "jaol" had been revamped and turned into a bar. I rarely mingle with locals, specifically those I went to high school with. I swear to this day that I will not attend a high school reunion without achieving vast success (such as but not limited to: marrying a fabulous rico suave/owning a multi-billion dollar home in Miami). Nonethess, I was out that evening with a few friends that I still remain close to and we [thoroughly] enjoyed ourselves. I ran into my friend, Meredith from high school (irony, yes.) and as we were talking, she told me that she was teaching English in Seoul, Korea. It was near Christmas, I was merry, the vodka cranberry concotions really tickled my fancy and I thought too that Seoul would be my calling.

A few months later, I had been in contact with the owner of SLP (Sogang University Language Program) and got really good vibes. I decided to toss my love for Latin men, my faulty attempts at Spanish and my obsession with Mexico aside (...unless any Pepe locos roam the streets of Seoul) for one calendar year to dabble a bit in Asia. I graduated from John Carroll University on May 18th, lived off my wonderful parents for about 3 months (of course I managed to hustle it south of the border and to D.C. on various occassions) and landed in Seoul on August 25.