This weekend however, was not quiet!! We kicked off the weekend with a work party. This entailed going to a restaurant that had food Alicia and I hated, so we proceeded to go shot for shot/beer for beer with everyone.... with no food in our stomaches. This set the pace for a long night haha. After the work party we went over to Kondae with the other teachers to get some more drinks. It was really fun! Nick showed up after a while and had a few beers at Miller Time (an "American" bar) with us. We played some Korean and some American drinking games, which never fails to be amazing entertainment. After quite a few beers we decided to go to bar Yuki, our favorite bar in Kondae. It started off normal enough, Alicias friend Matt being funny and making friends with Nick, while us girls chattered and hung out. Before long, DJ MissMissy took over my body, and I decided I was going to be the guest DJ for the night. It started out me just telling them what to play, but before long I took the controls and was making playlists. What does good music, drunk people, and good times equal?,,,, a dance party!!! We programmed some awesome music and danced out booties off!! We got the whole bar dancing, including the bartenders and the stuffy looking koreans. Around 3am we decided to call it a night.... and walked home. On the way home Matt (awesome Korean guy) decided to jump the barrier on the road and run to a taxi.... we were so busy watching him and laughing we all failed to notice the giant puddle of vomit on the sidewalk. I then proceeded to slip in said vomit. It only got on my shoe, but I hyperventilated and frrrrreaked out over it. We then thought it would be fun to chant about my "dirty boot" which I took off and made Nick carry. We were quite the sight heading home..... I can only imagine what all the Koreans thought about the spectacle we were making haha. This "dirty boot" thing is going to haunt me for a while I'm sure haha. Thank goodness for good friends like Alicia who cleaned my dirty boot and brought it back to me today! Not only did I get my boot dirty from falling, I took all the skin off my knee and left a grapefruit sized bruise. It hurts! Boo for vomit on the sidewalk!
Saturday we had plans to head out with Alicia to Insadong to see Changdeokgung Palace (the Palace of Prospering Virtue) which is the oldest palace in Korea. It was absolutely breathtaking. I was shocked at just how huge the palace grounds were. We literally had to hike to different parts of the palace. They had buildings for raing silk worms, eating, sleeping, making babies, sitting, entertaining.... and so on. It was so rich in history and culture, I love it. The tour was in English and the tour guide was so funny, but she wasn't trying to be. She kept getting flustered and saying things like "why am I getting so defensive?" hahah. It cracked us up.
After we went to the Palace we all wanted to see the Jogyesa buddhist temple. It was equally as breath taking. It was nice on the outside, but the inside (we only saw through the glass wall because service was going on) was like nothing I'd ever seen. I can't do it justice, but I'll post a picture that gives a little idea what it was like. The temple grounds were really nice, lots of statues and an area where the monks were drumming and chanting. They also had an area that had hundreds of lanterns hung, it sounded beautiful in the wind. I want to go back there for sure. We were interviewed by a newspaper while we were visiting. They wanted to know what we thought about the temple, and what we know about temple stays. I really want to do a temple stay, but i've heard it's the hardest thing many people have done in their entire lives. I think I would be worth it for the experience though, ya know? Hmm, I'll think that one over some more.
Our last stop of the day was Insadong where the streets are lined with stores and restaurants and whatnot. I found where I am doing all my shopping for souvenirs for myself and other people. So much beautiful handmade Korean stuff. They have some amazing antique stores (out of my price range!) as well. I was very impressed by the whole experience. The day reminded me how rich the culture is here, and how much there is to learn about Korean history. I'm looking forward to experiencing more temples and palaces.
Today was my typical mellow sunday! We started off the day by going to emart to pick up our groceries for the week. After shopping the three of us went to eat some Korean sushi for lunch, then went to the local little coffee shop to sip some carmel macchiato and reading our books. Two hours had passed before we knew it so we all headed our separate ways. Nick and I cleaned the house, which needed it! Things get sooo dusty here. If I dont sweep and mop 2-3 times a week we get a rather large dust bunny population in every corner of the house. It's gross. I also have to dust and clean every surface in the house a few times a week or it looks like no one has inhabited this place in years. Annoying! I miss my mopping and dusting once a week routine. Once the house was clean I cooked my first American style meal (and first time cooking meat in the two months I've been here). It was SOOO good! I made sauteed chicken breast, mashed potatoes, corn, and stove top. I'm not typically a Stove Top fan, but it tasted sooooo good! Yummy! It was worth the premium cost. Oh, I also took off the whole corner of my pinky with the new potato peeler. It was not my weekend!! I had a little first aid kit, but hours later my finger is still throbbing. Ouch, again!
For anyone interested in Korean Costco, I'll post the link. They deliver everything, but it's really expensive! check out the prices!!! Keep in mind these prices aren't for American size costco things, it's for one box/can/unit of each thing unless specified that there are two units. I am ordering the tortillas, but not sure about anything else on there. I am finding a lot of produce/veggies/meats I can cook meals out of once my mom ships me the box of seasonings and spices.
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