Midterm (Hell) Week

Midterm week…

People left exams crying... 

I almost cried... 

I studied kinda…

I didn’t do so hot, but my professor told me I could get myself out of rut! Thank god!

That Friday (October 25, 2013), we did what we always do, but times 10… Hongdae for just casual drinking, which turns into a drunkenfest! We didn’t do much just stay in a drunken stupper and hang out at the Hongdae Park!

The next day, we woke up and walked Edae Univeristy to run into the mob of Abrocrombie and Fitch models. They were so hot, and I have a picture with them on Kakao… but I lost the picture… once I retrieve it, I will post it!

The reason we were walking through the Edae University was to get to the Hong River to go biking along it! There was actually no such luck… Not only could we not find the biking place, we would find the river for a long time! Haha

We came back, and now its time to really cap off the midterm week. Time for Club Ellui; we got our selves all dressed up. After a couple drinks outside we went into dance our a$$ off! And we did! Couple people got way too drunk and so did I. People took care of each other, and made sure they all made it back home safe… I branched away from the crew in the midst of the night and next thing I know I woke up in the Ewha Station, which is the closest station to the dorms… How did this happen? What is my life? I don’t understand.

This will not stop me! I decided to go home and get ready to go swim! With the smell of alcohol and clubbing in my system, I changed and headed to the pool and met up with the team and I swim 3 miles… #death #commitment #thankgodim21…

After the swim team, I met up with a friend of mine and we climbed a mountain in Seoul, which holds a fortress up on the peak… I wasn’t the happiest camper, but I fought through it! Yay for me!

I don’t have any pictures from the week, but just know it was insane. I lost my phone and I didn’t upload these pictures yet… damn it!!

So for a couple weeks of blog, there won't be as many pictures... Sorry

Here Comes the Bride!

So it makes it sound like I do nothing on the weekdays in Seoul, but that not true! I will talk about my everyday life of Seoul soon! This weekend, I split with the group, and ventured down to my cousin’s house. SHE’S GETTING MARRIED!

I went as the representative of my family, and I sent pictures to my family back in the US.

To preface the story, I came down to Yangsan Friday night, but strangely my aunt couldn’t pick me up, so I took a cab back to her place, and we got home around the same time. My aunt and cousins were telling about the day they had about flying into Seoul to renew a passport, and how she couldn’t get her visa for the Bali for her honeymoon. She did solve the problem thank god!

The next day (October 19, 2013), my cousin (who is not getting married) and I went to get our hair done, and we met up with the rest of my extended family! We headed for the wedding hall, and when we arrived everyone was ready! My cousin looked beautiful! Everyone wanted pictures with the bride! I worked as the photographer, errand boy, and guest recorder (I wrote down who came). After the pictures, it was time for the ceremony to start, and it was beautiful. They did the walking down the aisle, the vows, and everything. There is a traditional Korean garment section of the wedding, which I did not attend because it is only for the immediate families, so I went to go eat the good food provided!

After the ceremony, the newlyweds were off to Bali! (super jealous), and my aunt told me to escort all the extended families to her house and entertain them for a while… great… I am in really uncomfortable pants. I take them all back, and they are telling me how much they missed me, and how they knew me when I was a baby and a child. I nodded and smiled, but in my head I was like, “Who are you?”

My aunt finally came to rescue me from the family attacks, and took the focus from me and talked about the family and things. I have no interest. After what seemed to be an eternity, everyone left and my aunt and I ordered pizza and called it a night.

Sunday (October 20, 2013), I went started my studies for midterm and went back to Seoul.

Spontaneous Trip to Jinju

So basically after last week, we spent the week like we do every week, drink and eat. I swear to god all we do is eat and drink. We spent the week doing that going to class, and next thing you know Bryant, Brian, Kyle, Yujin, Francis, and I are on our way to Jinju (a small town with the biggest lantern festival). Yujin and I were kind of a last minute decision to go! And what a great last minute decision. We took the bus down to Jinju, and we got to the bus terminal! Headed out to a hof (a casual eating and drinking bar like places in Korea) and had couple beers and some cheap food! From there, we went to a JimJilBong (Korean bathhouse), where we stayed the night and enjoyed a nice bath! We played some games and hung out before bed, which was excellent!

The next morning (October 11, 2013), we woke up and went around Jinju! We went to get some famous food from the area. They are known for their raw beef bibimbap (mixture of rice and vegetables). It was so good! We went to a pretty famous place where it’s their only food they serve.  The presidents go there! After a lovely meal and couple drinks later (yes to day drinking), we headed to the fortress in the city on top of the hill. There were lots of lanterns in people form, so as us being kids and all, we reenacted some of them for fun! Too much fun!

That night we enjoyed a chicken, dumplings, and steamed bread for dinner. We saw the full effect of the lantern festival that night! It was crowded and lit up, and it was so pretty. But we could only stay there for so long. (We got bored.)

We walk over to the train station and got the bus tickets to Busan! When we arrived I broke away from the group as they proceeded to head to the clubs; I went to a jimjilbong to get some rest. After a nice bath with an night ocean view, I fell asleep and woke up, and I was headed to the world’s largest fish market. There was a festival! I had a delicious sashimi and sauced eel all to myself, and I was on a bus to Seoul! That was my week. A fun trip and a restful Sunday.

Just a Not-So-Casual Week In Seoul

So this week is a good one! We had a holiday! It was the national founding day for Korea and my sister’s birthday! Shout out to you sis! I miss you!

Now back to business, the week was short. We did our usual eating, hanging out, and chillin. Next thing I know, it’s the holidays (October 3, 2013) and we took a trip to the famous Korean pancake (pajun) place, which is about 40 minutes from where we live! Korean pancakes are not your typical breakfast delights. They are more line pizza with out the tomato sauce. It is the crust with all sorts of seafood and vegetable inside. It’s really good. We ate like kings that morning with Korean rice wine, spicy rice cakes, and chicken soup, and be hold, we were drunk before 12pm that Thursday. After the delicious meal, we proceeded to a festival in city hall. There we saw the guard exchange ceremony (uneventful), spinning plates (Badly), and drumming (Awesome)! We were pretty much done with that day and wanted to cap it off with something delicious for desert, so we went and got macaroons (Delicious). As a group, we always have a hard time making decisions about our night out. Do we want to dance? Do we want to chill? Are we drinking heavily? Who is all going? Questions we really don’t need to know the answers to, but we know the answers too already. That night we went to Hongdae. We went to the unlimited Korean rice wine place and got plastered… We were in search of a club with no cover to go to and dance around in, but unfortunately there was no such luck. So we took our drunken asses home.

Friday (October 4, 2013), Eljay, Brian, Yujin and I went out to shop in Meung-Dong, which is like a famous place in Seoul! I loved it! We shopped early in the morning for some clothes here and there. Everyone bought something that morning. Wow I don’t know what we did after shopping… Most likely a nap to recharge for Sheimay’s birthday! Yay! We got all dressed up for Octagon that night. Everyone looked so nice. Well of course, we are about to head over to Gangnam for a party. After a cab ride and the free entry bracelet was on our wrist, we bolted back upstairs to the Mini Stop to get our cheap alcohol, Soju, to get us to a more dance appropriate mood. Loving life and having so much fun dancing around while the Korean national people were looking at us like “Look at those foreigners”. After couple minutes of bitchy looks, they started getting a little loose and dancing with us. By this time, I sobered up a little so Yujin and I headed upstairs for couple more drinks at the Mini Stop, and slowly but surely, our people started coming out… Let’s change locations… Oh lord… We did. I swear we are the only people who party this hard on our program. We went from Octagon to Ellui at 3am; it was the same thing, but more packed and different people. It was nuts. We danced some more got more drinks and next thing I know the club is closing, and we managed to stay at a Korean club till it closes. Death… I cannot believe we went to two clubs that night… What is my life?

I woke up the next day, and I died again. I hoped for an unproductive day, but one friend, whom shall not be named, asked me to come to Angok, which is the traditional/renovated part of seoul. We walk around the area and climbed to see a view and the traditional houses on the sides of the roads! It was gorgeous. What a shame that it became so touristy that people started moving out of the area, and it is becoming more commericalized with cafes and restaurants, not that korea has enough. We walked to the Gyeongbokgung, but we didnt go in. No palaces are worth seeing after Beijing;s Forbidden City. My friend and I parted ways after a cup of coffee. It was dinnertime. We went out for dinner at our favorite all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place like we do for everyone’s birthday. We, once again, ate like kings and had cake. From there people wanted to different things that night, some wanted to go to Hongdae again, and Mason and I wanted to go to Itaewon. What it seemed like for the first time, the group separated! I was on my way to Itaewon with Kenny, Oskar, and Brandon. Mason would kind of join us later. We started our drinking at the 7/11 as usual as we waited for the Homo Hill to start getting crowded. It was around 1am, and now, it is packed! We went in to Queen and Why Not to go in to dance our a$$e$ off! Oskar and Kenny were telling me that they were felt up, and they were too fucked up too care! Brandon and I danced and when I felt too drunk. We decided to leave Kenny and Oskar to go home at around 4am. In Itaewon, it can be very difficult to catch a cab, especially if you don’t speak the language. I managed to get a cab and these foreigners were going to the same place and they offered to pay for the cab if they ride with us! I gladly took up the offer! We both won! Haha

I woke up the next morning (October 6, 2013) with a raging headache, but I had to swim. I have to be strong and go to swim practice. I got there an hour late, but it’s not bad because majority of the team was an hour late… haha

After a hard practice later, we got something to eat at a local restaurant around the pool, and the same guy (who showed me around Seoul last week) and a new guy from the swim team decided to show me around town yet again! This time we went to Bugaksan Skyway, where we got to see the amazing view from the top and enjoy a cup of coffee! We came down the mountain and enjoyed a couple beers and fries around the mountain. We separated after hanging out and discussing the difference in LGBT communities of Atlanta and Seoul. I got to learn a lot from both of them!

Then I came home and had some street food and went to bed… I was exhausted…

Oh don't have pho before swim practice....