Looking Back

Let's see if I can rewind a little to get back to my previous post about spring being here. Two weekends ago, I went out to a bar called Bunker for a co-worker's birthday party. I had been to this place once before with Dee, Bryan, Michael, Patrick, and Jamie, so I wasn't surprised by the buckets, yes buckets, of alcohol, various boardgames, and poorly skilled pool amateurs. Prior to finding my way to this bar, I went the wrong direction. Once again, a young Korean guy, who spoke flawless English, helped me. Although it was out of his way, he walked me almost the entire way there (25 minutes from where I had approached him). Talk about being a total gentleman. We had a nice conversation, and then parted with a few last minute directions for the remaining leg. I arrived fairly late into the party, and greeted my co-worker, Madison, with a "happy birthday!" Incredibly hammered Madison responded with a surprised look and a "No way! Haha!" Aside from some incredibly douchey actions made by unmentionable guys, it was a fun night. Later on, we headed to Monkey Beach – a massive club, where locals and foreigners cram themselves next to one another, nuts to butts style, spill their buckets of alcohol all over you, and grope you without ever making eye contact. A co-worker and myself escaped shortly after entering. He had mentioned he wasn't nearly drunk enough to be there, and I simply find it to be the worst establishment Seoul has to offer, so I was happy to leave. After we escaped unnoticed, we made our way to Woodstock. Thankfully, though pricey, Woodstock carries Rogue beer. Not my favorite Oregon microbrew, but considering my lips hadn't touched quality beer for almost two months, I was willing to spend $8 for a pint. After a night of good conversation, and a stealthy escape from the rapey bar we call Monkey Beach, I made my way home.

The following day, I met Jamie and Patrick at Technomart to sign a contract for an iPhone. As usual, I managed to leave on time, yet arrive 30 minutes late. We had tried a couple of kiosks on the "cell phone" floor of this massive electronic goods mall. After being lied to because I'm a foreigner, Jamie explained to a salesmen that I was willing to sign a contract. All of the sudden, poof! He magically had iPhones available again. Dick. So, after the lengthy process of signing paperwork, paying my fees, and getting the run around for being a whitey, I finally had an iPhone. Oh wait. "This won't work until Monday at 2pm." Monday turned into Thursday, which later turned into Friday. I'll get to all of that later on though.

That Sunday, some friends from my previous school were having a picnic at Yeouido Park. The day started out a bit smoggy, but plenty warm. There were hoards of people due to it also being the weekend for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Excited for my legs to finally see the light of day after a long, cold winter, I moronically wore short shorts without applying any sunscreen. My legs, arms, and face were quite "sun kissed," by the end of the day. When I say "sun kissed," I mean burnt to shit. Who knew that drinking tall boys of Hite Dry Finish, while sitting in direct sunlight would result in such a mess? In the end, it was worth it all, despite the lobster sheen which I had to embarrassingly rock at work. I met a great couple from Florida, Corey and Melissa (current SLP teachers). It was a great opportunity to pick their brains about Kyoto and other various travels they have taken. We also swapped fun travel food poisoning stories. Always an easy go-to while living in Asia.

Although many of the trees had yet to bloom, it was beautiful to see the blossom lined streets. As the day wore on, the smog completely lifted, and we were left with a beautiful view of the mountains and hills beyond the massive structures on the north side of The Han River. Bryan, Dee, and I were the only remaining goers from our group at this point. I wasn't eager to get on the subway as this was quite possibly the loveliest day of the year, so I walked with them to pick up their bikes. The sun was setting, and thanks to Bryan's encouragement, I snapped a few photos of locals playing in the fountain/water sculpture space.

Now, fast forward to the most recent weekend. I did nearly nothing, thankfully. On Friday night, I met up with Andrei at a self-serve beer bar, a concept I would like to take back to the United States. These kind of places are all over Seoul, and apparently right in my neck of the woods. Too bad I can't find any of them around me. Thanks, Chris. Anyway, this place was on the third floor of a multipurpose building. As we walked in, there were some wooden tables and chairs, and a wall, lined with glass front refrigerators. White, vinyl numbers adorned various sections of beer, increasing in price as you moved to the right. For old times' sake, we threw back a few Changs (Thai beer), while playing Scrabble and catching up. The bar reminded both of us of a restaurant we frequented in Hanoi, called Rockbilly. Yeah, there was no 'a' present between the 'Rock,' or the 'billy'. The woman who was running the place was also a talented, electric pianist. She played amazing covers of old school jams.

Shortly after we had arrived, I needed to make my way to the little girl's room, as pressure was becoming heavy on the old bladder. This wasn't just any girl's room though. It was a fancy, Korean, dual-gender squatter and urinal combo room. How exciting?! I've come to realize that wearing dresses and skirts are almost a must while living in Seoul. You never know when you're going to be greeted by a non sit-down toilet. At one point in time, I was only capable of peeing in a squatter while heavily intoxicated AND wearing high heels. Man, how times have changed. Thanks to the Beers Of The World bar that Andrei had invited me to, I can now say that I have the skills to appropriately tackle any urine relieving vessel that comes my way. It turned out to be a great night for many reasons – good company, potty training, Thai beer, and great music.

The next morning, Seoul was greeted with heavy raindrops pounding on the ground. I was dressed to brave it all, sans an umbrella. On my walk to the subway, despite having a positive attitude of "pfff, no one uses umbrellas in Portland, and it rains all the time... I'll be fine," I was drenched. I met with Michael and Brie to pick up a few things at Costco. Michael let me borrow a massive umbrella, as he had an extra one lying around. Luckily, there were half as many people shopping that day as the previous time we had gone. I'm not certain, but it may very well have had to do with the weather. In any case, it made navigating through the aisles of bulk everything much easier. We had Beef Bulgogi at a restaurant in the E-mart food court shortly after. While they continued to shop, I hopped in a cab and made the soggy journey home. Once again, I was greeted by a sweet cabby. It seems I have hit some cabby jackpot, in that every single taxi driver I have ended up with has been incredibly kind, eager to speak English, and despite being lost in translation, we often manage to understand each other through humor.

Tired, and somewhat homesick, from all of the rain, I decided to make a list of the things that I need(ed) to do. I had originally thought I would go out for drinks with Michael and Jamie that night, but I was feeling exhausted and fat. Yeah, Joel, I know "feeling fat," is not a feeling. For whatever reason, my belly looked like that of a starving Ethiopian child. I wasn't in the mood to drink booze, or dance. So, I made my list of to-do's, watched Aladdin for the first time since about third grade, gorged on Costco goodies, and went to bed at 11pm. Thanks to that list I made, I was able to stay motivated throughout the whole day, and I accomplished seventy-five percent of my list. Still to do, you ask? Exercise, finish my friend's Wedding Thank You cards, post to blog, book my flight/hotel for Kyoto, and add color to my newest illustration.

Not so much of a continuation...

What have I been up to as of late, you say? Well, nothing too exciting. I've been up to my ears in daily commentary that I'm not a very good preschool teacher, despite the fact that my students' language skills have developed steadily over the past two months, they all tell me that they don't want to go home at the end of the day because they will miss me, and they're still bringing in ridiculous amounts of money to the school. But, I'm a terrible teacher. Sure. After a long days work, I often come home with a sense of bitterness, and begin my evening routine. Check email, read design blogs, maybe go for a walk or run, cook dinner, clean up, and watch episodes of Breaking Bad. This would be hunky dory if I could actually sleep come 10:30/11pm. Instead, I attempt to sleep, but can't. I lay in bed thinking about how I'm going to actually stand up to my bosses someday, or worry about my family, or worry about how I am turning 27 this year and still don't feel like I have my shit together, or, or, or.

Spring Happiness / Forgot to click 'publish'

Some co-workers and myself went out on Thursday night to enjoy some beverages prior to our beginning of the month, school spirit day. Although this is typically a monthly thing, I missed out on the previous outing due to having that awful flu. It was great to finally talk to my co-workers, without having the topic be at all related to work. As I suspected, all of them are genuinely friendly and interesting. We began our night in Gangnam, at a bar called King's Tap, moseyed our way to The Bulldog Pub, and landed at my favorite LP request bar, Woodstock. Now, despite the fact that I was horribly tired and hungover at work the following day, Thursday night was too much fun to regret. I am getting a little too old for drink-till-dawn marathons, yet that particular evening/morning is going to receive appreciation for as long as my memory allows.

After attempting to rally through my workday, I was hugged by my bed at 8pm. I woke up the following day to meet Patrick and Michael for a trip to Costco, and was pleasantly surprised to see an old friend, Brie, pop around Michael's hallway to greet me with a nice embrace. We wandered through the crowded aisles, frequently getting grazed by the locals – annoying at first, but you become familiar with the lack of personal space that is all too common here. I stocked up on 129,000 won ($105 usd) worth of goodies. I parted ways with Patrick, Michael, and Brie because I had to head to my side of Gangnam. When I hopped in the taxi, which was operated by a sweet, elderly man, I came to realize that Spring was finally here. The driver had all of the windows down, and there was a nice mix of warmth from the sun and a cool breeze from the wind.

Once I had appropriately unloaded by Costco booty, I went for a 3 hour jaunt outside. It was unbelievably perfect outside – low 60s, sunshine, and shade from the massive buildings on one side of the block. I walked all the way to Coex Mall, the massive underground shopping center at Samseong Station. It took me 40 minutes each way, and led me through some busy areas that once only made sense under ground. I have come to realize that I didn't actually explore this city much on the street level during my previous contract. There is something to appreciate about everything that you see and smell while walking for fifteen minutes, which otherwise goes unnoticed when you take the subway. Instead, you are in a sardine can with hoards of people, subway maps, somewhat tattered seat fabric, handrails, and the overall interior of a subway car. On a nice day, it's worth it to take the extra time, and travel on the surface.

To be continued...