Mom's Visit to Korea!

This past month my mom came to see me! We had a great time. We ate a ton of food and drank lots of cheap Korean beer. Here are some pictures from her visit.

We went to Seoul , so of course we had to go to the cat cafe in Hongdae.

My co-teacher let my mom come to school for the day. It was fun to see the kids interact with her and let her see what I do.

I took her downtown for some traditional Korean drinks - like tequila in a glorified zip-lock!

We spent a day in Gyeongju getting some culture.

It was a fantastic trip; I wish I had taken more pictures!

Quick trip to Seoul

(Both patriotic and gaudy, Korea never ceases to amuse)

Living in Korea for over 15 months now, it is easy to forget how fantastic it is to jump on a train and get whisked off to the nation's capital for a day or two. The more often I visit, the less harsh and crowded it seems. I have learned to lean into the bustling traffic and found an area I know well and love. Of course, the seasons changing, and I was well over due for a weekend of shopping and good food. The decision wasn't difficult - we were off to Seoul.

Laura hadn't been to the Prison for Korean citizens during the Japanese occupation before, so drug our sleepy bodies out of our hostel and headed there first. It is easily in my top 5 must-see's in Seoul. If you can't commit to the time constraints of the DMZ and don't want to wander the War Museum, this is a great opportunity to see the Japanese invasion from Korea's perspective. It truly makes the Korean War more up-close and personal, and is well-worth the trip. These are taken in the park around the prison.

My favorite part about the city has always been the juxtaposition of ancient and modern structures. A city with a huge economy and global standing that preserves its history is notable. Seoul is packed - with a higher population and a smaller area of land than New York City - and yet, it has five beautiful palaces in the city limits. It is truly impressive to me that Korea values its history so deeply.

Next, we went to the Folk Village. I must say, I was mildly disappointed. It was mostly "museums," that charged 3 or 4 thousand won to look at different types of traditional arts. You could pay more and learn to do one of them - like paint a fan or tie knots. Compared to Andong, which is actually like a village where you can see people's daily lives, it was lackluster. They had posted their website, gahoemuseum.org, but I couldn't get the site to work.

The more important point is that we had a fantastic weekend eating Taco Bell and Subway, meeting up with lots of friends for plenty of drinks, enjoying copious amounts of galbi, and shopping everywhere from Myeongdong to Insadong. Living the good life, obviously.

Dinners and Drinks

One of the facts of life in Korea is that good friends come and go. My close friend Geoff went abroad for a few weeks between contracts and Corinne is going back to the states in a week. Lately, we've been eating out and celebrating all the time we have left together. This has infringed on my time for cultural outings, but it has been well worth it! Here are a bunch of photos from the last week or so.

Geoff and Chevelle at Big Shovel for Korean barbecue.

Sharing stories

See? They cook it on a big shovel.

Chevelle, Geoff, and Laura

Geoff and Corinne

Goodbye hugs all week!

Chevelle, Corinne, and I went to Seoul for the weekend.

We rocked the Korean "fashion glasses" for the night. They are fake - lenses without prescriptions. A lot of Koreans wear them, which I find mildly humorous, but it was fun to wear them for a night.

I met Yeonyi, Geoff and Chevelle's friend, and think she is fantastic.

We slept all day on Sunday, haha.

We went out for movie night at Communes, since Geoff flew out the following morning.

After a week or two of good byes, we had to say our actual goodbyes, hah.

Chris and I

Movie night, hanging out.

One thing I've learned in Korea is how quickly you can become close friends. Life aboard is a different situation, and you learn to appreciate the time you have together. Geoff and I have become fast friends and I am sad to see him go. He's introduced me to a handful of amazing people, and we always have a fantastic time together. Luckily, he will be back before the end of my contract! I'm looking forward to having him back in Daegu.