Subway Ettiquette

Coming back from Korean lessons at City Hall, I rode the Metro (Seoul subway). I have used this many times. I probably ride the subway 3-5 times a week. Today, I was actually yelled at by an old man. I was riding with my friend Wesley, who I take classes with. He had been gone to Daegu all weekend to see his boyfriend and I wanted to catch up with him. I too, had a very fun and interesting weekend full of embarrassing things to update him on. Maybe I was talkin a bit loud, but I have to say the subway is a loud even if no one is talking. I have used asian public transportation before. Usually, you are not supposed to talk. Korean subways are different. People are talking on their phones, playing games, and conversing with one another. Do as the "Romans/ Koreans" do right? So I'm sitting and Wesley is standing and we're talking. Of course I have to be a little bit louder so that he can hear me. The next thing I know, I have a senior citizen Korean man yelling at me and the entire subway is staring at me. I nod my head, as customary towards your elders in Korea, and covering my mouth. Wesley starts talking louder and says, "He doesn't know what I'm saying anyways." I agree with him, yet I don't think I should have been yelled at! The old man ends up getting off at the next stop! I believe he could have tolerated a minute more of our banter. Furthermore, the Seoul subway trains have special seats for senior citizens. They are located at the ends of the cars where they are removed from high traffic (riders coming in and out or people talking). In my classes, the topic of pollution always seems to be the topic of conversation. After today, I guess I'm sorry for the sound pollution, but the old people should know where they "stand" or sit. -pun

Ho Bar Birthdays

Birthday celebrations are never limited to the date of your birthday, or the one party you have on your birthday. It is truly best played out as a gathering of your friends and loved ones who are willing to buy you drinks and wish you a happy birthday more than once.

Birthday Girls: Kristen (24) & Me (23)

Hongdae has the best stores!

Baskin Robbins Birthday Cake + Shot

Having our cake & eating it too!

Trying to get Shaun (head instructor) in the action.

Drinks from a street stall. Only 3,000 won for a strong drink from the street!

Me, Paula, & Kristen: The October Birthdays

This year I had 2 birthday celebrations. Kristen, a fellow colleague at Junggye, was born on Oct 2nd and I was born on Oct 4th. Instead of having separate birthday celebrations, we decided to have one blowout celebration at Ho Bar in Hongdae. Hongdae is the a very popular "hipster" scene in Korea. Because Hongik University is in Hongdae, the area boasts a heavy young clubbing/bar hopping crowd who dress way more trendy than I ever did in college. Ho Bar is so famous in Hongdae that there are 5 of them! We went to Ho Bar 3, which is one of the larger bars with great lounge and booth seating. Everyone chipped in for 2 bottles of Absolut. The best part is that each come with humongous fruit platters. Also, Kristen's friends surprised us both with a cake from Baskin Robbins. The Thursday evening was a success. We had about 10 instructors plus 3 head instructors come celebrate us. Needless to say, it may not be the best idea to drink with your bosses because you can lose all inhibition. You end up revealing way more that you want to to the people who grade your CCTV and are in charge of promotion or demotion. The conversations were a little embarrassing, but were more funny to think about the next day especially when facing the head instructors at work.

Birthday, Boozing, & Fireworks

Happy 23! Mocha Cake Mmm!...with cherry tomatoes? (It's a fruit here)

Every year since I was 16, I have been trying to top the last year's birthday. At 18, I took my first road trip to Austin, TX and went skydiving. At 20, I had a blowout birthday limo that took 30 of my friends around Times Square in NYC. At 21, I was on the Semester at Sea ship docked in Singapore. At 22, I was a a CEOs & Tennis Pro's Senior Night (college costume party).

This year has definitely topped the last. October 4, 1985 is my birthday. On October 4, 2008, I had the best day I've ever had in Korea. Christie created an event to get all the people we had met over the past few weeks together at Yeoido Island. It's like Randall's Island in New York City. The October 4th weekend is a Korean holiday.

Thousands gathered starting at 2pm on Yeoido Island to watch Fireworks at 7pm

Fireworks on Yeoido Island

New Friends & Birthday Girls: Me & Leslie

It's getting dark. I'm happy until...I had to wait an hour in the port-o-potty line

Birthday Roman Candle

Me, Christie, & Matthew enjoying the fireworks

Brandon & I with the CDI April mug

Nayoung: 1st Korean Friend

Korean Girl Pose: Somehow...Elliot & Dan found us in crowds of thousands!

Chris, Nayoung, Elliot, Me, & Dan

Elliot, Chris, Me, & Dan

After the fireworks, we went to Taereung, where Christie, Wesley, and I live and had galbi (Korean BBQ) and a rooftop party. It was so nice gathering all the people I had met over the past 2 months I've been in Seoul to celebrate my birthday. It's amazing how foreigners attract each other. Everyone I meet is so willing to do anything and have fun. Although I have known these people just a few short weeks, they all came out and celebrated with me, took me out to dinner, bought me a cake, and had a rooftop party. I am truly blessed to have met such nice people.

Me, Meg, Brandon, & Darcie on the roof

Hoodie Buddies: Darcie, Me, & Brandon

Darcie, Nayoung & Me: We have the best interpretive dances.

What better place to celebrate my birthday than with all my new friends in South Korea! Happy 23rd or as Catherine would put it: "Happy 21st for the second time!"

Hweshik: Branch Bonding at its Finest

When I began working at Junggye, I was a little thrown off at how clicky my branch was. We are one of the major 7 of Seoul, therefore we have a lot of teachers. For the first few weeks of the term, I would walk into the faculty lounge and not feel comfortable talking to people. Beyond variety of clicks that exist at my branch, there were two very apparent ones; the Itaewon crowd (where all the foreigners including all the head instructors and managers, in Seoul live) and the Nowon crowd (where my branch is located). Based on my address, I would be classified the Nowon crowd. The Nowon crowd actually seemed to be the more approachable. I would go out with them after work and get Kimbap Chongu (cheap hole in the walls) It has been almost a ritual after work, until I found out about the shuttle that takes me to my station from work. Free ride! Since then, I have not eaten with the Nowon crowd and have taken the shuttle with the Itaewon crowd. I can already sense the distance between me and the Nowon crowd.

Cass: Popular Korean Beer

Soju: Popular Korean Drink like Sake

Hweshik is the tradition of my branch, and I'm sure other companies, to get together during mid-term to bond. Thank goodness for this. In the last 2-3 weeks, the middle schoolers have been taking mid-term exams, therefore cutting our hours from 24 hours down to 15. With all this time, our faculty manager figured this would be a good time for us to party, despite our low wages. Hweshik was held on a Thursday night when no one was scheduled to work. The company gave us an 800,000 ($800) allowance on dinner and drinks. With almost 40 instructors, we made the most of it. We went to a galbi, or Korean bbq. We were those obnoxious foreigners walking into the restaurant. Families stared at us. Because there weren't enough seats (the seats are on the floor) for everyone, we decided to take as many as we could, then take more as the families filtered out. They filtered out pretty quickly, and no other Koreans came in. We were definately a sight. We took over the entire restaurant. It looked like our own private party. Everyone was barefoot walking around or sitting on the floor eating the delicious barbecue. The head instructors passed around soju, megju (beer), and rice wine for hours. At one point I walked with Paula to the bathroom and fell in front of everyone. Talk about good first impressions. We ate a lot of pork and beef bbq wrapped in lettuce, onions, garlic, and spicy thick sauce. Afterwards, we took the party to the nearest bar. I was so blacked out that I ordered heineken for our table, and didn't pay for any of it. The best part, from what was told to me because I don't remember, is a fight I got into with Dan, my Memory English head instructor who had given me bad reviews. I was dishing it out hard. I was yelling at him how Toronto sucked and how they didn't even have a football team. According to Paula, I was tackling and jumping on him and getting in his face. Dan and I both do not remember any of this.

Galbi (Korean Barbecue)

After the bar, apparently many people went to a Norebong (karaoke). I, the blacked out new girl, jumped into the first cab and went home and had a 2 hour phone conversation. This is bad because I pay for each minute. I'm not on a contract. I woke up the next morning with large bruises all over my legs and an intense hangover. Despite my falling embarrasment, huge phone bill, and power trip over my head instructor, it was a great night of bonding. I talked to people I had not spoken to before and talked with my the Nowon crowd I left. I hope Hweshik happens again very soon and that the clicks can come together. Hopefully, next time I won't be that girl.