Around Town

I’ve been getting out more. Even though Justin is working nights (only two more days!) and I’m half way between his schedule and a normal day schedule.

Ceci invited me out with her korean friend Jaya. The subway was easy enough, but we didn’t have to do any kind of complicated transfer. The subway map looks like a spider web, but I guess that’s the mark of a good city transit system.

Jaya took us to an area that was kinda of like a college town. There was a university nearby, and a lot of street art, and a lot of coffee shops and a lot of night clubs. It was a nice perspective to see an area besides where I live and have been for the past month. It made Seoul that much more real.

We just walked around and Jaya pointed out the best places to dance, and I looked at all the cute things in the little shops. We stopped for some coffee, it was a clear day but surprisingly cold. Jaya is really talkative and laughs a lot, and Ceci has known her for a while so they were easy to hang out with.

The next place I went (besides base, my parents sent me a package!) We to the folk village. Its one of the palaces that is near city hall and the US embassy. Ceci and Rosa, our friend and realtor, wanted to go. This place was amazing.

Ceci and I took the subway again and met Rosa in the main square. This part of town was gorgeous. It seemed cleaner and neater than where I live and it was right up next to some mountains. Rosa was amazing and kept hosting us to various things. She bought our palace tickets, and coffee and street food. I’m glad she let us pay for lunch, I would have felt bad if she bought everything that day.

We walked around for hours and I hardly noticed how much time passed, everything was so beautiful. There was a museum we didn’t have time for that I defiantly want to go back and see. There are supposed to be traditional dancing demonstrations too, I really want to see those.

Then Rosa walked us around town a little bit, there was this cute road that had a lot of foot traffic, there were tiny shops and street food vendors with lines 10 people long at least. We had these pancakes things with brown sugar in them. They were SO good. Then we went to a traditional Korean place for lunch. They brought out a dozen tiny plates and bowls of food that I didn’t recognize and we ordered a plate of spicy pork. I put aside my usual finicky food presences and made myself try everything, at least once. I was surprised to find out that I liked almost everything and didn’t mind sitting on the floor at the low table.

We stopped again at a coffee shop and split an ice cream with espresso (like a rooter float) which was tasty but a mistake for me. I didn’t go to sleep until 5am even though I was tired.

Ceci and I rode the subway back, she got off one stop before me (after making sure I wouldn’t get lost on the subway). I was standing there on the subway, in a big city, in another country. It was surreal for a moment when I thought about how I could have never guessed I’d be here a year ago, or even a few months ago.