Chickens, Pizza and Pie. Yum.
Time slips away so quickly, I am so busy.
Weekends are spent exploring and the school weeks are packed with working, and where does the time go? I want very much to write a valuable post for all you at home, miss you much, but instead will leave you with a few pictures and short remedies:
Whole Chicken in Broth.
Another weekend in Seoul, this time pursuing the Global Gathering 2010 Electronic Music Festival (YUM) really amazing night of flashing lights, crazy dancing in the midst of happy, innocent K-Pop dancing Koreans, and general enthusiasm for life.
For the meal before the show we walked into a restaurant, and, exhausted, couldn’t even attempt to use the little Korean we had, consequently shuffling awkwardly around for a bit before saying: “Chicken?” and seating ourselves in the mostly- empty local restaurant.
Result: The delivery of an entire chicken in a bowl of broth. We each got a bowl with an entire chicken in it. I have never been so happy at the result of random ordering. Hooray, Korea! You win!
Cute, Boy: Cute, Sweater
Next story is more visual than visceral in terms of understanding. Notice adorable boy to the left; notice adorable boy to the left’s adorable sweater.
Two kittens, hugging over a spool of yarn!? Is there anything more adorable than that!?
And is there more to say after that? Everything in Korea is adorable. I love Asia.
Note: This picture is valuable insight to what it is like riding on an empty Korean subway. Now just imagine being packed in there like sardines! Oh boy.
At their request, Domino's Pizza Party at my apartment.
Third and final story before I go collapse in bed and begrudgingly drag myself out of bed in the morning, too early in the morning: I have been slowly forming a friendship with many of the teachers in my school, which is amazing! I am so happy they want to get to know me. 🙂 We finally managed to find a time we could all (most) get together, and two of the teachers took me for a traditional Bibimbop dinner and we met two others later at my apartment. I must admit it was a little exhausting, five extra hours of language barriers in my usual relax- and- sit- in- English- safehaven- of- an- apartment. The struggle to speak to be understood, as well as struggling to understand, is really a lot of work. But they are all so sweet to me and after we click into certain topics it really is fun.
Oooookay, one last thing. I totally made apple pie today at school. It was amazingly delicious, had to make it all from scratch. I hung out in the Special Education room all morning and had a cooking class with them, showed them how to make apple pie, and made enough to distribute to three offices of teachers!
So, you may want to ask, what happens when one gives a group of Koreans an apple pie to share?
Delicious apple pie for all!
Oh! Lucky you, I have the answer.
When one gives a group of Koreans an apple pie without utensils to accompany, they may or may not stand around talking incomprehensible-to-you language, laugh a lot, take the pie and flip it upside down on a tray (where did that tray come from!?) amidst yelling and pointing, and then pick it up with their hands and attempt to flip it back right side up: after the pie is completely demolished on a tray (a beautiful sight), they will attack with chopsticks and it’s completely fair game. Delicious. Happiness for all. Yum.
With happiness and love, and a whole lot of tiredness, signing out from Yeoju-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.