9/27: Hanboks and rice cakes

Although Chuseok is technically this weekend, we celebrated it at school today since a lot of kids will apparently skip school tomorrow. My two favorite parts were the hanboks and rice cakes.

The kids were all wearing their hanboks -- traditional Korean outfits -- for the celebration! Here are some (adorable) photos!

               

One of the kids asked the teacher why I was smiling so much. Can you blame me?!

Another tradition for Chuseok is to make songpyeon, sugar-filled rice cakes. At school, the kids all made their own; they eat one at school and take home another five they made themselves. However, since the cakes the kids make usually fall apart when cooked, the office ladies spent the day making tons of treats to supplement the classroom batches. Another teacher and I seized the opportunity and learned how to make songpyeon from an expert -- the school's principal/resident grandmother.

We started by working the rice dough so it didn't crack, then rolled it into a ball just a bit smaller than a ping pong ball. Then, we formed the ball into a bowl and spooned in the filling, pinching the bowl closed. It seemed simple enough, but try as we might, our cakes didn't look even half as good as the others...

Also during this songpyeon-making experience, a student was brought into the office because she was sad her hair didn't look as pretty as the other girls'. For some reason, I was asked to braid her hair (which was impossibly short and fine). I ended up putting it in pigtails and we all made a big fuss about how pretty she was. Her smile made my day. And don't worry, I washed my hands!

The rest of the day was good: I finished all my work and my three classes weren't too crazy, despite all the sugar floating around. Tutoring after school went off without a hitch, as well.

After school, I took a bus to Suwon to buy a train ticket for this weekend, but they were already sold out! I ended up figuring out the bus terminal's website and hopefully will be able to grab a bus ticket Saturday instead. But never fear, my trip to Suwon was not in vain -- there was Burger King to be had. Here's a haiku I wrote about it.

Oh dear hamburger

It was two hours, round trip

But you were worth it.

9/25: Lust in translation

I can't help but laugh when the Korean teachers try to use English and tell the kids to "shit down."

The kids are just as bad. Here's a few snapshots from last week's spelling test (my corrections are in blue pen).

"this"

Incorrigible.

My favorite, however, is from one of my lowest students:

Why does he know these women's names?! Also, we spent two weeks with these spelling words. Come on, man. So frustrating!

I also got a poke in the butt and a boob-grab from students today. Oh, how Koreans love physical humor.  In other news: I was informed my new name is "Laura Teacher Dinosaur Baby Flying Spaghetti Monster." So that's gonna be tough to fit on a check.

Despite all the funny moments, this has been a long week, and it's only Tuesday. We have progress reports due for the kindergarten students, grading and returning old books, prepping for new books, and parent-teacher conferences. Maybe I should give more spelling tests for my own amusement...

Luckily, next week is Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving)! The celebrations start Thursday and Friday of this week, then we get Monday through Wednesday off next week! What up, five-day weekend.

Aaaaand no, I couldn't have just picked one dancing gif. Do you know how many dancing gifs there are to choose from?!?

9/23: Buyin' stuff, learnin' stuff

My Sunday morning has been pretty lazy. I caught up on the new shows that started this week (yay, Parks and Rec!) and Skyped a bit. Morak Mountain is staring me down though, so I might venture out for a hike after writing.

The weather here has cooled off and has settled around a breezy 80 degrees, which feels perfect after the blazing summer heat. Koreans haven't seemed to notice: maybe it's because they don't sweat as much, but everyone seems to wear sweaters and jackets no matter the temperature. Maybe it's the emphases on modesty and fashion, though too. Whatever the reasoning, I sometimes get stares just wearing a V-neck and jeans.

This was not the case in Dongdaemun Market, however. Dongdaemun, which means "great east gate," is one of the eight gates in the fortress wall that used to surround Seoul. Around the gate, a shopping bonanza has formed that would surely threaten the fortress walls. Dongdaemun Market has become a mecca for Korean deal-hunters and tourists of all ages. There are about half a dozen "malls" in this one area that are open from around 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. the next day; some carry up-and-coming designer clothing, while others are more wholesale booths where you can attempt to haggle with the storeowner. The malls are usually seven or eight stories and PACKED with people.

Friday after school, I took the bus to the subway and had about an hour subway ride to the market. Right off the train, there were vendors vying for attention (and money). At a sidewalk stand, I got two solid, quality T-shirts for less than $10 before I even made it to the main area.

My trip was fruitful and frugal: I haggled a $50 purse down to about $35 and made off with a few dressy shirts around $10 each. I also bought a necklace and hair clip from the jolliest woman I have ever met.

Perhaps the best part of the adventure was my dinner: a corn dog with french fries baked right in.

You win, Korea, you win.

The long week and late night shopping finally did me in, and I hopped back on the subway for my journey home. Saturday, I slept in (this cold is still nipping at my heels) then donned some of my new duds for a trip to the National Museum of Korea. Here's some stuff I thought was interesting...

Crossing the Han River by subway

In the stone pagoda garden

Boksingak Bell that was made in 1468 at a Buddhist temple

Ten-story pagoda from a temple

A traditional scholar's reading and writing desk. (What is this a desk for ants?!)

There was an entire section of the museum dedicated to Buddhist paintings; I thought this was strange until I realized most museums in the U.S. have religious sections, as well -- they're just usually a different religion.

The calligraphy section was my favorite.

After covering most of the indoor museum, then seeing the outdoor exhibitions (including the pagodas, the bell, and the Dragon Falls, which were underwhelming), I sat in the park for awhile with my book. It really was a beautiful day. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

A few things I learned this weekend: how to say "give me a discount" in Korean; the development of pottery led to a more sedentary lifestyle for humans because they could store stuff (never thought about that); and that when everyone gets off a subway train at the same time, it's going to switch directions, so I should get off too.

9/20: Working (illegally?) for the weekend

It's Thursday night, and I'm going to sleep/watching some Parks and Rec on Netflix. The past few days have been good despite my mini-sickness.

Yesterday, we actually had the whole morning off because representatives from the Department of Education came in for an inspection, and apparently we're not technically supposed to be teaching the kindergarten classes, just the elementary kids... I'm not really sure what the deal is there... But yay for sleeping in!

We had my favorite Korean dish for lunch today -- jap chae -- stir fried noodles and veggies. After having it during Swine '09, I've made it with friends back home a few times. It's really easy to make and very tasty. Here's a really awkward video that shows how to make it!

After work today I wired money to my U.S. bank account. The amount after the exchange was a bit disappointing, but it's nice to be able to save at all.

For this weekend, I'm planning on some late night shopping in Dongdaemun -- a famous market -- and a trip to the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. There's also a park there so I'm going to take my book and make a day out of it!

How lucky am I that I get to plan my weekends in one of the biggest cities in the world?! Sometimes I just can't believe it. I'll have to get to the Seoul Zoo before it gets cold, and I'm planning on heading back down to Gwangju in a few weeks for the Kimchi Festival! I'm sure both places are going to smell delightful!

9/18: Sports Day and a baseball game

This weekend we had a Sports Day for all the kindergarten kids and their families. It was held on this massive dirt field, and the school even hired a DJ and an announcer. It was crazy. Here are some photos and videos from the event...

Everyone warming up with some stretches and weird dancing

First game: Which team can pass this massive ball back and forth down the line faster? 

Answer: My team (duh)!

This was one of my favorites because so many kids fell, but no tears! The parents sat down and held this fabric tight enough that the kids could run across. Super fun.

Balloon pop tag: Parents try to pop other parents' balloons with kids on their backs!

  My adorable fives getting lined up to race! Pure determination.

Racing! Note: They all wore their uniforms to Sports Day, but at school it seems like they're optional.

After the kids raced, they laid out prizes and let the moms have at it! They were intense!
They only put out enough prizes for about half the moms, so if you didn't win, you had to answer to your child empty-handed.

They also had a grandparent event in which the grandparent and the student pushed the ball down and around a cone and back. No racing was involved; everyone got a prize at the end. I definitely saw the glint of competition in a few eyes, though. 

Lunch time! Some kids/parents brought dishes for the teachers to share. It was a feast! Lots of kimbap (Korean sushi) with veggies or tuna.

Here are some of the other teachers eating, and on the right is the principal and VP with her daughter.

After lunch, it was time for tug of war! Tug of war not dangerous enough for you? Added element: race to NINE ropes and see who can drag back the most.

Still not enough injury potential? Make the dads do it.

Overall, Sports Day was a success. It seemed like the kids and all the families had a ton of fun, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Although I was mostly there for cheerleading and so the families could play oogle-the-foreigner, I did get to talk to a few parents and had a great time. Actually, I had so much fun I didn't want to leave... but I had to get to the baseball game!

My friend Ethan got four of us tickets to the Kia Tigers game against the SK Wyverns in Incheon, right outside Seoul. How is Korean baseball different from American baseball? Well, gameplay-wise, it's just about the same; the pitchers are a bit slower and they steal more often, but that's about it.

Game-atmosphere-wise: They're different worlds. First of all, we brought an actual fried chicken with us into the stadium. In a plastic bag. Also, seating in the upper decks is undesignated and people sometimes end up sitting on the stairs, so my friend had to go two hours early to make sure we got seats, even though this game was in no way special. Next, there wasn't any instant replay or live action on the big screen -- just game stats and (racist?) animations. Oh and back to food, here's a picture of the concession stand.

There was chicken roasting, potatoes (maybe), kimbap wrapped in foil, dumplings, ramen, and tons of other snacks. The most common thing we saw other people eating was ramen. After the chicken, we had some dumplings and chewed on some dry squid. Although the squid smells a bit fishy, it's pretty good!

This particular stand was our beer supplier for the night, which brings me to my next difference: prices. Four beers were less than $10 each time. Our tickets were about $7.50. Parking? Less than $2. It was awesome.

The next difference is perhaps the most noticeable: the fans. Since Korea is relatively small geographically (fans can travel to away games) and people often move to the bigger cities,  there is often an equal showing from the home and away teams. The stadium is split down the middle and the cheering wars begin. Instead of the player-chosen entrance music heard in American baseball stadiums, Korean baseball players apparently have personal cheers the fans yell for each at bat. I could catch onto a few by reading their names off the scoreboard, but there were SO MANY and it seemed like everyone knew them all! Here's a video of the SK fans cheering. I'm not sure how they coordinate these cheers, but they do them like clockwork.

This goes on THE WHOLE TIME. Our side was only quiet because the Tigers fans were resting their voices for our turn at the plate. Also, everyone is equipped with huge inflatable clappers that are required for proper cheering. If you look closely at the video, you can see them moving (in unison, of course).

Although the Tigers lost, they put up a good fight and kept the game interesting. Overall, the experience was a great one. And how could it not be with good friends, cold (read: cheap) beer, and an exciting baseball game? We finished the night with some Korean barbecue and soju -- definitely one of my best days here. 

9/14: Surprise, surprise

I am surprised how much I miss:

• Being able to read any sign
• Driving a car
• Being in college, and with 20 other education majors all the time, reading academically, etc.
• Mizzou/Columbia/Missouri in general, especially football season
• Columbia Public Schools and Jumpstart
• Daniel Boone Regional Library
• The Olympics (this has nothing to do with my location, but it’s true!)
• Knowing my way around my city/state/country
• Talking politics with people who care
• Talking to strangers
• My bed
• Listening to the radio
• Long Islands
• Other ethnicities and their foods (I’m talking to you, Chinese food)
• Texting friends in the U.S.
• Just watching regular TV
• Bathtubs
• Friends and family

I am surprised how much I enjoy:

• Living alone
• My neighborhood/city location
• Trying to speak Korean
• Working 45+ hour weeks all at one place
• Small Asian children
• Moderately-sized Asian children
• Free stuff (rent, food, etc.)
• Seeing old friends
• City living
• Hearing “Gangnam Style” every time I go anywhere (ask me again in a month, though)
• Doing whatever I want, whenever I want
• My school and its staff
• Noraebongs
• Blogging
• Representing the U.S. in a positive way
• Downloading TV shows and movies illegally
• Making good money
• Hiking
• My new Google phone – Gmail has never run so smoothly!
• Learning so many new things about myself and the world
• Public transportation
• Kimchi

Sickness watch 2012: Not surprisingly, teaching all day made my throat worse. In general though, I feel better, so maybe I'm actually fighting this thing off... Must be all the kimchi I had yesterday when we had anchovies and mushed beans for lunch...

9/13: Inklings of a cold

I'm starting to get sick so I had some soup for dinner and I'm turning in early tonight. Hopefully I can fight this off before it gets too bad. Or at least make it through work tomorrow. Saturday we have a field day/sports day with the Kindy kids though, and then the Kia Tigers game is in the evening... Gotta stay healthy so I can enjoy all the fun this weekend!

9/11: Ups and downs

Allow me to pick up where I left off in my last post: So after a busy Saturday festival-ing and noraebong-ing, we grabbed breakfast at a little cafe the guys knew well in Gwangju. I got biscuits and gravy with an omelette. Holy cow was it good (no Cafe Berlin, we Tigers stipulated). Again, the restaurant was almost exclusively populated with foreigners and I almost forgot I was in Korea.

Afterwards, we walked around downtown and peeked in a few shops. There was a Mac store with notebooks on sale for about $775! Unfortunately, you have to be a student (and prove it) in order to get the deal. Right now, I'm trying to decide between saving up for a new laptop or taking a trip during our winter vacation. I'm thinking it might be better to take the trip (since I might not be on this side of the world again), and get a laptop when I get back home.

Since I had a four hour journey ahead of me, we took a taxi to the bus terminal and bought our tickets. I had a bit more time than the others, so I loitered in my favorite Korean store -- Artbox -- and bought a Sherlock Holmes anthology that was too good of a deal to pass up.

The express bus ride home was uneventful until we hit traffic about a half hour out of Suwon, turning the half hour into a full hour. Then, at the terminal I figured out a bus that would get me pretty close to home and took a taxi for the last leg. Transportation recap for the weekend: a few subway lines, one train, multiple taxis, one not-so-express bus, one local bus, and a good deal of walking.

Also, I feel it is worth noting that at this point my earlier statement regarding taxis still holds true; I have never once been in a Korean taxi and not thought I was going to die in it. I didn't think it was possible, but the drivers were even more extreme in Gwangju, speeding through red lights and pulling U-turns in the middle of traffic. I don't know how there aren't more accidents.

Long story short, I made it home pretty late Sunday,  so I grabbed a pizza for dinner and went to bed.

Monday was my most stressful day yet. My shower hasn't been working dependably in the morning, so I was told to let the building manager downstairs know when it doesn't work. It didn't; I did. He came up with me and tried all the things I always try: changing the temperature, turning it off and on again, checking the other sink, etc. Once he believed me, he fiddled with something in the hallway and eventually got the hot water working. It still isn't perfect, but it only shut off twice instead of every two minutes.

Then, I was supposed to bring a picture of myself to school, but forgot and apparently it was so important they sent me home between my classes to get it. Usually I do my planning and prep work between classes, so running around town and missing that time made me a bit frantic. Later, I completely forgot about my special Monday class and ended up being 15 minutes late for a 30-minute class. I felt awful, but the Korean teacher was very understanding.

Well when it rains, it pours, so I tried to take some deep breaths and just let the rest of the day roll off. After all, it was my first payday! I almost missed my bus, but finally I made it to Lotte Mart and the ATM.

That balance check did the trick: day overturned. I picked up some things I had wanted, but not needed on my limited budget, and had a peaceful evening tinkering with my new phone and Skyping.

It's September 11th here, and I thought about the U.S. often throughout the day, even if no one else noticed. How strange that's it's been 11 years since the attacks; I can remember it like yesterday.

Today was an easy and productive day at school. Some days I just really feel like I'm teaching these kids useful things. It's a good feeling. Oh, and I borrowed a student's eraser yesterday, and today she gave me this present.

This is a much better present than the broken hair clip another student gave me. Automatic A+!

On the way home, I stopped into a school store I've been eyeing and grabbed some games and supplies. The owner spoke really good English -- he even knew "magnets" when I asked for them.

Now, I'm about to watch Thor, and try to get to sleep early so I can get my sleeping schedule on track! Hope everyone has a great day!

9/10: Cell phone, margaritas, and music

Whew, a lot has happened since Thursday. Friday was a busy day at school, but good. After school, I grabbed some chicken on my way home and had that for dinner. I got caught up in a TED talk chain -- one video kept leading to another -- until my Skype date with Erica. Texting on Kakao is nice, video chat is eons better, but I miss the real thing. (Kakao is a free text messaging service. Super convenient.)

Saturday morning, I woke up early to meet my friend Ethan in Seoul. Earlier in the week, I had recruited Ethan to be my designated Korean in my hunt for a cell phone. I had a minor issue with a complicated subway transfer, but made it there only a few minutes late. We went to a sort of third-party store that sold anything from flip phones to iPhones and Android smart phones. Since Samsung and LG are Korean brands, Ethan explained that those phones are usually the best deal. Apparently, Apple keeps raising the price of the iPhone here, and it was about $20 more per month than the Android I ended up with -- the Samsung Galaxy R Style. 

In Korea, cell phone stores don't charge you upfront for the actual cell phone; you pay for the service plan per month, plus a monthly installment to pay off the phone. Overall, my monthly bill is about $55 for two years of unlimited text and calls, plus 5GB of data. Then, after two years I'll own the phone or I can break my contract after a year and just pay what's left of the phone. It's actually pretty convenient because I didn't have to front any money at the store. Well, actually I did have to pay a "foreigner fee" of $15, in case I flee the country in the middle of my contract. 

Anyway, Ethan was EXTREMELY helpful. I don't know how I could have done it without him. Luckily, we're going with some friends to the Kia Tigers baseball game this weekend, so I can pay him back in beverages.

After accomplishing mission: phone, Ethan and I took the subway to the train station. He was headed into work (yes, on a Saturday!), but showed my how to buy a train ticket and find my train before he took off. Soon enough, I was on a train headed south for Gwangju for the World Music Festival.

Gwangju is the biggest city in the southernmost province, which is where I have taught in the past. It's a strange blend of city and country cultures, much like I expect big cities in the American south must be. It took about 3 hours by train, and then another hour to navigate the city and find my friend from Mizzou. As it turns out, she was with another friend she met here who also happened to go to Mizzou! (They're here through a scholarship program called TALK -- Teach and Learn in Korea -- so it wasn't that big of a coincidence.) We got a hotel room downtown and planned out the evening. 

We started at the Gwangju World Music Festival, which turned out to be pretty interesting. There were a ton of people there, and we ran into another TALK teacher -- who ALSO happened to go to Mizzou -- and his Korean girlfriend. Needless to say, there was much Mizzou reminiscing. 

The first band was from Sweden and Gambia; they were very talented and mixed upbeat and slower songs. Although the songs were in an African language, the signers spoke English to the audience; I cannot imagine the difficulties that come from playing shows where people have no idea what you're saying. Luckily, there was a host of foreigners there so the Koreans who didn't understand some of the instructions (eg: repeat after me, clap your hands, stand up) just followed along. 

The second band we saw was from France, but sang in English, French, German, Spanish, and spoke a bit of Korean (from what we could discern). They were incredible, although some of their lyrics were pretty offensive considering the kids and older people listening and dancing along, none the wiser...

After the concert, we went to a Mexican restaurant and got margaritas and I got a quesadilla after realizing I hadn't eaten all day! Man, did it hit the spot. Some other TALK teachers joined us there and for awhile, I forgot I was in Korea. It was a strange feeling.

To end the night, around 1 we went to a noraebong (literally, "music room"), which is Korean karaoke. Here, you don't sing karaoke in front of a bunch of strangers in a bar, you and some friends rent out a room and sing with each other! It's pure genius! There was a bit of K-pop, some rap, a lot of Beatles, and even a Taylor Swift song. It was a great time and my voice was a little worse for wear when we headed back to the hotel around 2:30.

Sunday and Monday will have to wait for tomorrow -- my dinner is ready! :)

9/06: The hills are alive

One of my favorite things so far happened today during my elementary class.

While writing some spelling words, one of the newer kids started singing "do re mi" to himself. Another kid immediately popped up from his work to yell "Ko-ree-an!" as they always do when someone speaks Korean (because they get checks/demerits for it). I explained to them that the scale is the same in Korean and English, then sang the scale to prove he was technically speaking English, too.

No checks were given. Everyone seemed satisfied with the outcome. Then the first kid started singing "Doe, a deer, a female deer..." and another kid joined in. Then another.

My (appropriate) reaction:

Wide-eyed, I couldn't help but sing along as my entire class sang the Sound of Music song from start to finish, including the part where they freestyle at the end: "la ti ti, me so so, re fa fa, la ti ti!" Impromptu musical!

My students who only know how to respond to "how are you?" with "happy" or "sad" know the Sound of Music song! (Okay, some parts they were just singing gibberish, but still...) It was all just so unexpected.

We took almost ten minutes of class singing, then talking about the lyrics and what they mean. And man, was it fun. My face hurt from smiling.

Just another day in the Kimchi Kingdom...

9/05: Growing up is hard to do

Getting (and keeping) the attention of a dozen 5, 6, and 7 year olds who have no idea what I'm saying might be one of the hardest things I'll ever do. On top of not understanding the lessons, students don't always know or respond to their English names, so calling out a student's name is as effective as yelling "Hey, you!" in an American classroom.

Luckily, during our morning classes, there's usually a Korean teacher in the classroom either sitting with the kids or working on other things. When the kids get too loud, the teacher will say a bunch of things in Korean and the students shape right up. This situation is a little awkward because I don't know what the teacher's saying so I don't know if I should stop and wait for her to finish or keep going. It also makes me feel inferior -- like I can't control the class -- when the Korean teachers speak up. The other teachers assure me this is how the dynamics should be, but it's still a strange feeling as a teacher.

Other times, the Korean teachers hold side conversations with students and I don't know if they're helping them understand or being distracting or what's happening. I swear at least three times a day I think to myself, "I have no idea what's happening right now." The uncertainty is a bit unnerving, but also freeing. There are so many things that I just cannot do or help with that I can give myself a break from being a major control freak all the time.

Another foreign concept for me is not being busy. I got a crash course in "la dolce far niente" this summer, but didn't expect the idleness to carry over into the school year. Don't get me wrong, my school days are jam-packed and usually pretty hectic, but after school I get to do whatever I want without after-hours obligations AND I get money?! Is this real life? For at least a decade,  it seems like I have had responsibilities and deadlines looming over me, making me feel anxious or guilty if I wasn't doing something. None of that here. I get to leave work at work. Being a grown-up is not overrated in the least.

Speaking of awesome grown-up things: I'm starting to think about what I'll do for winter vacation, and I'm not sure if I want to travel around Korea or out of it. Right now, I'm researching cheap flights to Thailand, Japan, China, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Let me know if you have any recommendations!

9/03: New students, new friends

Just finished up some dinner. Kimchi, some green stuff, some yellow stuff, some meat stuff, and some rice. Pretty good stuff.

My $3 dinner!

School was good today -- a few of my five-year-old kiddos weren't there today, and I found myself missing them! I seem to have the opposite problem in my first grade class: we got two semi-new kids today. They used to be in the class, but left for a few weeks to do other things. Since the class is in the block of time right after school, kids often take up other activities like swimming, Tae Kwon Do, and Lego building (no joke) and then return after the workshop is finished. So, in the past two weeks, I've jumped from four kids to seven in my lower class.

The most difficult part is reincorporating them into the class. For instance, I don't know if I should  make them read our story from the beginning or just pick up where we are... Luckily, their English seems decent.

On Friday, my Alien Registration Card came so today I opened a bank account! The other teachers said all banks have tellers who can speak English; I did not find this to be the case. When I first walked in, I just waved my passport around until someone said "account," then I filled out a few forms (thankfully they were in Korean and English), and shared umpteen frustrated/apologetic glances with the teller. I was glad I learned how to say "I'm sorry" last week. The strange thing is that when I did say it, (I'm pretty sure) she said "No, I should be sorry." Almost everyone I've met in Korea in my three (non-consecutive) months here apologizes for not speaking English at some point. I wish I could tell Koreans to stop being sorry they don't speak English. I'm in THEIR country and they apologize for not speaking my language. Anyway, mission accomplished. I now have a sweet Hello Kitty bank card. Typical.

Speaking of exciting things, this weekend I went to a friend of a friend's concert in Suwon. My journey began with this baller of a bus driver who would get out and smoke at red lights. I'm not sure which is scarier here: riding on a bus or taking a taxi, but at least the bus is cheaper. This bus driver gave Evel Knievel a run for his money. I've decided taxi drivers run about 70% of the red lights and bus drivers run about 40%, but the bus drivers make up for it with sheer boldness.  

I don't see how this could possibly be worth it.

I made it safely to Suwon, grabbed a kimbap (Korean sushi) roll and a Mt. Dew for dinner, and met up with my friend outside AK Plaza. We had to ask directions, but eventually we found the bar -- Indie Club -- and met up with her friend. The fourth-floor dive bar was pretty empty when we got there, but filled up as the show started. There were three bands, and we knew the singer from the second.

The first band

Here's a video, too. I was surprised how little it mattered that they were singing in Korean; it was still great.

And here's a pic and video of the second band. The lead singer/screamer is my friend's friend from her previous job/city and speaks pretty good English because he wants to work in the US eventually. Before his band went on, he warned me "Don't fall in love." It was priceless.

They were a bit more hardcore, but they did one Linkin Park song and this cover of the popular Korean song "Gangnam Style."

After the show, we hung out with the band members and their friends and/or girlfriends. Again, they apologized for their English, but the beer and jager seemed to help them relax. One girl even chastised the others for speaking too much Korean and told them they were boring me. It was ridiculous how nice and complimentary they were. I learned some offensive Korean words and we played a few games until about 3:30, then a few of us headed to Ansan, where my friend lives.

We went to a 24-hour diner-type place there and got some delicious food. The waiter was funny and told us this was the only thing on the menu we should order because the rest would probably be too spicy. I'm glad we took his advice, because even this was too spicy for me!

Around 5:30, I hopped on the subway and headed home. This time, I got off at the right stop and it was a quick taxi ride back to my neighborhood. Did I mention how much I love public transportation?

Tomorrow, the staff is taking the language teachers out for dinner, so I think more deliciousness lies ahead!