4/30
I awake.
At 1 am. To my roommates entering loudly. Likely from partying. I try to ignore, and sleep again.
Until 1:30 am. When for SOME REASON the garbage service decided to haul glass from one end of Seoul to the other at the pace of a snail.
And then at 3 am MORE roommates came home. Or maybe it was the same ones and they had gone back out. I do not know, I do not care to know.
and at 5:30 am, when the subways opened again, even MORE late night parties arrived home.
And promptly, at 6 am, my Costa Rican roommates decided it was time for breakfast. Prepped fresh in a microwave who took music lessons from a fire alarm without battery.
Knowing that Seoul is a place with little to do until 11 am, I took this time to call my mother, ponder the mysteries of life, and then settle in by putting away all of my luggage.
I threw on my makeup, making note that today would be the day I NEEDED to get cosmetic shopping in, and changed into a fit only meant for the big city. High-waisted checkered pants and a black knit turtle neck. Should I started posting Fit Pics?
I pulled the bagel out of my fridge that I had swiped from the airline, smothered it with powdered peanut butter from home, and hiked over to the nearest Starbucks.
I take a window seat, soaking in the warm sunlight and healing scent of *soy milk latte. Immediately I'm reminded of my first days in Seoul, then a slideshow of all the 두유 lattes I've indulged in flashes through my mind.
I sip slowly, turning the visit into an hour long ordeal, munching on my very American bagel courtesy of Delta airlines.
*Korean Starbucks (Seuh-buhk 스벅 if you're cool) has unsweetened soy milk, and therefor is much more tasty IMO.
I proceed to go next door into my favorite house... Etude House. I stack up on skin care, makeup, and a boat load of freebies and samples.
민규 messaged me to let me know he was on his way to the hospital for a check up after being admitted last week for pneumonia, and asked if I was interested in meeting his 형 for dinner. More than excited to be introduced to 민규's friends, I happily complied. So with some spare time I managed to fall asleep for another hour. And as someone who rarely naps, this was a victory.
I woke up to the squeaking of my Kakaotalk notification, it was 민규 letting me know his hospital visit had gone well, and that he is "perfectly healed" (psychiatrists may disagree)! Outside my room, I met my favorite AirBnb owners, Jason and 지훈 as they were cleaning up after the other guests (Obviously not me as I am perfectly clean ㅋㅋㅋ). I gave them some Poptarts and Minnesota exclusive coasters. Recalling my addiction for popcorn, Jason, the English speaking owner, gifted me with four packs of Costco, microwave popcorn.
I love this place. Really.
I still had some spare time before I would meet him, so I walked to 이대 and did a little window shopping. And by window shopping I mean actual shopping.
If you are a lady and need some digs to fit in, I highly suggest 이대, near 이화 university. You can find university fresh fashion at university friendly prices.
After shopping, I stomped on home, grabbing a late lunch of strawberry and banana juice from a fresh juice shop. Its like a 쥬씨 knock-off but with a gay unicorn on the front door.
I planned to meet 밍밍 at 신도림역 around 6:45 pm. But when I got there, there was not a Dorito bod in sight. So I wandered about the garden around Exit 3 of the station, informing him by message that he now had to find me as punishment for being late. I also made friends with some pigeons.
At least I think they're pigeons. I don't really know.
I spot a lost 민규, wandering the park as he searched for me, so I tried to sneak up on him, but he found me first and grabbed me in a bear hug. We opted to wait near the same exit for 희경's bus to arrive by poking fun at each other and discussing plans to meet his family Friday... of which I am terrified to do. 민규 also made note to warn me about his friends lack of emotion in his face, but is truly kind on the inside. I laughed it off, as this is very common with most Koreans.
희경, a sturdy and tall fellow with a sleek, sport style, steps off of bus 701, and approaches us... looking almost angry.
He failed to smile but greeted us kindly as we bowed our heads. As we walked the next few blocks, I listened and tried to speak as much as my abilities would allow... but 희경 lacked an English vocabulary. So 민규 was the young hero of the day, acting patiently as a medium for times where we weren't able to comprehend each other.
We sat down at a low table that was raised just above the floor. Criss-cross-apple-sauce style, we order a table top portion of grilled octopus.
As the grill mixed was laid out before us, a smile finally appeared on 희경's face... but it was a devious one.
The octopus still squirmed its now detached legs about the pot. And I gazed on with wonder as it wriggled and wreathed. Both boys pulled out their phones to capture my reaction, as they knew this was an uncommon sight to a foreigner. And this was a meal in all my Seoul life I had never had the honor of consuming.
I stare down both gentlemen skeptically, unsure of whether this was a joke or actually edible. The waitress kindly scooped a squirming little tentacle onto my dish, and I thanked her with a big, hesitant smile.
At 1 am. To my roommates entering loudly. Likely from partying. I try to ignore, and sleep again.
Until 1:30 am. When for SOME REASON the garbage service decided to haul glass from one end of Seoul to the other at the pace of a snail.
And then at 3 am MORE roommates came home. Or maybe it was the same ones and they had gone back out. I do not know, I do not care to know.
and at 5:30 am, when the subways opened again, even MORE late night parties arrived home.
And promptly, at 6 am, my Costa Rican roommates decided it was time for breakfast. Prepped fresh in a microwave who took music lessons from a fire alarm without battery.
Knowing that Seoul is a place with little to do until 11 am, I took this time to call my mother, ponder the mysteries of life, and then settle in by putting away all of my luggage.
I threw on my makeup, making note that today would be the day I NEEDED to get cosmetic shopping in, and changed into a fit only meant for the big city. High-waisted checkered pants and a black knit turtle neck. Should I started posting Fit Pics?
I pulled the bagel out of my fridge that I had swiped from the airline, smothered it with powdered peanut butter from home, and hiked over to the nearest Starbucks.
I take a window seat, soaking in the warm sunlight and healing scent of *soy milk latte. Immediately I'm reminded of my first days in Seoul, then a slideshow of all the 두유 lattes I've indulged in flashes through my mind.
*Korean Starbucks (Seuh-buhk 스벅 if you're cool) has unsweetened soy milk, and therefor is much more tasty IMO.
I proceed to go next door into my favorite house... Etude House. I stack up on skin care, makeup, and a boat load of freebies and samples.
I woke up to the squeaking of my Kakaotalk notification, it was 민규 letting me know his hospital visit had gone well, and that he is "perfectly healed" (psychiatrists may disagree)! Outside my room, I met my favorite AirBnb owners, Jason and 지훈 as they were cleaning up after the other guests (Obviously not me as I am perfectly clean ㅋㅋㅋ). I gave them some Poptarts and Minnesota exclusive coasters. Recalling my addiction for popcorn, Jason, the English speaking owner, gifted me with four packs of Costco, microwave popcorn.
I love this place. Really.
If you are a lady and need some digs to fit in, I highly suggest 이대, near 이화 university. You can find university fresh fashion at university friendly prices.
After shopping, I stomped on home, grabbing a late lunch of strawberry and banana juice from a fresh juice shop. Its like a 쥬씨 knock-off but with a gay unicorn on the front door.
I planned to meet 밍밍 at 신도림역 around 6:45 pm. But when I got there, there was not a Dorito bod in sight. So I wandered about the garden around Exit 3 of the station, informing him by message that he now had to find me as punishment for being late. I also made friends with some pigeons.
At least I think they're pigeons. I don't really know.
I spot a lost 민규, wandering the park as he searched for me, so I tried to sneak up on him, but he found me first and grabbed me in a bear hug. We opted to wait near the same exit for 희경's bus to arrive by poking fun at each other and discussing plans to meet his family Friday... of which I am terrified to do. 민규 also made note to warn me about his friends lack of emotion in his face, but is truly kind on the inside. I laughed it off, as this is very common with most Koreans.
희경, a sturdy and tall fellow with a sleek, sport style, steps off of bus 701, and approaches us... looking almost angry.
He failed to smile but greeted us kindly as we bowed our heads. As we walked the next few blocks, I listened and tried to speak as much as my abilities would allow... but 희경 lacked an English vocabulary. So 민규 was the young hero of the day, acting patiently as a medium for times where we weren't able to comprehend each other.
We sat down at a low table that was raised just above the floor. Criss-cross-apple-sauce style, we order a table top portion of grilled octopus.
As the grill mixed was laid out before us, a smile finally appeared on 희경's face... but it was a devious one.
The octopus still squirmed its now detached legs about the pot. And I gazed on with wonder as it wriggled and wreathed. Both boys pulled out their phones to capture my reaction, as they knew this was an uncommon sight to a foreigner. And this was a meal in all my Seoul life I had never had the honor of consuming.
I stare down both gentlemen skeptically, unsure of whether this was a joke or actually edible. The waitress kindly scooped a squirming little tentacle onto my dish, and I thanked her with a big, hesitant smile.
I successfully scoop the still-moving arm up with my chopsticks, dip it in 고추장, and try not to show my surprise as it continues to move on its own in my mouth. How strange, to bite down on something that's still moving! But the octopus was delicious and perfectly chewy. Actually, it was awesome.
After dinner, we waved off 희경 at a nearby bus stop. 민규 proceeded to sweep me away into TechnoMart, a nearby shopping center. It was mostly closed, as it was nearly 9pm. But we continued to wander around the basement floor eMart (think Korean Walmart), stealing samples with pretend interest and sipped on boba from 공차. We tour through the 10 floors of mall, the 7-9 of which held a wedding hall that he had recently been a best man at. The very top floor was home to a village of knock-off brand phone vendors. 민규 admitted that he feared this very place, as the vendors would try to catch your attention by noisily flagging you down, but he wanted to see if they'd yell at me in English. I laugh at his boyish curiosity and agree to make a round about the tenth floor. We dodged vendor after vendor, but it seemed they really needed to keen up their English abilities if they wanted a non-native speaking foreigner to swindle. We giggle as some try their best but ultimately fail. And having enough of our demented source of fun, we return to the subway station next door. He travels with me all the way down line 2 to my home, and we say goodnight at the door. Inside, I fall asleep almost the instant my head hits the pillow. Another great day in Seoul.
Vocabulary
두유 - soy milk
민규 - Mingyu
형 - older brother (or older male friend of a male)
지훈 - Jihoon
ㅋㅋㅋ - LOL
이대 - Idae
이화 - Ihwa
쥬씨 - Juicy
밍밍 - Ming Ming (Mingyu's nickname)
신도림역 - Sindorim Station
희경 - Heegyeong
고추장 - Gochujang (Korean ketchup)
공차 - Gongcha (bubble tea chain)
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