Weekend in Seoul, Billibow and Peppero Day

If I were a car, the needle would be pointing to a 3/4 tank full of gas-I am still rearing to go. Taking stock of my experiences thus far in Korea, I admit that I'm impressed with my steadfast optimism; not my usual forte. During orientation, we were warned that shortly following the "Honeymoon" phase of our love affair with Korea, most TaLK participants would undergo a deep and bitter resentment of this country and would begin dropping from the program like flies. However, I am 3 1/2 months in, and I feel right at home.

This past weekend, Shaina's sister, Alicia, visited all the way from Boston. During the week, we all palled around in the evenings, going to cafes and making fun of all the Korean quirks that make this experiences a real gut-buster. For example, while we were waiting for Shaina and Alicia to meet us in the lobby of the train station, a drunk/homeless guy started yodeling and doing a wobbly, groin-swiveling dance. I did what any respectful expatriate abiding by customary Korean politeness would do: I filmed it. Here is the video.

Teacher Katy fulfilled her own agenda by ending classes early on Friday to make it to the train station on time. Actually, classes are somewhat of a joke lately since attendance began to plummet. My 2nd grade class of 38 students has petered down to a mere 7 because parents all across Korea are gripped with the Swine Flu panic. Every holiday and field trip has been cancelled, and most national and state attractions (theme parks, nature preserves, the zoo, etc.) have been closed to prevent the flu from spreading. Alcohol hand sanitizing machines are sprouting up overnight in the subways like metal weeds, and the "subway salespeople" I mentioned in my last post have tossed their nutcrackers and and are peddling face masks instead. They sell out every time. Maybe all of these preventative measures would do some good if Koreans young and old understood the first thing about contagious illness: that you don't violently cough/sneeze in each other's face!!!! This is every foreigner's biggest gripe with Korean people: their utter lack of germ-conscientiousness. Example: I am seated next to a 40ish woman on the subway. She has to cough. Does she face the other direction and send her phlegmy rain of spittle away from my person? No. She leans her head back and fires it, cannon-like, into the air to hover in a viral cloud around my face. Example 2: Teacher Katy is grading activity books. The child offers me his/her book and simultaneously sneezes across my keyboard and then proceeds to wipe their face with their wrist, smearing dirt/snot/candy residue from their mouths in streaks across their cheeks.
My school has asked me to wear a mask. I think I look like Reptile or Subzero off of Mortal Kombat.
We arrived at Seoul at 9p.m. Friday night. Unfortunately, our first hour and a half was spent walking, walking, walking in search of a love hotel to leave our stuff in. When we finally found one, the owner was already asleep (the owners sleep on mats on the floors in tiny rooms with sliding windows barely big enough to fit your hand through). We had to keep tapping on the window until he woke up, crazy-eyed and disoriented to take our 60,000 won and shove 2 sets of keys to us through the window. After unloading, we headed back to the subway to ride to Hongdae: Seoul's drinking district.

I was overcome with the sensation that I was revisiting the red light district in Amsterdam the moment we arrived with flickering crimson-colored lighting bathing the narrow streets. There were bars everywhere you turned and you had to watch your step lest you slip and fall in a pile of vomit congealing on the sidewalk. Alicia, Amanda and Shaina all grabbed some soju at a bar called "With" but decided that the steep prices weren't worth it, so they hit up a "Buy The Way" (Convenience store) for some Hite beer and we headed to "Candy Candy Noraebang". "Noraebang" is Korean karaoke. You rent a room, which has sound proof walls, it's own sound system, tv, mini fridge and plush couches and chairs. Noraebang establishments have THE best selection of songs I have ever encountered, and we sand everything from "Zombie" from the Cranberries to "Part of Your World" form Aladdin.
Picking our next song.
Shaina and her sister, Alicia (left).
Ah Konglish, you never cease to amuse me.

The next day, we headed to Itaewon, which is the foreigner's district in Seoul. We cruised the streets aimlessly, picking up a few more souvenirs for people back at home, but at 4 I had to part with the rest of the group to meet with Angela, the coordinator for the TaLK program. Angela was instrumental in getting me to Korea in the first place, answering my feverish rapid-fire of e-mails at all hours of the day and night and helping me coordinate with the Korean consulate in Georgia to schedule my interview not once, not twice but 5 different times before we settled on a workable date. So, I met up with her to go and get a pedicure at some hole-in-the-wall salon that was absolutely popping when we arrived. Angela is a fascinating woman since she was born in Korea, but raised in the Middle East and Australia before returning to Korea. She says things like "No, worries mate" in an accent tinged with extremely proper Indian-esque pronunciation and then launches into Korean with the owner of the salon. Talk about a woman of the world.
My delish sashimi lunch in Itaewon.
Shaina made a kimchi and rice pumpkin!
That night I had my first rendezvous with another traditional Korean dish: rice porridge. A continuous light drizzle and chilly wind left us feeling like popsicle people by evening, so when I suggested a porridge restaurant, the girls were down. Korean porridge is usually made from white rice boiled down into a paste-like consistency, then mixed with ground sesame seeds, seaweed flakes and whatever flavors you want like tofu, shrimp, crab or ::gulp:: abalone- a crustacean that takes a hand saw to cut open and tastes like bitter shoe leather. I had broccoli and tofu and it was divine- like a warm brick in my belly for the rest of the evening.
Korean porridge!
Every so often you will find these signs for a "special massage". It's always the most expensive, and sometimes it only appears on the list once night has fallen.
On Sunday, Shaina had to accompany her sister back to the airport, so Amanda and I headed to a Jimjilbang (public bath) to pass the time before Shaina got back and we would take the train back to Daegu. It was glorious as it always is, and we both actually fell asleep on our mats, lying on the heated wooden floors, surrounded by Korean families snacking on hard-boiled eggs, tangerines and boiled sweet potatoes. I have a hard life, don't I?

Back in the grind in Daegu, the only time to go out is during the evening once everyone is finished with their classes and lesson planning. Foreigners have repeatedly mentioned a bar called "Billibow" as a great place to go to hear Western music and, of course, play billibow. Billibow is a nickname for a game that is a fusion of billiards and bowling. You hit a pool ball with a pool stick down a long bowling lane to knock over miniaturized pins at the end. Strangely enough, I scored the same in billibow as I would during normal bowling (90-120 range)!
Look what I found!

Peppero Day is the most genius business idea I have ever witnessed. It's a national holiday that really isn't an official holiday at all. Peppero are a popular candy in Korea (think very thin bread stick covered in chocolate- almost like a Take 5 candy bar in the States). it's celebrated on November 11 (11/11) because peppero resemble the number 1. Koreans go mad buying up all these Peppero arrangements (in the shapes of stars and hearts,etc.) from the store to give to their significant other, friends and family. It's a bit like Valentine's day. However, because of the Swine Flu panic, Maegok (my school) does not condone celebrating Peppero Day. As I am writing this, I am preparing to go to class, and I am eager to see if Peppero Day will still happen. My guess is it will be as popular as ever since my kids were thrusting peppero in my face all day yesterday despite chastising and warnings from the Principle.

Expect an update to this post with news on my first ever Peppero Day!