And then there were four...

Grace from BU left this morning so now it is just Gi Yoon, me, Lydia, and Janice left in Korea. T___T

Last Wednesday I worked out in the little gym in SK Global five floors below mine, and I realized while there that there was no sanitizing station of paper towels and cleaning spray! AAAAH we are all going to die if just one person with some terrible random virus comes and works out there! I ended up going on the treadmill and only touching the button to start and the button to speed up the pace--I would gladly bring my own sanitizing wipes for before and after but that would get expensive. I felt grossed out though. There are all these people sweating all over these machines and there is no sanitizing station?

Anyway, so Friday day/night I just stayed in and caught up on this blog, my e-mails, and my news. Yesterday I met up with Gi Yoon, Grace from BU and her cousin from London, and a couple of the student reporters for the Ministry of Unification who are our good friends. I needed to buy a thicker blanket that the one SK Global gave because my roommate, although lovely, needs the AC on all night. So one of our Korean native friends told us to go to the 광장시장 near 종로5가역. I think this may have been the same place I bought a Korean blanket some five years ago with my bro, sis and dad. It's this big garage-like complex of stalls filled with hanboks, blankets, fabrics, ddukbokki, pig snouts (AH I was so startled when I saw these... I still feel kind of sick thinking about this), pumpkin and red bean juke, scallion pancakes, random non-Korean goods, shoes... etc. I went to three blanket places before deciding on a slightly off white one with a simple design of small flowers... 25,000 Won baby! The first place charged 35,000 W and the second charged 38,000 W. My brother wants a nice thick Korean blanket so I'll probably go back with my mom once she comes in September :)

Navigating our way back to the center of the place, we stopped for a small meal of pumpkin juke (SO GOOD WHOA), random pieces of pig that I later found out was the ears and parts of the face (AAAH thinking about it makes me feel sick, again, good thing I only ate a piece [I guess in Korea all meat is good meat?]), scallion pancakes and other fried things, and a little bit of rice alcohol (I didn't really drink any. Alcohol at 4 pm? Eh?). It was my first time eating the equivalent of street food even though we were kind of in a garage so I enjoyed the experience. :)

Afterwards we went to a mall complex in Dongdaemun although we didn't really shop but rather waited for another friend to meet with us. Once he came we left for Myungdong via the 정구천? Something like that (it is the newly opened waterway that used to be underground for years, a project of President Lee Myung-bak) which was nice. Went to Krispy Kreme so we could sit and talk inside, and although Gi Yoon and our friend Sehmee (we gave her the English name Jamie!) had to leave, a little later our friends Sukho (Ian) and his gf came. Ian, his gf, Jamie and another friend Junghwan (Max) all are planning to visit America in January, during their break, so we talked a lot about that. I hope they do and I hope most of my Wellesley friends can meet them, they are all great!

Ian's gf left early and then Ian Max and I waited for Grace from BU to meet us. We ended up going to a bar because there wasn't any place to go (Myungdong closes kind of early) to talk and say goodbye (Grace left for China today). T_T

Two things I've noticed: ONE All my Korean friends are older than me, so they keep buying me stuff (coffee... okay just coffee, but still). How do hoobaes reciprocate to their sunbaes? One day I just say, hey, let me pay this time? I feel like Korean etiquette may not allow that...? But I did tell them that my mom is coming in September, so Mom, can we maybe all go to dinner together and then you can meet them? And then I can pay for their meal? :D

When I told Jamie unni about my mom coming she said she'd be sure to say to my mom that she has been taking good care of me and not letting me get up to mischief. Haha thanks unni, thanks. I've been good anyway ^^

TWO I didn't notice this as much as I was kind of told by Grace from BU, but I think maybe I'm trying too hard to have 눈치. Because of the cultural divide I'm not completely sure, even after all this time, how to act, and so I'm always cautious and observing everyone else and oftentimes just keeping quiet. Grace thinks I should be more relaxed because our Korean friends know where I'm coming from, and I should just tell them to correct me when my actions or words are incorrect or just not culturally done.

So I thought about this more and yes, I'm comfortable with my Korean friends, but yes because they don't really speak English I AM trying really hard to listen and learn and watch how they behave. Which isn't bad, but yes maybe I give off a slightly tense or stressed feeling when I'm with them because I'm always watching myself and making sure I'm respectful enough and stuff. Like last night, when we went to the bar, we had a little rice wine, but when I was drinking it out of my bowl I turned away from them. Apparently you only do that when you are in front of really old people or in a business setting, since we're all friends I shouldn't do it. :)

Ian invited me to the meeting of the Korean student reporters (the Wellesley/BU group got business cards from the Ministry of Unification as well, since we're working for them for the next year, but our title is Overseas Student Reporters) that they have once a month. It will be this upcoming Saturday. If timing works out I think I will go! Although by then it will really only be me, no one else will be there to help me understand what is going on. Good thing all my sunbaes are really patient, understanding and nice. I'm so thankful for them!

It is 1:38 pm now. I'm visiting Onnuri Church for the first time today! Its service is at 4:00, I'm meeting Bryan from Tufts near the church and then we'll go together. I think I'll study Korean now... I'm taking an assessment test this Wednesday and I want to do well!