This past weekend in Seoul...

Here's a brief recap of some of the last week's events!

• Thursday night, I went shopping with two of my Korean co-teachers, one of whom got me a discount for the boots I bought, and both of whom talked and chatted and gossiped with me as if I were just one of the girls.  I loved it!  I must confess, I even enjoyed the gossiping part because it made me feel included.
• I ordered ramen at a restaurant for the first time.  It's a popular dish here and comes in many varieties e.g. kimchi, potsticker, and cheese, and my food was pretty tasty, but, you know why this is monumental, right?
• I had my first preschool open class at my hagwon, and it was great!  My favorite comment from one of the mothers was that she could tell how much my co-teacher and I really loved the kids.  Even my supervisor was impressed.  I'm so pleased!
• I realized that I actually enjoy writing up syllabi now.  It's the task-oriented part of my brain, you see, and it thrives in that organization and compiling.  Oh it's so much fun.
• I finished up all my Christmas shopping at Insadong Saturday morning!  I'm so happy with my finds.  I was able to get a few small discounts, and I got it all completed within two hours before my Korean class!  Holla!
• For all the walking around outside in Insadong, I wore 9 pieces of winterwear.  NINE. 
  Now I know how the Koreans stay warm outside but then don't sweat in the subway.  Heat Tech!  It's a kind of innerwear sold by Uniqlo, and it is awesome.  Seriously, I wore this entire ensemble with the Heat Tech all day (outside, in the subway, in the shops, outside again, etc.) and only felt warm when I was in a heated area like the restaurants or small shops.  In the subway and outside, I was peachy!  Amazing!  Thank you, Uniqlo!



Thanks, Jason, for the picture!

• Earmuffs (My first real pair!  And, oh, how I love them!  Who knew they were so warm?!)
• Scarf (The warmest I have)
• Coat (With thinsulate which I'm starting to think isn't as awesome as Delia's says it is)
• Jacket
• Heat Tech shirt from Uniqlo
• Heat Tech leggings from Uniqlo
• Winter/rain boots
• Leg warmers (On my thighs above the boots)
• Gloves (They're fingerless ones, but they're great.)

• I totally comprehended the new concepts introduced in my Korean class!  I'm so pumped!  We hit a lot on grammar this time.  I love rules and formulas (I was really good at math), and these Korean rules were clicking pretty well once I had a great time figuring them out for the first time.  Now all I gotta do is get the vocabulary to sink in.  There's no use in getting the formulas if I don't have any words to plug into them.
• I attended Santacon in Hongdae Saturday night because I had no other plans when Matthew, my Korean class classmate, asked what I was doing.  Dude, there was a really strange vibe there.  I arrived at the Canadian bar with my friend and acquaintances and was ushered into the red and white pack of 30-something-year-old foreigners.  I almost instantly got a strange sense from the atmosphere.  We were all foreigners, we all had a good many things in common, and, therefore, there was this certain kind of camaraderie in the air.  This aura, though, I didn't trust it.  This group, I didn't know any of them.  The reason for coming, you gotta admit it was odd.  In fact, my whole feel for the place was odd, so I left soon after finishing my dinner.
• I missed the lunar eclipse because of the clouds.  Bummer.  Really.
• I drew my scarf up over my mouth and nose to try and hide my Caucasian features.  Weird, huh?  I've just been having a hard time lately with sticking out like a sore thumb just because of the shape of my face.
• Oy, enough of that low stuff.  Some other good things happened this weekend, I promise!
  
• I did the best nail painting job I've ever done!  This was my inspiration, and THIS is my reality!



Made possible with Korean nail polish! Heyeah!

• I finished reading Wuthering Heights!  I really enjoyed it, and it feels really good to be able to check off another classic.  I'm heading back to Oliver Twist, and I'm starting War of the Worlds and hopefully Shantaram soon.
• I performed in a Talent Show at church and sang some traditional Christmas songs and... yes, Justin Bieber.  Have you heard "Mistletoe," by the way?  It's pretty darn cute.  We jumped it up a good bit to make it more fun and upbeat.  Gah, I love making music!  It was such a blast.  This was by far some of the most fun I've had in my time in Korea.  Brethren, music, performing, spectating... Everything was excellent!  There was a riveting monologue by my friend Za'chary and lovely music by many new friends.  I loved it all.  Thank you, Jubilee Church for the awesome opportunity, and thank You, God, for, ah! just everything!

Gracias to Felicia for taking pictures of the Talent Show for me!