The end of October

So, the last few weeks have been quite eventful. The weekend before Halloween we started off early on a Thursday evening. Dom and I were eager to invite her new coworker out to the delicious sashimi place by my house. The owner, as usual, was more than happy to see me/us and gave us a free beer and a formal kiss on the hand. I swear, this place would be perfect if the hand kissing didn't exist. But if that's what it takes for unlimited Tuna, I'll take it (that makes me sound like a food whore... guilty as charged). I think he just does it because he sees it on American TV and thinks its normal, because I have never ever had this happen with a Korean before.

After dinner we headed up the road to the Fish and Grill and enjoyed a drink or two before deciding that Dom's new coworker, Katie, had to get a glimpse of downtown TONIGHT. So, after talking her ear off for about an hour (about anything and everything related to living in Korea) we headed to the normal spots, which were of course desolate on a Thursday night. On the plus side, we met two lovely guys who ended up joining our girl only group and giving us hours of entertainment Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night! Unfortunately, our new best friends were only in town for a short while, so we were then sent back into our manless reality by Monday.

By then Holli was staying at my house, packing her bags, sending shit home, and getting ready to leave. It was sad to see her go, but probably much harder for her to grasp than me, since I was staying in Korea. I'm sure it's something similar to how my friends and family felt as I left. Her life is changing, but mine is pretty much going to be the same for the next year. She's going to travel around South East Asia, go to Grad school, and do something different. But it's strange to even imagine leaving Korea after one year, I've only just begun! And I'll still be able to do a lot of new things this year, especially with my added vacation/money.

Anyways, back to that weekend. I was also introduced to some of Dom's friends who came to visit from Canada and we had a grand time as well. It made me want my friends to come visit, and luckily, because of a certain awesome someones amazing skills at Wheel of Fortune, she will be visiting soon!! Either way, I'll be home in T-Minus 30 days so no need to fret.

This last week was spent doing the same old, plus a few dinner dates with Dom and her guests. Friday was the big Halloween day at school. We had been preparing for an all day party extravaganza, and I'm pretty sure we gave the children the best (and simultaneously only) Halloween party of their lives.

Friday morning started off with bobbing for apples. My only childhood memory of this was how cold the water was and how impossible it was to do. This time around I was able to avoid the horror with the excuse of ruining my hair and makeup, but Oliver and my Director were quick to try it (and actually succeed). The children on the other hand, were quite possibly the most hilarious shit show of bobbing I've ever seen. Some children were damn near afraid of the water, others couldn't seem to get the apple no matter how long they tried. Tommy, who is quite easily the "slowest" of my students was desperate to prove himself in this activity. See below:

(video will be uploaded, someday, haha)

One hour and one REALLY dirty bucket of water later, we had a haunted house. This thoroughly scared the children which in turn thoroughly amused me. We also did a little parade around the neighborhood which turned out to be the complete opposite of an American Halloween. Instead of kids running around collecting candy, they ran around giving out candy that had my Directors business card attached. Either way, they were super adorable and everyone loved to see them. I must say my favorite costume was Lisa's. She had a brides vale, Angel wings, a pink wand, and a bright pink dress. I decided that she was a "magical angel fairy princess bride"duhh. Or essentially any and every little girls dream costume.

Trying to get a shot of me holding hands with the worlds cutest: Shi-Ho

Taking a rest outside of the bank

Walking through the neighborhood

Ahhhhhhhhh!

By the time the afternoon hit, my tiny school had been filled with a good 50-60 children from the upstairs school (and their friends) lining up to go through our haunted house. Our haunted house was alright, obviously nothing on par with the ones you get back home, but since most children had never even heard of a haunted house, it scared the shit out of them. Literally shrieks of horror and disgust were ringing throughout that classroom. Being scary is hard though, after a few hours I was pooped. Emily and I retreated to my rooftop for a few drinks, Oliver soon joined with our 10 dollar each bonus from our director. Luckily in Korea that's enough to buy you dinner and a couple bottles of soju. After which, the only logical thing to do is go is the local noraebang, where i haggled us a 50% discount and probably broke the mic with my haggard attempt at singing.

By the time Saturday rolled around I was absolutely done with drinking, socializing, partying, and missing out on the gym. However, I pulled my party pants on and made it out for one last hurrah. I'd write about Halloween but there really wasn't anything too spectacular. Well, besides the looks we got from the Koreans, who don't celebrate. But as you can imagine, it was like any other night out. I spent Sunday being lazy and tired and I have now vouched to be drink free for the next few weeks. I'm also making a 100% effort to quit smoking entirely, which is only something I do when I drink these days, but even then, I'm ready to be done.

So my next month should be good. Dom and I are going to Gongju to visit some ancient tombs this weekend. Then in about two and a half weeks I'm going to Seoul to meet my friend, spend the night in Seoul with him and another Minnesotan buddy who lives there, and come back here when I'll have just a mere two weeks left until I arrive in the desolate, frozen wasteland, I call home. Oh and Fliss is leaving today! I'm not too worried about that girl though, we'll be leaving together in two months!