(Insert witty title using the word Seoul as soul)

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The secret life of the native english teacher. We live for our weekends and go HARD once that final bell rings on Friday. Once school was out, I met up with Margo at the bus station to head to Majeon, the small town nearby where she lives, to gather her things and then off to Daejeon (the "big city") to have a night of it. I brought a duffle bag full of clothes, jewelery, and shoes. You know, the important things in life. After hanging at Margo's, she informed that I would be carrying this duffle bag, bearing the name Sierra Club, around Daejeon with me on our classy night out. Nothing says class like a duffle bag that looks like it has a dismantled body in it. This was unhappy news but I made it work. Scoliosis is sooooo worth it.

So we met up in Daejeon with other teachers at a western bar and it was trippy to see so many foreigners! I felt like I was in California again. I'm not sure how I felt about that. It was a decent place though and we had fun dancing on the chairs to Lady Gaga, who is huge here by the way. Some crazy drunk dudes were telling me how Korea is so "awesome because you can do whatever you want, like make charcoal drawings!" Korea is full of some amazing people, but there are also some odd ones who probably couldn't make it very well in thier own country...

We went to Flower Bar, had some hookah, burritos(not half bad, so impressed!) and drank some wine, the nectar of the gods. mmm red wine. it hates me, but I llllove it. We were out until about 4:30 and then we hit the sack.

The next day we were up at 8 and I was feeling pretty sleep deprived but I carried on, all for the sake of the weekend. We took a bus to Seoul and arriving there was a mindfuck as well! I didn't know Koreans could be so cosmopolitan, you just don't see that out in the country. Then we went out to eat some Thai food in a western part of the city and there were foreigners EVERYWHERE. Even little kids. Everything was written in English and there were pubs and western bars all around. It was actually kind of lame because I felt too much like home, but it's a cute area and the food was BOMB.

We then went to see Charlotte's sister in a coillection of scenes called Shakespeare: Love, Sex, and Romance. It was extremely fantastic! It was in English performed by westerners and some Koreans. A Midsummer's Night Dream was comical especially when the fairy boys were prancng around. Richard III was intense, as was Othello, and they were very talented performences. Charlotte's sister, Thandi was Juliet and she was beautiful. It was a lovely scene.

Afterwards, Margo and I headed to the jimjibong to get ready to meet up with everyone from orientation. A jimjibong is a bathhouse where you can sleep on a mat with everyone in matching pajamas. It's usually seperated woman and men. Some say waking up on the floor next to everyone is a bit like sleeping in a concentration camp. It's nothing of the sort, but you get the idea. It's not something you're used to.

We found everyone at Jane's Groove and had jello shots right away. Felt like college again ha. It was super exciting to see everyone again, I felt giddy. We all took about a million pictures then danced for awhile. Then onwards to another bar/club with two floors which was stellar. There were cool platforms that lit up that we danced on and there was like a fence around it so you could dance on it. We had way too much fun with that. I got some drinks that were FOUL so after awhile I just stayed away from the bar but people just kept buying my drinks. Teachers are just toooo giving. The music downstairs was perfect, all my favorite songs, so I was dancing my ass off. Technically my toes as well because I was wearing heels and I still can't feel my toes. Little by little I noticed the room emptying but me and the guys were having such a blast getting our dance on that I didn't care. Soon we were about the only ones left and I started to feel tired so we headed outside to find DAYLIGHT. It was 6 am!!! It was so odd to step outside in your club attire, I felt like I was doing a walk of shame. We parted ways because I needed to get my stuff at the jimjibong and Steve came along.

I got lost because that's just how I do and Steve was so help because he insisted on taking pictures of people passed out on the sidewalk and of pigeons. After a bit I finally retraced my steps and we called Rueben to come meet us for breakfast. Steve paid for us (then soon forgot that he did, which was fantastic because we made him believe Rueben had and he owed him) and we got bagels and coffee. The place was packed and people were sleeping in booths. That's how Seoul rolls.

We went to the jimjibong and the boys went to thier side. I put on the pink garmets and went to the sleeping room which was crammed and seemed awkward so I left and got naked and went into the bathhouse. Not as weird as I thought. The hot water felt so good on my sore feet and I just chilled out. Then I took a shower which felt amazing. Jimjibongs are only 9 bucks and so worth it.

Margo had dissapered so I had no idea how to get home. It took me 2 hours but with the help of Mary Rosenberry, what a saint, I got a general idea and got to the right subway station. Then I couldn't find my bus and I had to ask 4 different Koreans. Van dearest even talked to one on the phone for me. I got a ticket soon enough and I was on the way HOME. It was an epic weekend and I had so much fun but damn I have never felt more tired. This lady is too old for that every weekend but hell yes I will do it again.

next up: rooftop party on saturday!!!

work info: i just started my afterschool classes and not going well at all! super low level and they just stare at me blankly. i did this whole beyonce lesson because we are doing a theme of music this week and they rather confused. but at least most of them understood the fill in the blanks and a few could convey what the video was about. "I JUST CAN;T REACH THESE KIDS!" wish me luck...i go to buri middle school on wednesday which is out in the middle of nowhere as well..i am all over the damn place.

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