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Gumi Trainstation
Sometimes you art and culture at the least expected of places. This for instance is placed on the back side of the trainstation - a side that is pretty much only frequented by the occastional smoker... So it finally happened, I had to say goodbye to my first friend in Korea yesterday. It is the nature of a job like this that everyone you know will eventually leave and then one day it will be you saying goodbye to everyone left. It's a strange circle, I don't think I've really ever been in a situation like this, the closest I can relate it to is college when people graduate, but that is en masse and usually only once a year. In this case I think it is for the best, my friend Kat was not having a good time here and fate seemed to be stacked against her, I do have to hand it to her though, she stuck it out for 7 long months, through trial and tribulation. She is clearly an individual of strong character and will.
Onward to more happy subjects though. I had a rather interesting weekend all and all. Friday night, Jonny and I started off by grabbing two beers and drinking infront of the GS, a local custom I really enjoy. I am not sure if I mentioned it in any previous letters, but it is legal to drink
Yum Yum MakJung
My Korean Friends Wouldn't Tell Me What This Was Until After I Ate It... I'll Be Honest I Had A Good Idea What It Was When I Started... pretty much anywhere in Korea, which makes people watching very easy. One of the more ironic moments came when we were almost done our beer. A rather skinny girl walked by with a shirt that read 'Stop Anoxeria' she was followed immediately by a rather large friend wearing a shirt advertising some sort of random clothing line. The stark contrast made Jonny and I laugh out loud. After our beers we split up and I headed home to get some much needed Rest and Relaxation. Saturday was a bit boring at first, I woke up early and watched several movies until I decided I could not take it anymore. I figured I was long overdue to take a bike tour of Chilgok so I did just that. Three hours later I had literally circled the city. I found department stores, resturants, and random bars. Eventually I got lost entirally and found a really cool park, equipt with a bike trail and a lake and a suicidal stairway that led to the to the enterance. Unfortunately by the time I found this gem it was getting ready to rain and I figured I should get my bearings straight before I got drenched. Now most logical people would have backtracked to become unlost, but I was never one for taking the obvious route. So instead I decided to test my instincts and followed the mountain range - and wouldnt you know it -- I WAS RIGHT! Turns out I was lost but I was only 5 minutes from home. That night I went out with a bunch of my Korean friends, nothing too exciting, but I got to practice my Korean - which is still mediocre but is constantly improving.
This brings us up to yesterday. I woke up early again and did my normal routine - watching movies and catching up on all the American television I missed. By the way - everyone should check out www.blueyoyo.com It's a great site, for a small fee you can download almost anything, movies, music, and tv shows. It's definitely a lifesaver here in Korea. In the afternoon I jumped a cab and train and headed to Gumi to say my goodbyes to Kat. It was really hard to see her go, it struck me pretty hard and I spent most of the train ride home thinking about my return to the States. I am thinking I am going to try and rent out the Shore Acres Club house and have a big party where I can serve up some Korean food, get everyone to try some Soju and some green tea, and force everyone to look at my travel photos :-) Don't worry there will be a ton of good Old Western Food - especially Taco's and probably some Maryland Vegetable Crab soup. Anyway back to the present. When I got back from Gumi I decided to try my hand at navigating the downtown Daegu area - as I am aware, you guys have absolutely no clue how confusing this place can be, but its kind of like being dropped somewhere in Manhattan and not being able to read. But surprisingly I found my way around. I ended up buying a ton of books and I even picked up an easel and some paper. Oh I guess I didn't mention that I decided to take up painting. I'll let everyone know how it goes.
Well that's it for now. This Thursday marks the start of my first vacation I am pretty stoked. I think I will be heading to the Beaches of Busan and soaking up some sun. Look forward to lots of pictures! Wishing you all the best!
Much Love,
Matt
Pictured in this blog are some traditional totum poles located behind the Gumi Train Station and a fine dish of Pig Intestines (which are surprisingly tastey.)
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