A Week of Awesomeness

I've had a very packed week and a half, to say the least, but it's been packed with great things that I've been needing to do, and wanting to do. 

The first awesome thing on the list: Seeing LCD Soundsystem! I went with my friends Carrie, Leah and Tessa. There's no easy way to explain what the show was like. It was really good, but because we were in Korea where clubs are strangely different, it was almost bizarre-good. The club was packed. Arm, overlapping arm. There were lots of foreigners, as well as plenty of Koreans. All of which seemed to be obnoxiously drunk. So much so, I actually threatened one guy that I was going to punch him in the face if he didn't stop hitting me intentionally. To which he replied that he wanted to make it up to me and kept grabbing me. To which I responded by shoving him in the stomach to get away. 

We danced our little hearts out on the stage. It was a lot of fun. There was an odd intermission show between sets, in which drag queens and male dancers in their underwear came out and did a little song and dance for us. LCD Soundsystem ... male dancers. The two don't mix. But, this is Korea. That's all I can say.

On the way out of the show we met some cool guys that were also from the states. We got to talking and it ends up they are actually friends of my friend Sean's. They were also very cute boys, which made all of us girls leave the show feeling a sense of hope of finding hot, and totally normal boyfriends. (Let me tell you, we all have had our share of weird guys here thus far in Korea, so normal boys that happen to be cute, and cool, are a huge deal!) It essentially made our night 20 percent better. 

(Carrie and I at the show.)

(Standing around before the show.)

Throughout the week I accomplished so much more than I have in months being here (or so it felt). I successfully had internet installed as well as got a gym membership! Two things that seem so easy, but were so hard to do with the language barrier. 

Another amazing thing I started this week ... Korean classes! I'm taking 4 hours a week of intensive classes. Already, in two sessions, I have learned the entire alphabet! It's so crazy! To think I've gone two months being illiterate, and now I can read! Well, I can kinda read. It takes me a long time to sound out words still. But now, on my subway rides home, I try and read all the signs. I try and read all the posters on the walls of the train. Everywhere I go, I'm trying to decipher what things are saying in Korean. It's a good feeling, but at the same time, as I was telling my sister today, it sucks to only be this far. Usually when you learn a language, you at least have the alphabet down. You just go straight into learning vocab and sentence structure. But with a lot of Asian languages, you first have to learn new alphabets, which are a bunch of foreign characters. It's daunting. But, at least making this first step feels pretty awesome. 

I was also able to get out and go for a hike this weekend. It was the craziest hike of my life. I went with my friends Sasha and Heather. Heather had figured out the mountain and path for us, Sasha and I just had to show up. The hike started at a Korean Temple. It then proceeded to go straight up for an hour! It was no joke, and Sasha and I were completely unprepared. It wasn't so much hiking, as it was scaling giant rocks which make up the mountain! It was insane. We managed to make it to the top which looks over the entire city of Seoul. It was so amazing! I wish I had some pictures to share. My friend Sasha has some which I'll have to share later. She also caught one of me sliding down the side of a rock, holding on for dear life. And this was just before I took a fall down another rock! There was really no helping it. I think we all took at least one fall during the hike. Our shoes were just not made for that kind of hiking. We ended the hike with a nice little muscle building routine on the built-in exercise equipment that they have at the base of the mountain. One of the coolest things, and craziest things, about hiking in Korea, people actually do it on a regular basis for exercise. So to make sure they're getting in a full workout, most of the mountains have built in work out and weight machines for people to use. It is so awesome. We had so much fun on them, and we got so many looks as we were working out and laughing loudly. 

Another awesome experience this past week .... Dr. Fish. The pictures do it more justice. Essentially it's a pedicure place where miniature piranhas eat all the dead skin off your feet. I was so against the idea of going, but decided I should at least experience it once. And once is all it will be. You can tell by my face in the first picture that I was freaking out before putting my feet into the aquarium of fish. The feeling, once again, cannot even be explained. It tickles so badly. There are dozens of little fish gnawing at your feet. Some of them gnaw a little harder than others I might add. I was definitely the biggest wuss out of everyone and couldn't put my feet in for the full 20 minutes. More like I put my heels in for most of the time, and dipped the rest of my feet in for 10 second increments! It was just too weird feeling. 

(We went and devoured street food after Dr. Fish. My first helping of street food in Korea! And it was delicious.)

My last and most successful thing of the week .... I cooked my first Korean dish! I had been wanting to cook Korean food so badly. It's really hard when you don't have any kitchen space. And I mean absolutely none ... no counter tops! Every time I walked into a grocery store there were so many new and interesting foods that I wanted to try, but didn't know how to prepare. Finally, I decided to just look up a recipe online. And what came out was a dish called Ddeokbokki with Gochujang sauce. It's essentially just rice cakes with cabbage and onions and whatever else you want in it. I made it all from scratch, even the sauce!  It was/is so delicious. I'm still eating the leftovers. Mom, you would be so proud. :)

(My first home-made Korean meal!)

Oh and another reason this week has been so great, my Mom has decided to vote for Barack Obama!! For all of you that know my parents, you know this is an incredible thing. My parent's are ... Republicans, I guess that's the best way to put it. My Dad is a hardcore Republican, let's just say that. They vote along party lines ... always. 2 days ago, I spent a bit of time trying to convince my Mom via skype, to vote for him. I guilted her by saying that America needs to be spreading it's wealth so that 3 of her 4 children that are poor can actually try and survive! Yes, I'm dramatic, and she knows it, but with the way John McCain was laughing at Obama for suggestions of "spreading the wealth" in the last debate, I was determined to let her know she can't vote for a man like that. And she hates Sarah Palin anyway. 

 Now we just have to keep working on my Dad! My sister has informed me that she will give him a milkshake for coming over to the other side. And for all of you that know my dad, he loves milkshakes. I know, we're talking a president for a milkshake. But he really likes the things. He even makes bets/deals with my friends for them, for example "Date my son and I'll give you a milkshake." "If the Ducks lose, you owe me a milkshake." "Break-up my son and his girlfriend over Christmas, and I'll give you a milkshake." You think I'm kidding! My Dad is a funny man.