Rainy Relaxing Days and Icy, Spicy Days (and the Subway Insider)

Adventures in Korean Cuisine


Friday morning, Hui and I tried our hand at making kimbap (김밥). The night before, Yoonjin had driven us to Emart to get ingredients and he drove us back! So nice... it was cold, and its a 30 minute walk to Emart. But we made it... and it turned out quite well!
We were very proud :-) Plus, it tasted amazing. Not bragging or anything...

Namsan Tower [again :-)]

On Saturday, we went touring Seoul again! We went to Namsan tower, the second time for me, the first for the others. It was quite nice to see it in the day!

And now I would really like to give it up for all the Korean students who have taken it upon themselves to help all of us helpless exchange students out. It's amazing what they do, and for that I am truly thankful. The craziness they've had to deal with really proves their friendship :-). I love you guys!

After Namsan tower, we headed to Myeongdong (again the second time for me) to eat yummmmmy food. 

This, my friends, is one of the best things in Korea. And you could take my word for it, or you could just LOOK at the pictures below and know. I'm not sure if I've said this before (and I don't feel like going through my posts and checking, ha, sorry) but I love the food culture here. Where you can just grab and reach and eat! Share everything! Maybe because it means I get to eat more... hmmm. Haha, but I love it, anyhow.

On Monday, a bunch of girls decided to take some relaxation time and go to a jjimchilbang! I had seen them only in dramas, so I was ready to try it out in real life.

This below is the counter where you paid. We paid 8,000 won (around 8 bucks) to get in. Then they give us some clothes (a pink t-shirt and shorts) and two little towels.

 We locked our shoes and cloths in lockers then, headed into the showers. No, you cannot wear clothes or swim suits. And no, there are no stalls. And NO I did not take pictures. Hahahaha...

After getting clean, which is required to get into the sauna/relaxing part of the jjimjilbang, we ate bibimbap and looked around a little. There are frozen rooms, super hot saunas, and normal saunas. There are even separate sleeping rooms for men and women. Most jjimjilbangs are 24 hours, so you can stay overnight in them. Pretty convenient for poor college students! They had an excercise area as well, and we played around there for a while. :-)

This below is the main area. People just lay there and nap or watch tv. It's lovely!

Rainy Night on the Streets

It was raining on the way back from the jjimjilbang, and I had my first rainy night in Korea!

Ice Skating and a Night Out

A few days later we went ice skating with Jun and Yoonjin, guys Hui and I met going to Incheon. Yoonjin is on an informal ice hockey team, so he's pretty awesome at skating. It was just around 6 bucks, too! 3 for the rental and 3 to get in! 

Jun looks super scary here... Sorry, hahaha 

Next we went out to upscale Anyang to have dinner! Mmm, I love spicy Korean food...

I think it's pretty obvious that I've been having an amazing time... the pictures pretty much confirm it! Classes are lovely... no problems there... except that 10:30 is too early! Hahaha...

What Happens on the Subway... 

will not stay on the subway. So many weird, crazy things have happened on or at the subway! So there was one time that David (an American guy) and Hui and I were on the subway and an old Korean man is in the car talking loudly and waving a short stick around. He goes up to random Koreans and talks at them (they ignore him). Then he came up to David and started talking at him. He commenced to whack David with his stick, call Hui and I beautiful, then leave. Bahahaha.

Then there was the time Hui and I were on the subway alone, obviously talking in English. This Korean man, needing help, starts talking in Korean, hoping that this girl who looks Korean will know Korean and English and be able to help. Well... we say she's Chinese, then find out why he needed help... there were two drunk women from Hong Kong trying to find their way back to their accommodations but couldn't figure out the subway. They talked very loudly and tried to set me up with the Korean man's son, who was plugged in, wishing he wasn't there. That was an experience!

I can't forget the time an old man sits in the empty elderly/pregnant/mother/disabled section while I friend and I were standing (there were no normal seats available), and pats the seat next to him, wanting us to sit with him. Of course, I motion to the sign and shake my head. Repeatedly. Then he points at the picture of the pregnant lady and grins. Hahaha. Then another old man comes up and says that it's okay because we're foreigners! We refused the offer, of course... But I waved to him as we left, and my friend got super embarrassed. 

Then there was the time a random old man walks up to me and says "Hello! Sorry!" then runs off.

So that's the subway... and there are many times random people have talked to me, too. You never know what will happen!

Music video:

FT Island's "Severely". It's so cheesy! But it's pure kpop, and the song is fun...