[HELLO]. Are you ready to vicariously wander around Seoul some more? This post takes us back to my early roots, where I was unafraid of seeming presumptuous or naïve or imperfect and just wrote because I had something to say and not enough time to say it. Some highlights from this month are: Nick and Megan visited, the cherry blossoms blossomed, there was some climbing, swing dancing, and more musings. It's the usual: social experience, physical activity, and reflection. Looking out and looking in.
Work: On April 4th, I was teaching my GB class about aromatherapy, so I went to Daiso before classes (Korea's Dollarama) and bought the kids lavender candles. Between the five to seven after-school academies that they're in and the intense school workload, they need all the stress-relief they can get. I also gave them chocolate. I hope they lit their candle. I also brought my tiny Eevee figurine (which I bought at Joe's behest; he gives great life advice) and whimsically said that Eevee would die if it heard Korean. I say the strangest things if I think it will encourage the kids to speak English. "You don't want Eevee to die, do you?! Please don't speak Korean!" And the precocious pi boy (see my previous post for an explanation) wrote a note that said, "I die if I hear the Korean!" and taped it to Eevee's ears. April 5th! Happy birthday, Mom! <3 I love you and miss you so much. I want to do cartwheels on the grass with you, bake a pumpkin chiffon with you, and hug you. Readers, please hug your moms for me. Friends: On April 6, I met up with Nick and Megan to do the nerdiest thing I've ever done: attend a Starcraft tournament. Although... I have been to a Dota 2 tournament. What's nerdier, Starcraft or Dota 2? Anyway, before it started, we went to a coffee shop called 999 that was (as cliche as it might sound) charming and rustic. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of wood, the chairs were mismatched and old and wooden, and there was a dazzling light display in the front window (picture below). Then we went to the tournament. This was their second day attending, but on their first day there, Nick and Megan had appeared on the live stream with a sign that said they were from Canada. So, hoping to repeat their fame, we made a new Canadian sign and drew really cute Zerglings on it. Also, they may or may not have sneaked soju into the Starcraft game in a water bottle. Devious day drinking. Afterwards, we went to Jamsil to look at the cherry blossoms. They were lovelier for their transience. In Lotte mall, we drank more coffee and ate freshly baked fish-shaped pastries that had sweet read bean paste and walnuts in them. They're actually fairly ubiquitous street food and are called taiyaki in Japan and bungeo bread in Korea. Then I left for dance class, which was exciting and educational. Afterwards, my classmates introduced me to beer mixed with strong Dutch coffee, which was surprisingly tasty. The owner of the restaurant (Sayomi again) brought out a mysterious dish that I'd never seen before. Someone said it was a Japanese soy milk dessert. It was a great dessert - creamy, melty, and delicately sweet. The soy milk gave it an earthy, hearty flavour. I gave him one of my banana muffins in return and he seemed to like it. :3 Also, adding free items to an order in a restaurant is very common here and they call it "service". That day, the owner gave us service in the form of a Korean pancake called pajeon (파전). If you've never had one, I highly recommend that you go support your local Korean restaurant and try it! More frrrriends: On April 7th, I met up with Nick and Megan again for more cherry blossom viewing at Yeouinaru; unfortunately, there were way, way too many people. It was a seething river of humans. Feeling overwhelmed by the unbelievably dense and massive crowds, we wandered away into a nearby forest. We explored the area a bit, tried to be cute by taking some pictures by cherry blossom trees, and rested in a Korean gazebo. Looking back, I can recognize that their time here (and Hunter's visit, too) coincided with my mood being at a very, very low point. My homesickness and loneliness had reached something of a climax and I must have seemed distant and jaded. But by spending time with them, I felt my anxieties and sorrows slowly easing away. Sitting in that park with them was more than just relaxing - it was healing. I was reminded that it's okay to slow down and just exist sometimes. We watched a turtle in a pond; admired some daffodils blowing gently in the wind; spent ten minutes building a tiny fence out of twigs for an ant colony; almost touched a rabbit (admittedly a tame one). I think I'd forgotten what it was like to be with people who wanted nothing more than to laugh and be silly and have a small adventure. To watch the sun go down together. It was a much-needed rest day and I was sad when we had to part ways, for the last time. The next morning I played Borderlands 2 with Adam, Crage, and Matt. It's a very serious and intense game. Actually, I think what we did that day was attend a robot's sad birthday party where he had brought pizza and party blowers, and had invited everybody in the town; but nobody showed up. Poor little guy. Looking in: April 10. So, to be honest, I write most of my raw notes for these posts in the second person narrative (which, incidentally, is the narrative style for this masterpiece of a song). Here is my unedited, sole entry for this day: You lost your voice today. The main character in Gris also lost her voice today. The game is so beautiful. Even when you've lost your voice and the world seems grey, colorless, lonely, and broken, remember the color and light and beauty inside you. Share it. It's unique to you. Walk on starlight. Be a paintbrush. Make the world a musical rainbow garden. April 11. Work was fairly difficult, unfortunately, because I'd lost my voice (it's not quite as romantic as I just made it out to be) and the kids didn't change their behaviour at all. So instead of having classes that I could somewhat control with a strong presence and voice, I had classes that I could barely control because they took advantage of my weakened state. I've learned to never show weakness! On the lighter side, I've been going to this bakery called Nemo, and when I came up to the till with a loaf of bread, the woman behind the counter said, "pretty bread for a pretty woman" in Korean and I understood her and it was so sweet. After work I went to dinner (tofu soup) and a PC bang with Joseph and we played Overwatch and he talked to his family. We teamed up as Mercy and Torbjörn and won a few games. Light and dark: On April 12, I went climbing with Mai at Yongmasan before work. She shared some strange-looking, hollow black bread that had white chunks inside it. I took a tentative bite, and it was actually great. It was chewy black sesame bread and the white chunks were sweet cream cheese (it's called 오징어먹물깨찰). It has now become my favourite bread to purchase from the subway station bakeries. You should eat it. After climbing, I walked to work that day and described it as a "cherry blossom magical morning". The trees alongside the stream near my workplace were in full bloom. A breeze blew and some petals fell, twirling and dancing through the air. People were unabashedly taking pictures and admiring the beauty. If you ever have the opportunity to see the cherry blossoms in Japan or Korea during April, you should go. The trees put on their most fabulous pink dresses and strut around on stage for the world to see. And now, cue a dramatic scene change where, after work, I unexpectedly spent some time with Joe, Chris, and Clare. It was nighttime, and we walked down the busy neon-lit streets from Nowon to Chang dong. We snuck underneath a bridge and hopped across the stream to one of the pillars. We sat together, drinking soju, quietly watching the dark water flow past us as a lone duck swam upstream. It was moody and angsty and perfectly the opposite atmosphere of my magical pink fairy forest morning. April 14 was dancing at Big Apple, but afterwards I totally messed up on the subway and missed the transfer that would have taken me straight home. So instead, I had to take a route that only got me halfway home, at which point the train stopped and said that all the passengers had to get off. So I got off and hailed a taxi. This particular taxi was driven by a man who might've been the most eccentric and outgoing taxi driver in all of Seoul. He had frizzy hair, a slightly gravelly voice, and had a picture of his granddaughter beside the steering wheel. We talked about family, friends, flowers, Canada, and dancing. He was very patient and spoke slowly in Korean and genuinely asked questions in an excited, interested way. Bicycle battle: On April 16, I finally used the bike that Johann had given me all those months ago. It's not my usual style - it's a red mountain bike with a squeaky chain and big treads - but it was remarkably refreshing to get outside and ride a bike again. The feeling the wind and the sun on my skin made me feel as giddy as a child. I actually witnessed a magpie fighting a snake beside the bike path. You've gotta get out and exercise in the sunshine folks, because you never know what you might miss. Play the part: April 19 was more climbing at Yongmasan with Mai and Sagar. It was fun, but cold. Curiously, however, some Korean people in business suits carrying briefcases and clipboards approached the wall. They just stood around kind of aimlessly. One of the older guys tried traversing at the bottom of the wall for fun. Then I started actually climbing and everyone stopped to watch. I paused about halfway up and waved at them, and they (adorably) waved back. Then at the end of the climb, I told Mai that I wanted to take a big fall for them to see. I took in some slack like I was about to clip, then let go and took a very controlled and honestly pretty small fall. They gasped appreciatively. When I reached the ground, they applauded and I bowed theatrically. I guess I'll always be a thespian at heart. April 21. A long time ago, my coworker let me take out a book from the library at our hagwon: Going Solo by Roald Dahl. Today I finished it. It was a unique book, made more intriguing by the fact that everything that happened was real. The book details his experiences in the second World War, and they range from absurd to harrowing. Anis and Amber: April 24 was a nice day. I met with Anis at Yongma waterfall park and we shared some snacks for a proper picnic. Anis is a friend of mine from Canada; he has a degree in Chemistry and we took the same TESL certification course in Edmonton. We also both decided to come to Seoul at the same time. There's something so good about having someone from your hometown move across the ocean to the same city as you. Then it was staff dinner day after work. The dinner was uneventful, but Chris, Joe, and Amber and I went to a makgeolli place afterwards. We talked with Amber about her experience in Ireland. She had considered living in Canada, but ultimately chose Ireland because she knew there would be fewer Koreans there. She intentionally chose it to be less comfortable and more challenged. She is a strong and incredible lady. Also, she has great taste in makgeolli because the restaurant served us strawberry makgeolli that was essentially a smoothie with alcohol in it. If you end up in Korea, you simply have to try it. So sweet and scrumptious. Performances: April 27 was a graduation party at Boogie Woogie. My classmates performed and they were amazing! They wore denim jeans and yellow shirts and were just such solid dancers. After the performances, the students were responsible for decorating the dance hall for the flower-themed social later that night. Simba and Minshik spent time with me, eating pizza and just playing around. Then "Rolling in the Deep" started playing over the speakers. I've sung this before song at karaoke, so of course I started singing along. The bar owner must have heard, because he came out from behind the bar... and handed me a microphone. Then everyone dropped what they were doing and came out and listened! They made a makeshift stage by making a half-circle around me. I was truly flustered, and to be honest I think my lips were shaking the entire time. It wasn't a great performance, but I kept singing and they cheered afterwards and the girls totally swarmed me. The climbing scene and the swing dancing scene are both overflowing with camaraderie and encouragement. They're wholesome and uplifting, and everyone seems to cheer even more loudly if you're nervous. What I'm saying is that you should try 'em. =] That's my time in April. See you next month. n_n P.S: Names are very important in Korea. In the swing dance scene, everyone (literally) makes a name for themselves. Here are a few that I've met thus far: Snow Flower, Swing Lover, Rudra, Swing Baby, Tigger, Moon, Latte, Goody Goody, Anakin Skywalker, and Optimus Prime. What's your swing dancing name?
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AuthorAshley is a Canadian teaching English in South Korea. Although between the Korean, swing dancing, and general life skills, she's probably learning more than she's teaching. Archives
June 2019
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