ms. han strikes again

Finally (sadly though) the visitors have all gone and i have gotten back into a vaguely normal routine. Wake up at 10, run, make lunch, go to school, go out. Repeat. With the exception of Fridays because I don't have to work. This past Friday I get another call from Ms. Han (I think we will start meeting every Friday) at 9 am (doesn't she know I don't work on Fridays!?) asking to meet at 3.

So we meet up at 3 at our usual coffee shop in Jongno where she works. After an hour of correcting emails and reading Eat Pray Love together (ok so this is not a book to read out loud with someone twice your age. The first chapter, which I should have looked at before suggesting we read it, is all about chastity and how much the author wants to bang out this young Italian guy.) Ms. Han says her eyes hurt. "Have any appointments now?" Well seeing as it's 4 on a Friday and everyone I know is at work, no. So we go out to eat to the same place we went after our second meeting. After Ms. Han tells me she can't drink because she has to drive home, we order exactly the same thing we did the last time:

pajeon (seafood korean pancake)
al tang (fish baby soup)
magkeolli (you guys should know this one by now; rice wine!)

She proceeds to pour two bowl of magkeolli and we dig in. We'd been eating and chatting for about an hour when we ran out of booze. "One more magkeolli." For someone who's not drinking, she sure is drinking a lot. Then her friend, 58 year old co-worker with perfect English, comes to join us. We had finished most of our food, which is really impressive for two not-so-hungry people, so we order kimchi/pork/tofu thing. I forget the name but it is popular to order with magkeolli (as is pajeon- theyre all rainy day things). The friend decides he's sick of rice wine and so we order mekju and soju (beer and a stronger rice wine). She proceeds to tell her friend how we're reading a sex book. Oh man. We were at this restaurant for a solid 3 hours. And we were all drunk. D. R. U. N. K. drunk. Ms. Han suggests we go noraebong. hahahahah what an awesome idea. So 40+ year old Ms. Han, 58 year old dude, and 25 year old me, all go over to a private room, order more beers, and proceed to belt out Eagles hits. They sing me some Korean classics, but mostly it's me picking out Neyo or Britney Spears. We had such a blast. At last it was 9pm and we all had to call it a night. Perhaps Ms. Han had to get home to her kids?? ha. I think we also decided that this would become our Friday routine. Hey I'll take the 50,000 won, free dinner, Korean lesson, and noraebong anyway. Especially with Ms. H!
I get home and decide I can't go out. I'm still too drunk! This is perfect anyway because the next day is the St. Patty's celebration in Gwanghuman.....

Saturday.

Get up, go to brunch with Emily at the All American Diner. Got a BLET (bacon lettuce egg tomato) and a Guinness and Kahlua. Yum. Then obviously hit the Wolfhound, then of to the parade. It's a crappy day, pretty moist and just gray. But by the time we get to the parade it had at least stopped raining. It's hilarious. You're in the middle of Korea, downtown, and there are TONS of ex-pats and Koreans alike decked out in green, Irish flags, and ridiculous hats. The parade starts and we (me and all the expats basically) decide we want to be in it! So we march, get our photos taken, throw candy, then it's over. It's pretty cold, so Emily, Chi (her week long Korean bf), and I got to Bennigan's. I'm usually all about skipping the American chains abroad, but they had bottomless beer for 3,000 won!!! Not that is matters because Chi pays for everything anyway :)

Anyway, we walk outside a bit later and it looks like the Apocalypse. The sky is straight yellow and it's just eery. Apparently it's yellow dust. I always thought the yellow dust everyone referred to was pollen. Not so much. The sands from China blow into Korea every spring inflicting fun respitory distress unto everyone. This is why the masks have been broken back out. Ahhhh it all makes so much sense. ANyway, went from here down to the Wolfhound and spent the next 15 hours there. I don't think I have ever spent that much time in a row at one bar. haha ohhh St. Patty's (which was actually 4 days earlier).

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Random funny story. Last night I was on my way to tutor down in Irwon which is about an hour long subway ride. I had just gotten on the train, and started reading my book (thanks Liz!). This dude, who I can smell as soon as he walks onto the train, starts pointing at my book saying "No Englishy, Dutchy?" He was over 50 and fully decked out in hiking gear. I say no it's English and he asks where I'm from. I tell him DC (haha I always say DC before NJ, it gets a better response) and he says his daughter is same same. Hartford. Then points to his hat; Yale. She apparenlty got a full ride for a clarinet scholarship and he's a proud pappa. The entire 5 minutes we're chatting he's covering his mouth going "So sorry." Then follows with "I went hiking. So drunky. 3 bottles of soju at top." hahah yeah no kidding! You could smell this dude from 300 meters away! And just like that it was his time to go and he walked off the train. This was 5pm. Ajusi are always wasted!!!

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So that's what's new here. This weekend I stupidly agreed to work for my friend Ben on Saturday. He's going to be out of town and I only work 4 days a week so I agreed; then he told me the pay. 80,000 won. For 4 hours! On a Saturday! Are you kidding me? Ughhh oh well; so it's 1-5 then I go straight to my first Korean soccer game. FC Seoul v. Suwon. I can't wait! Only two days til Friday's lesson!