a weekend in 서울!

I spent this past Saturday indulging in delicious Thanksgiving treats at the US Ambassador's house in Seoul. It was amazing. It was great to see everyone after we've all adjusted to our placements and to winter fashion. I realized it's the last time I'll see some of these people until our Jeju conference in April, which is crazy! At any rate, I'll get to the point: the food. I couldn't believe how MUCH there was! There was turkey, sausage, chapchae, mashed potatoes, rice, teriyaki chicken, sweet potatoes, potato salad, fresh fruit, more meat I couldn't identify, delicious rolls, and then dessert. Another table with pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry pie, cheesecake (several kinds), and an array of pastries that I couldn't identify but that all looked delicious. And that's leaving out the separate table of coffee and cookies by the side. I managed to limit myself to only one helping of dinner and then dessert, but it was difficult, and I couldn't call my one helping "moderate" by any means. But it was incredible. The ambassador was very gracious, even as we were lining up in front of her to take pictures and shmooze. The Seoul ambassador's residence is an incredible traditional Korean-style house that's spacious and beautiful. I was really impressed. When one of the other ETAs joked that I would be the next ambassador to Korea, and therefore the resident of that house, I couldn't help giving the idea a fleeting thought... Oh, wouldn't it be nice? But I haven't decided yet if the foreign service is where my interest lies. We'll see how things go this year. So much is up in the air.

This weekend was also the first time in years that I got to see my uncle who lives in Mongolia. When I arrived in Seoul on Friday night, my aunt told me that he was joining them for dinner, and I should hurry over! So I did, and I ate at a Chinese restaurant with them, and it was really fun to reminisce with them about the times I visited when I was little. He referred to my brother as "the little tyke," still. I told him he'd be amazed- and dismayed- at how much Justin's grown. The little tyke is definitely larger than him now...It's weird how much time's gone by. My aunt and uncle also reminded me of a little joke they told me when I was too young to get it: "Room Nine," literally translated into Korean as 방구 (bang koo), sounds very similar to the common pronunciation of the word for fart (방귀). Then today I told my students about that. I was like, "Okay, think about this. Room Nine. In Korean." There was a silence for maybe 7 seconds or so. Then one of the burst out laughing...then another and soon they were all cracking up. That was fun.

Also today, there were 2 stray kittens inside the school! I wish I had my camera to take pictures of them! they're so small and cute, but one of them, absolutely terrified, bit one of the students when she went to pick it up. The students were running through the halls, first yelling 고양이! 고양이! (Cat! Cat!) and then 우유! 우유! (Milk! Milk!) When I walked by later, one of the kittens was still sitting downstairs, with a small puddle of milk next to it. I wonder if it drank any. I also wonder if it's cold, sitting there by the door! Poor thing. Part of me wants to take it home with me, but I don't want to get bitten.

Anyway, things are about to get busy. This weekend rehearsals start for the orchestra I'm playing in, and I have to be in Daegu by 9am, which means leaving home very early, probably around 7. blah. Also I've been going to the gym every night, which has been interesting! I'll write more on that later...