Kind of like a Snow Day.
Yesterday, my third day in Korea, what was supposed to be the biggest typhoon of a decade hit. School was canceled (apparently this never happens!) because the kids said they were not going to show up. There would be no observing classes for us today so Bethany and I each headed out on our own. I was very nervous about exploring Seoul for my first time alone, jittery even, though that could have been the coffee. Despite amazing technology here and lightening-fast internet speeds, the dumbphone I am temporarily using is archaic. I can barely send a text message, and my recipients should not expect any sort of punctuation. Plus, the phone Bethany had actually didn’t work, so I would have trouble contacting her anyway. However, most Korean signs have English translations and if worst came to worst, I could hop in a cab (which is fairly inexpensive) and say “Mokdong Yeok” meaning Mokdong Station, from where I know how to get home.
Yesterday, my third day in Korea, what was supposed to be the biggest typhoon of a decade hit. School was canceled (apparently this never happens!) because the kids said they were not going to show up. There would be no observing classes for us today so Bethany and I each headed out on our own. I was very nervous about exploring Seoul for my first time alone, jittery even, though that could have been the coffee. Despite amazing technology here and lightening-fast internet speeds, the dumbphone I am temporarily using is archaic. I can barely send a text message, and my recipients should not expect any sort of punctuation. Plus, the phone Bethany had actually didn’t work, so I would have trouble contacting her anyway. However, most Korean signs have English translations and if worst came to worst, I could hop in a cab (which is fairly inexpensive) and say “Mokdong Yeok” meaning Mokdong Station, from where I know how to get home.
The weather wasn’t optimal, after all, we were in the middle of a
typhoon, but it didn’t seem unsafe to be outside. If the Koreans thought it was okay, then there was no way I
was going to sit around my apartment all day. And I think in the end, the typhoon ended up being over-hyped. I headed out for what became a long day of exploring and
window shopping. I think the
weather left a fair amount of shopkeepers at home, but plenty still
opened. My day started off at a
10-story mall called D-Cube City, then to the Hongdae area which during the day
has cute boutique shopping, and finally to Itaewon, the international district,
where all things Western can be found.
It was exhausting, but I successfully managed the subway by myself and
dodged as many rain showers as possible.
I have two new purchases to show for the day, one of which is a pair of
wedge sandals. I stared at them
for so long in the shop, I can’t even tell if they are cute anymore. But I’m ecstatic to say that I can fit
into the largest size offered in Korean footwear, meaning I will hopefully
acquire many a cute pairs of shoes this year!
Bethany does not want delay meeting new people outside of work, so we
reunited at a couch-surfing meet-up event at a place called Hollywood
Grill. About 30 people met up,
travelers from Europe, English teachers from the US, and a few Koreans hoping
to make some new friends and practice their English. It was a wide mix of people, but I was struck but how friendly
EVERYONE was. And talk about easy
icebreakers “What brings you to Korea? How long are you here for? Where are you
from?” The several people that I
exchanged numbers with I could definitely see myself meeting up again. Most had been there longer than I had
and also gave me great advice on things to do, see, and eat. So, overall and fun and useful evening!
Big typhoon damage
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