Birthday Bash

I recently celebrated my 23rd birthday and did it in full Korean fashion. A co-worker of mine was also celebrating her birthday, so most of our co-workers came out to celebrate with us. We first met at a local pub called Yale Town. It serves burgers, bottomless curly fries and beer. The curly fries were by far the best part. We even had chocolate cake for dessert. After a couple hours of mingling and eating, we made our way to a karaoke room. In Korea the karaoke rooms are called Noraebang and they are very different from your typical karaoke bar in the states. In Korea you get your own room with a huge projector, which plays a Korean music video while also playing your song of choice. So, than other singing to a group of strangers you sing to your friends. It was a little strange at first, but once you add a little alcohol to the mix everyone starts to sing! Fortunately, they had all of the typical American songs, so we were able to sing our hearts out to some Britney Spears and Beatles. We finally made our way home at five in the morning. While I was completely exhausted the following week, it was a great night.

Our intensive classes are going well. Ian is learning how to communicate with children who understand very little English. He is also starting to perfect his hand gesturing and drawing skills. My grammar class has been a little challenging, but has taught me a lot about different grammar rules! My students are remarkable, which helps me immensely. They understand the majority of the material. Unfortunately, there is more material than both they or I can handle, so we work/learn for three hours straight.

Today we decided to tour Seodaemun Prison. While it was lacking some historical background, it was fascinating to see where the Japanese held Korean freedom fighters. The conditions seemed pretty bad, especially for the Korean women, who were imprisoned underground. On the whole it was an interesting experience.

Tonight we are going to eat barbecue pork that has been cooking in the crock pot. Hopefully it works out!