I had my iPhone so that I could keep up with e-mail and FB but now everything will be easier. That tiny phone screen gets old.
So first- a Seoul update:
I put my pictures (most of them) up on Facebook.
Here are some of the things I did/saw:
-When I first got to Korea I hated it. HATED it. Partially because I was on a cramped plane ride for 18 hours next to some girl who was sobbing because she was leaving home for the military for a year, I bought a ridiculously expensive egg sandwich (which was so small) and then dropped it on the plane floor; I stepped on my glasses because I fell asleep and they came off; I got on the wrong bus at the airport to go to my house for the week; I couldn't find the guy I was supposed to meet up with....yeah, everything sucked. On Monday I just got on the metro alone and wandered the streets lost and scared. BUT THEN...
- I met amazing people. The people on this trip were so fun to be around. And once the conference started I was surrounded by people that do what I do- teach ESL or EFL. That was SO nice, since where I work I am the ONLY one and I am isolated like a little island. :(
Monday night I ended up meeting up with a girl from PA over there- Sara- and this guy from Alabama who is living in Tokyo teaching English-Josh. We met up at this HUGE mall and then went exploring together. Josh had lived in Seoul for a year, so he knew where to go and a bit of the language. So I spent the first couple days touring with them.
-I toured palaces, secret gardens, temples, went up in the tower and saw the changing of the guards. I went shopping and tried new foods. The food was not my favorite and it made it difficult that I am allergic to shellfish since they put that in everything. But the good thing was that Josh was craving American cuisine since in Tokyo it is too expensive, so we got to eat Western food a few times. And once we ate Mexican! :) Yum!
-Once Thursday rolled around and I knew I had to get up early for "school" I was bummed. BUT it turned out that "school" was awesome. Apparently people came from all over to hear my professors speak. They are the top in the field and I was so happy to be able to meet them. The first 2 days of the conference it was only my University classmates, then they opened it up to the public. I met people from all over the world and the sessions were informative and interactive. NOT BORING! :) There was this panel discussion and we had to submit questions to be answered and they selected the questions for the next day and mine was one of the 5 questions they chose and there were like 60 people there! So I was so thrilled they picked my question!
-Every night after "class" we went out- there was about 40 of us? But we usually split into 2/3/ or 4 groups. We went out for dinner and drinks and had a great time. Friday night we went to this rooftop bar where they had music playing and a bonfire. We thought the place was going to burn down, but we had a great time. And a great view of the city at night!
-Saturday night we had a big farewell party at a pub and we surprised our Prof. with a birthday cake. He was the President of TESOL and awesome! He kissed me on the cheek! :) haha. Then since it was our last night, everyone went off to do something and I headed off with a group of 6 to go to a dance club. Best. time. ever. Seriously, I felt so far removed from my work life and I could just relax and have fun and dance!!! Since there were 6 of us, 3 guys/3 girls, we all had a dance partner. We stayed out til about 3 and then I took a cab home. I got in at about 4 AM and then had to pack for the airport and be up at 6 for class. HAH. What a joke. No amount of coffee could have helped.
-Despite being sleep deprived, the trip was worth it. Getting back was rough- flights delayed and got in at about 3 AM and was at work by 7. Also a joke- I was a zombie all week.
I felt so independent on this trip. I had to navigate subways and walked all around this huge city every night (after I left my friends) alone so I felt free and adventurous. I cried on the plane coming home. I didn't want to leave my friends. Since we are all spread out, I don't know if I will ever see them again. :(
There is something incredibly freeing and eye-opening when you experience a trip alone like this. I was able to think about so much and really have a time of self-discovery, as cheesy as that sounds.
So here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:
Sorry that I don't know how to format the pictures so they look nice on a blog. These are some of my favorites, but you can check out facebook for more!
Also, I hope everyone went out to vote today! I made sure I voted to cancel out my boyfriend's vote. ;) Haha.
Hope to be blogging more now that I have all-access to the web!
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