Weekend Gallivanting

Angie and I spent yet another wonderful weekend in Daegu…we went to a Christmas party, bonded with some Koreans over a game of Ra (or “La” as they call it), went to a bar with a bunch of English guys and gals, and on Sunday we gave my room a makeover. And after Angie left I went to Nanta (a Korean version of Stomp, but with kitchen appliances and utensils) with another MoonKkang teacher in the area. Not a bad weekend.

The Christmas party consisted of about 70 MK teachers, lots of pitchers of Hite, several tables of American holiday food (turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, etc.), and a crazy game of Bad Santa (Chinese Auction or Yankee Swap for those at home). At one point in the game I had a bottle of Bailey’s, but it was stolen from me…twice…and I ended up with a bottle of South African shiraz. Still not bad. Angie and I shared a pitcher of soju mixed with cranberry juice. Angie likes to say that soju tastes like rubbing alcohol if you drink it straight, but when mixed with juice it’s quite pleasant. A few hours into the party we were both feeling a little sleepy and homesick so we went home and cried in each other’s arms. No, I’m kidding about that part, but we did have a bit of an emotional moment. It’s tougher than I thought it would be to be away from home for the holidays (but it was wonderful to see the Bourret’s on the 26th…you made my day!).

Saturday was a day of gallivanting and exploration.
We putzed around my neighborhood, did a little shopping, and later met up with a friend who introduced us to his Korean friends. We traveled to the University district on the other side of Daegu to meet up with Mike (Angie’s coworker from Busan) and his friends Sun Mi, Minnie, Moon, Myung Go, Dice, and Sun Mi’s boyfriend (whose name I’ve forgotten). We played a couple intense games of Ra (Koreans are VERY competitive), and then the Korean girls had to go because of their curfew (most Korean girls live with their parents until they get married, and most Korean girls have a curfew when they live with their parents) so we headed downtown to meet some of Mike’s British friends. The people were friendly, but the cigarette smoke was a bit too much to handle so Angie and I headed home after staying for the appropriate amount of time. And I successfully navigated us back to my place in a taxi (the drivers generally only speak Korean). San-gyeok dong, day-do shi jong, ga juseyo. It means, “Please take me to the San-gyeok neighborhood near the Dae Do market.” Over the course of the weekend I also learned the words for right, left, straight, beautiful, go away, come here, and see you next time. Not too shabby, eh?

Sunday we slept in late, decorated my room a bit with some decals I got at E-Mart, and then Angie had to go home to Busan.
I met up with a friend to see Nanta, a Korean musical performance that’s quite a bit like Stomp back home. The difference is that this particular performance is done entirely with kitchen utensils and appliances. The storyline is about 3 chefs that have to prepare 6 wedding feasts in one hour, and they have to do it with the manager’s nephew screwing around in the kitchen. Quite amusing. There is very little conversation, but the music and dancing was wonderful, and there was also a comedic element to some of the performance. Overall, it was well worth seeing.

And next weekend I head down to Busan to see Angie’s city, and of course I’ll be sure to let everyone know how it goes.