Saturdays in Seoul

Saturday
This weekend my discovery of Seoul took me to the area of Itaewon. The entire place has the cleanliness of a back alley in Adams-Morgan and alarge presence of expatriots and military alike.
The situation with other foreigners within Korea is this resistance to actually speak to them. There may be brief eye contact, a head nod or a simple smile, but rarely will there be an exchange of words. I have yet to figure out why. . .it may be out of shock from seeing another foreigner or simply an unspoken rivalry between expatriots. I hope to over come this social stigma, just from my experience so far you try and avoid such people like the plague. There are social circles aligned at work and from what I understand not many people have branched out of the circles.
In regard to Itaewon it was comforting to be around Western culture. I had Coldstone Ice Cream as well as and Stella Artois (comfort food/drink). We went to this place called Geckos at Itaewon for dinner, the meals were comparable to American prices but the options for food and beverage were more extensive than anything I have experienced. The atmosphere was nostalgic however it is not on my list of favorite places. Overall is was comforting to be around mass Western culture, but I have had my fix for a while.
Saturday evening was followed by a trip to a night out in Apujong. Again we were greeted with hoards of military personnel and westerners. I drank Jack and Coke out of a bucket and we danced to the same four songs played over and over. The entire Saturday experience was enough to refresh my taste of the States and remind me to appreciate Korea while I am here.
Sunday I purchased my ticket for Busan where I will be visiting Kevin for the three day weekend along with Nicki. The three day weekend is in celebration for Chusak.

Chusok, also known as the Korean Thanksgiving, is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Chusok means a great day in the middle of August. It occurs during the harvest season. Thus, Korean families take this time to thank their ancestors for providing them with rice and fruits. I am going to the beach.The celebration starts on the night before Chusok and ends on the day after the holiday. Thus, many Korean families take three days off from work to get together with family and friends. Basically it is one of the biggest holidays in the Korean calendar.

Monday

This morning I went for a jog and decided to do some exploring. Instead of turning right on a street I know, I turned left and kept going. This turned into another left and after two hours of being lost I found my way home. Having gotten lost on jogs before I disregarded co-workers advice to:

a)wear contact lenses

b) carry your address/someone's phone number

c) take at least 5,000 won with you for cab fare

I did none of the above. Instead I kept going and eventually crossed paths with the number 6 bus which will take you from our apartments to the subway station. In my genius I spent the next 40 minutes chasing the number 6 bus knowing it would guide me home. It eventually did, but I know I never fail to baffle/amuse the Korean neighbors as that insane white woman who shouldn't wear spandex.