Friday afternoon I left school, walked home accompanied part of the way by two of my 6th grade students. It is normal for me to be accosted by students on my way home. I often feel like Snow White at Disney Land, with the kids flocking towards me. I rather like it, as it makes me feel important. At some point though I want to put in my earphones and just be alone for a bit. This particular Friday, in an effort to get some Jenn time, I handed the girls 1000 won and told them to get some candy. They took it and started to run off, only to be attacked by a wizened ajuma who, in perfect English, smacked them and shouted, "Say thank you!" The girls bowed profusely, said thank you, and then scampered into the store for their candy. The little old lady then turned to me and said, "So beautiful!" then went on her way. I love her now.
After paying some bills and ending up at home, I accidentally fell asleep for a few hours. Upon waking it was time to shower, throw on some new clothes and head to Gyeongju for a going away party. Gyeongju was city number one on my whirlwind adventure. Fun was had, Lizzi and Howard said goodbye to everyone, John sang, tears were shed, and then it was time to find a motel for the night. I ventured back towards the bus station thinking it would be easy to get a room. This is important: Because I thought it would be quick and easy, I did not use the bathroom before I left the bar. I entered the first motel and was greeted by a woman making an ex sign with her arms. In Korea this means no. Slightly crestfallen, I left and headed to the next nice looking motel. Cue the fail buzzer again. Number three was no better, and at this point my teeth hurt, I had to pee so badly. Motel number four was also a no go, and by number five I was near tears. Thankfully the little old man had a room for me. He looked a bit worried though and kept saying, "Ondol, ondol!" That meant I would be sleeping on the floor, traditional Korean style. I didn't care, as long as it had a toilet and a pillow... which it did. Ten minutes later I was greatly relieved and passed out on a heated mat on the floor.
Day two started with me waking up confused. Where was I and why was on the floor? Once that got sorted out in my head it was time to pack up my stuff and head back to the bus. I had to catch the 10am but to Busan, in order to meet Marie at 1pm. By some strange miracle I actually managed to be on the bus by 9:58am. Armed with water, a can of coffee, and some yogurt, I was ready to go. One hour long bus ride later I was in Busan, city number two. Another hour on the subway and I was in Marie's apartment. My efforts were well rewarded by getting to see Marie and her lovely South African goodies. Hmm, let me rephrase that. Marie recently went back to South Africa and brought me some candy. Well armed with chocolate we headed out for the next leg of the journey. Jinhae for the cherry blossom festival.
It turns out that Jinhae is a popular place to visit during the festival. According to one of my co teachers it is where the first cherry trees in Korea were planted. We had to wait next to something fairly malodorous (old food and gasoline maybe?) for about 20 minutes before being allowed on a bus. We were lucky though, we were able to get seats. Some others had to stand for the hour ride, one with a comically large decor plant.
In Jinhae I wanted to find a motel room right away, to avoid a replay of the night before. Once that was settled it was time to head to the festival itself. Into the crush of people we forged, found a stall, got some seats, and got lunch, Korean pancakes with green onions, other vegetables, and octopus. Pictures were taken of the trees and people. Marie kept expecting a bride to appear, walking through the almost entirely white trees. They were all fluffy and soft looking, like they had been frosted. The people were pretty interesting too, with couples, and sometimes whole families, dressing in matching outfits.
After we had our fill of sight seeing, we camped out in a coffee shop for what turned out to be about two hours. Marie eventually had to head back to Busan, so she handed me off to another friend who was in Jinhae and headed home. My friend and I had dinner, pork roasted on a spit over hot coals which nearly gave me a food orgasm, had a bit of a wander, and then called it a night.
Day three and time to head home. After breakfast my friend and I tried to take a cab to the bus station. Apparently the cab driver thought he could just drive us all the way back to Gyeongju. Nervous laughter and a couple of phone calls to Koreans later we were unceremoniously dropped at a bus terminal in Masan... not exactly where we planned to be. Luckily the ride afforded some more sight seeing and a funny story. Masan was city number 4. City number 5 was Daegu, otherwise known as the only bus we could get anywhere near our actual destination. From Daegu it was back to Gyeongju, and then home sweet home, Pohang.
So, that was my crazy weekend. Now it is time to put squid ink in my hair.
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