Let the good times roll.. on fire

I tried a soup yesterday that "makes Jalapeños taste like [sweet] fruit." Supposedly it's called "Yukgaejang" Soup. At first I figured, what the heck I think number 2 on the cafeteria menu sounds good especially since I can't understand Korean. It was a roulette game I couldn't loose-- Korean food is great! Well, it wasn't until my beeper went off that I found myself staring at a red, hot, boiling soup in a small black pot when I realized that my spice-less days were over. I found myself staring down at my food, mouth-opened out of amazement. Well needless to say, I finished the entire thing- I figured suffering with the spices now would allow me to eat ANY kind of Korean dish later. Yes, I even gulped down the reddish liquid. By the way, I have not ordered noodles since then.


I love it how there are some Korean people eager to help you. The five of us (excluding John) found the bus stop for 106, paid the 1000 won, and hopped on hoping to head to the Uam Historical Park but not knowing where to get off. We estimated that it would be a 30 minute bus ride. After a while we got a bit anxious. Luckily the bus driver stopped the bus, walked towards us, and started talking Korean-- I think asking where we were going. I showed him my travel book and pointed. He took my book, and started asking if anyone knew English on the bus. You can image how out of place we felt. We got off with a Korean student who showed us the way to the entrance of the park.


Even though Korea is very modernized, there are historical parts that need protection from the government. The historical park is one of them. Also called "Uamsajeok Gongwon," this used to be a place where one of the famous scholars during the Joseon Dynasty, Uam Song Si-Yeol, taught his students. It is a good place to get away from the busy-ness of the city.

On the way back down we stopped at a small store because Matt saw Hello-Kitty socks. I never knew how entertaining some Korean store clerks can be. This lady called me and Tiara sisters, and somehow Annika was our "friend"... who was at first going out with Matt.. until Matt tried to correct her with "no" hand signals, but the lady's brother (I think) said "oh.. you superstar" ... and Anthony later on became our "brother". If you followed that good for you because I could barely keep up. Well, she tried to teach Tiara and Matt some Korean, and when I decided to join in on the conversation she took my hand and branded me "STUDENT" in Korean on my hand.


So now I have "학생" (pronounced Hak ssang) on my palm. No wonder Korean ladies wear gloves- its not to protect their hands from the sun, but from other Koreans!

-Allie R.