So here we have it, the first entry! Today's (or more accurately, yesterday's) date is Sunday, April 26th, 2009, and I here officially begin my ninety-day countdown to the end of my tenure in South Korea.
I want to emphasize again that this countdown is not, in most ways, really anticipatory, although there are quite a few things about being home I'm looking forward to. On the contrary, this countdown is more about celebrating the remaining time I have in this wonderful country. Kaja! (Let's go!)
This weekend was a busy one, but busy in fairly typical ways - had a good old drink with the crew on Friday night, complete with a nearly three-hour noraebang singstravaganza, and went to my Korean lesson on Saturday, followed by the usual English class + dinner.
Wait a minute. This dinner was a little different.
Usually we stay close to Gangnam, the region where the English classes are held, and, coincidentally, my favorite part of Seoul. Perhaps next weekend when I'm not already backlogged and I have a bit more free time I'll post some pictures I took there/took of the usual weekly festivities there. For whatever reason, however, this weekend our most gracious host and part-time boss Young-bin (or "Bin" as he goes by, or "Bean" as his Korean friends call him, or "Kong" which is Korean for bean, or...") decided to take us to Garak Market (가락시장).
After traipsing through a deserted series of warehouse after warehouse, many of them betraying their day's activities through an empty fruit crate or watermelon rind, we crossed an internal street to the other side of the market, where night became virtual, crowded, sloppy, fetid, sopping, fish-filled day.
The Garak fish market was truly something to behold. Shark, squid, ray, sea cucumber, eel, crab, lobster, shrimp and all manner of cephalopod were on display, dead and alive and ready for sale. We waded (and I mean this quite literally) through the market to the far end, past tanks and tanks of crusty crustaceans and salacious shellfish, until we turned in at a seemingly random fishtank with one fish who just couldn't seem to figure out how to swim upright (I would later use this confused fellow as something of a landmark).
Once past the vendors lining the main thoroghfare of the market, we found ourselves in a curious series of wooden islands populated by tables, seating pads and mountainous plates of seafood. We shucked our shoes in the traditional Korean fashion and sat down to an epic feast of sashimi (raw fish), squid, fish intestines, crab, cockle, sea cucumber and other things I didn't even recognize. All, of course, washed down with plenty of Soju, Korea's own strong, sweet rice wine (tastes a bit like sweetened, weakened vodka).
All in all, quite the dining experience, and definitely something I wouldn't have been able to enjoy if I hadn't made such a group of Korean friends via the class I teach on Saturdays. I can't really think of any way I'd rather spend my day off. I guess I will have to, though, since the class isn't meeting next week on account of it being Buddha's Birthday. I will probalby take that opportunity to recount a few of the more memorable experiences I've shared with Ian, Bin, and all the rest of the Bean's English Club gang.
Currently Listening: "Incredibad" ~The Lonely Island
Currently Reading: "Switch Bitch" ~Roald Dahl
Currently Playing: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
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