Ok, so to start off, after kicking myself for not updating since HALLOWEEN(silly silly girl)! I reviewed my life and realized I have just been a wee bit of a hectic mess. My room and kitchen and everything are in far worse disarray than ever before, and it is thanks to my craaazy schedule and my laaaazy bones. So let's rewind approx two weeks, a wee bit more. In Jeonju, about mid-October is a most splendid of days. This day is the Bibimbap festival. What is bibimbap, click on the link provided to find out.
This first one is of me and my friend Jenny just before the big rush. We are in a crowd of hungry people waiting for free Bibimbap. When they started serving, you should have seen the old ladies. They ripped through the "do not cross" tape and attacked the tables of Bibimbap like hyenas. We only make it out alive because one kind woman grabbed us each a bowl and spoon and we ran, ran like thieves.
Later in the day we met up with some friends and discovered it was someones birthday! So of course we hung out and agreed to do whatever she wanted...regret set in the moment I watched what we were about to do. I'm glad I can say that I did it, but being the only tall white blonde on a ride in Korea doesn't exactly say "I'm from here". The guy running the ride picked on us, to see what kind of hell we went through, watch this video and wait until about a minute forty into the video. That was us for a good fifteen minutes throughout the ride. Mind you, your body is pushed off the seat when it jolts forward, so you're hanging on with your legs dangling down. O_O
Halloween! My favorite holiday! Not much to be said, we had a lovely time, the locals thought we were crazy, and everyone got home safe :D
Here is what I did the first weekend in November. It has been so stupidly warm that I went with a group of friends to the highest peak on the mainland of South Korea, in Jiri-San National Park. National Park you say? Why yes, they have national parks in Korea :D This weekend in particular made me homesick for Acadia. First thing I do when I get home, aside from seeing my friends, is go to Acadia and hike my favorite peaks!!
Finally to get you all caught up on my life, this past weekend I went to a wedding! My friend Monica's co-worker was tying the knot and she invited me along as her plus one. That is why I said it's not as far fetched as it used to be for me to get married. Obviously I'm kidding, but the wedding was amazing! First, there was a traditional style wedding.
That is me and Monica with the lovely bride. She was so pretty, and the wedding was so amazing. The most interesting part was probably the venue. They have the weddings in a big wedding hall that has multiple floors. The first two floors have about 3 rooms each where weddings take place, so as many as six weddings could be going on at once! Then once the wedding is done, you go upstairs to the third floor where they have an all you can eat buffet O_O AWESOME! They have to provide food for all of the guests for all of the weddings, all day, so they put out a TON of food.
After the modern ceremony and before the eating, was my favorite part, the traditional wedding. Though she looked beautiful in her wedding gown, this was the one that made me smile the most. She was stunning in her traditional dress, it makes me want to get married in Korea to a Korean boy. Seriously, maybe it's because I'm foreign, and it probably is, but I found this part to be SO much better than the other. It was interactive, with the children pouring tea for the parents, and the parents tossing some kind of nut or fruit into a linen that the children were holding. So new, but what got me was that they were smiling and talking the whole time. That's how I think marriage should be. Not being silent and waiting for your turn to speak, but having a good time with one another, appreciating this new step in your life.
Well that's it for now. Hope I didn't bore you too much. I have to go to bed early tonight so I can make kimchi tomorrow. Since the blog is (albeit incorrectly) named after said food, I suppose I will have to take pictures and do a blog :D Until next time, I hope the world is good to you!
-Sara
