Gobble Gobble!

From Collages

Turkey day was an unbelievable success. I feel pretty guilty about how little work I did on the actual day. But, all the ladies kept on getting kicked out of the kitchen - so couch potatoe winos it was.

Michael, Jesse, and Jake headed over to our boss Kris' house around 10:30 a.m. Jake had the 16 pound turkey strapped in his backpack and tons of other dishes in a large red tote. It was quite the ordeal. They really worked magic in the kitchen and deserve tons of credit along with Kris and her husband Sang Hun who would not even let us touch a dish.

Kim and I arrived around 12:30 with the other Korean teachers. Carrie, Claire, Elin and her husband all joined us for fun. I made a tasty cheese platter with fruits and the Korean's brought loads of appetizers as well. We enjoyed crab crepes, tuna rolls, tofu balls, and squid pajeon with plenty of wine naturally. The fusion and sharing added to the enjoyment.

We kept things nontraditional by playing a seasoon of Friends on the bigscreen tv instead of the usual football. But, the laughs were nonstop as always. Elin brought some homemade bokbunja, raspberry wine, that she declared improved men's stamina and brought many babies to her husband's family. This was followed by Jake spitting his out and Elin coaxing her husband by shouting in a high pitch, "Drink more honey!"

Next, we semi-watched the Juno movie which shocked the Koreans in many ways. To be an unmarried pregnant mother is very shameful and not widely accepted here. Abortions are secretive or women often go into hiding. My friend told me that adoption is also extremely hush-hush and a couple will actually move for a year or two so that they can say they had the baby without faking a pregnancy. Yup, things are different. It led to some interesting discussions nevertheless. Although, my favorite was when Juno was dancing with the husband who was soon to adopt her baby. Carrie nonchalantly replies, "Oh, inappropriate relationship. They should get an apartment." Really? Would that 16 year old to 40 year old creepster relationship actually be appropriate in an apartment? Pretty sure she was joking, but it was incredulous stuff.

Next, we feasted on a very successful potluck of foods. Everyone made something from their families Thanksgiving. Jesse made mounds of mashed potatoes and the yams. The yams were especially exciting because he mistakenly bought the bright purple sweet potatoes. Now, that adds color to the plate. Michael made his mom's signature broccoli salad along with a lavish mac and cheese. Jake worked hard at homemade chesnut, apple stuffing and I opened cans for green bean casserole. Sorry mom, but I really like it. Kris made some chinese cabbage salad and other sides that added to the delight.

After dining on the floor Korean style, we decided to play an awesome 2 hour card game called head to toe. It is way to complex to explain, but it involved lots of teams, bickering, and table talk - priceless.

We stayed until after 10 p.m. without even realizing where the day went. It was a blast and we were grateful to share the goodtimes. Jake kept saying, "he was sooooo happy." And that made me even more happy ; )

Kim's Birthday Weekend

Kim's Birthday weekend in Seoul was quite the debacle. It started early as Jake and I sprinted up 15 flights of subway stairs to the KTX speed train station just minutes before our train departed. After pushing our way past reams of travelers we spotted the rest of the crew on the tracks. Phew, sometimes trying to save a few by taking the subway instead of a taxi just isn't worth it.

Aboard the train, Jesse started the day lavishly with champagne. We popped the bottle and played some rummy which granted us plenty of stares from the other patrons. It was 11:00 am - give us a break. In just under an hour, we arrived in Seoul.

The first stop was Itaewon. We dined at the Ecume wine bar for lunch. Jake was in a state of bliss as he savored a rare, blue cheese steak. Generally, steak doesn't come with a temperature request here and is served well-done if served at all. Kim was less lucky in her meal selection and ended up with an anchovie laden bowl of olives that was deemed pasta. Then, things got worse when she put her long-sleeve white shirt in a pool of red wine that the chef slash sommelier left as a parting gift on the table. That coupled with a few dropped olives on the chest resulted in some raucous laughing. Hey, when stuff goes wrong you might as well stay up beat.

The day continued with a stop at Bill and Robyn's luxury apartment. They are friends of Kim and Jesse from back home, but Bill works for an automotive company and is hooked up. The surprises continued with a delectable, chocolate birthday cake and more champagne.

An hour or so later, we made our way to the Samseong area to catch what was supposed to be the highlight of the day - the Hedwig Musical. While the show was visually enticing, the entire script was one man singing his story. Lack of acting and visuals left us perplexed in a sea of Korean. Good thing there was lots of rock music and spastic melt downs on the stage to wake us from our champagne induced naps. Maybe the theatre should wait until it's in English - ha, ha.

After catching back up with Jake, the only wise one who refused to spend 60,000 won on a musical, we headed to Apgujeong. This is a posh dining area full of trendy shops. We went to a aesthetically impressive Thai-Italian restaurant called, "Zen Living Space." Naturally, we had a humongous corner with three plush red couches the size of beds arranged around a large wooden family style table. Bamboo screens kept us hidden from the other restauranters. I think this may have been intentional ; ). Jake and I were winding down on our budget, but shared some tom yum soup, pad see yu, and sangria. It was lovely.

Of course, the night would not have been complete without more drinks and fun so the shenanigans continued to the Wa Bar which boasts an island of beers in a built in bar which we moseyed up to. After a few drinks, people parted ways. Jake and Michael were too sleepy to continue. Reluctant to end the Seoul journey early, I met up with Sabrina and a bunch of her friends. We tried our feet at salsa and then headed to a funk dance club until way too late. All in all, a good trip.

The "REAL" Halloween Party

Unfortunately, Jake's sickness required a change in location for the planned festivities. Luckily, Michael was willing to get his room trashed for a good cause. We decorated with the minimal supplies we could find in Korea. Trust me, this is several days and numerous stores later...so don't knock it. Kim's tissue ghost streamers really took the room to the next level though. Saddly, only about half of the Korean's wore a costume and the others disappointed us. We meant to paint their faces, but got distracted by games and fun.

Jake and I had created a silly scavenger hunt earlier in the week. We invented corny riddles that hinted at locations around our apartment complex to find clues from the roof to an old, smelly mattress in a stairwell. Then, we hid small treasures with the clues and had the Koreans divide into two teams for the battle. It ended up being hysterical. Watching them frantically run up and down stairwells searching for more riddles. One involved Trick-or-Treating at Kim and Jesse's where they got to sample their first jello shots. The downer came when they had to venture to the park in the rain. Carrie jumped up to reach the clue and slipped down the slide into rain, sand, and mud. Note to Erin: You are taller than most Korean women.

The other hit of the evening was SwAMp PuNCh. I concocted a mixture of rum, cider, lemonade, limeade, melon sherbert, and plastic fingers. It turned out a mucus green, but tasted delish. I lured many to the dark side with the tastiness. I originally bought a pretty punch bowl for the mixture, but shattered it after an incident that involved opening the ice bag with a butcher knife over the sink. No more details necessary. Ha, ha.

Well, we hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween. Jake is still not feeling too great and was sad to miss all the excitement. I'm sure it would have been 100x better with him aboard.