I can't believe it's already been two months since I renewed my contract and started a new year here in Korea. There has been so much that has happened. I figure I have one more year here so I have to make it count and do all the things I didn't before. After Chuseok, I was still trying to do as much as possible before summer ended. It was like I was chasing summer. Every weekend I was going somewhere. First, I went to the Seoul Drum Festival with Hyung Won (my speed date match whom I haven't seen since this festival). It was very interesting because I just expected to meet him there and hang out while watching some drum performances. I didn't expect it to turn into a date but that's what it turned in to. We got there too early before the performances started so we walked across the street to Deoksugung Palace and caught the Changing of the Royal Guards. After it finished we walked in to explore it and the small art museum inside. When we left we walked along the palace walls in the Jeong-dong neighborhood. It dawned on me that we weren't just hanging out when he said, "this area is known for being a romantic place and walking here is good luck for relationships." I said, "Oh, I didn't know that...I came here before by myself." He said, "Well, now you're here with me."
During September the much anticipated Asian Games were held in Incheon so I had easy access to such a monumental event. It was so cool to walk down the street and see so many athletes from all across Asia. To kick off the start of the Games, there was a Kpop Concert. I was so excited to finally be able to go to my first Kpop concert. I listen to so much Kpop and had not gone to any concerts in my first year. It was wonderful because there were so many popular groups that performed. Some of them were a little lackluster but others really put on a show. I, of course, felt like I had to go to a couple of sports events even though I don't really like sports. I went to a basketball game with Daniel who I went to Modo Island with. I realized that with a third person with us at Modo, he was easy to get along with, but when it was just the two of us it was very boring. He did not stay the whole time and left me by myself to watch the second game. Luckily, the second game was more entertaining! A couple weeks later I also went to a tennis game.
Before the end of September, I did a couple more outdoorsy activities like going to Namiseom Island (which is east of Seoul) with my friend Sunny. It was beautiful, calm and relaxing. If it was not so far away I would go there often. I got to make my own glass jewelry there and the glass-maker was so nice he made another one for my friend and gave me a special one with a snowman on an icicle. I also went with the WinK group on an overnight trip to the Andong Mask Festival. I met a lot of down to earth and funny people there but, as usual, there was no one I made a really strong connection with that I could hang out with back in Incheon/Seoul.The festival was also great and I loved the serene nature of Hahoe village. It was country but made me feel the real beauty of Korea.
Luc Amoros artists
In early October there were still a lot of Korean holidays so I was off once a week for a couple of weeks. There was a long weekend that I could go to the famous Busan Film Festival. Before going to Busan, I went to an upcoming movie screening "Seoul Searching" by director Benson Lee, the Hi Seoul Festival and a Gangnam Fashion Show with Soozie. I talked to a couple people at the movie screening and there was this one guy that looked soooo familiar but I couldn't figure out where I saw him from. I talked to him about where he was from, what he thought of the movie, etc. and he seemed just like a regular person. As soon as I got home I googled his name and it turned out that he was an actual TV star here in Korea. I had even seen some of the TV dramas he was in! Even on the bus to Busan, his reality TV show was playing. Now back to Busan...I was so tired from the movie screening the night before that I missed my train the next morning (by 5 minutes)! So, I had to quickly think of a plan B. I decided to head to the local bus terminal and took the bus which added an extra 5 hours to my trip. I was still very determined to get there. One thing that's great about Korea is that you automatically get a refund if you miss your transportation. I finally got to Busan and I was running all over the place. I ran to the ticket booth, then to check-in to the Guesthouse Coooool hostel (which was beautiful by the way), then the movies, then to get food, then to another movie, then to dinner and back to the hostel. The weather was taking a turn and getting colder. I kept
trying to block the cold air from my ears by holding my scarf over them
and one thing that really angered me at the end of my night was when a
group of black people walked past me and said, "Damn, it ain't THAT
cold." Who are they to tell me how cold I am and why did they
have to be the ones to say it? Why did they have to criticize me with no
censor, when I was just walking, minding my business? It just made me
think how being in Korea, I still can't escape people like that. I was soooo tired I couldn't stay up any later, which was definitely disappointing. The next day, the hostel hosts made a delicious breakfast and I was off to watch one more movie before heading back home. The thing I love about film festivals is that the directors come for Q&A after their movie. It's very insightful to hear their intentions for the movies. I saw three diverse movies and one was actually a Korean mainstream blockbuster movie. I didn't see any Korean movie stars though. The good thing about taking the bus back is that it goes straight to Incheon Bus Terminal down the street from my house.
Director Jochen Alexander Freydank Q&A
The next weekend, I hung out with Anakaren who I have been seeing less and less (she has new friends). We went to the Itaewon Global Festival and walked around fast paced trying to find space. It was ridiculously crowded and frustrating but it was a unique experience in Korea to find so many diverse food booths in one place and it all smelled so good. There was some entertainment but we didn't watch them for long. The only moment when me and Anakaren sat down and talked was when we sat in front of a pie store while she ate...and on the train. Other than that it was pretty hectic. It was interesting how Koreans came up to us asking to "interview" us. That was a first for me. We departed on the note that we would hang out again on Halloween. Fast forward to the end of November and I have yet to hear from her, let alone hang out again. I did reach out to her about Thanksgiving but she was not really trying to meet up again. It's sad because I don't have many friends here and holidays feel even more lonely so spending it with the few friends I have is always nice. I guess she's doing her own thing. It may be a good thing because it gives me more time to work on my design....or so I thought.
P.S.- The #HappySeoul video I participated in finally came out. You can catch me toward the end. Look hard!
I can't believe it's already been two months since I renewed my contract and started a new year here in Korea. There has been so much that has happened. I figure I have one more year here so I have to make it count and do all the things I didn't before. After Chuseok, I was still trying to do as much as possible before summer ended. It was like I was chasing summer. Every weekend I was going somewhere. First, I went to the Seoul Drum Festival with Hyung Won (my speed date match whom I haven't seen since this festival). It was very interesting because I just expected to meet him there and hang out while watching some drum performances. I didn't expect it to turn into a date but that's what it turned in to. We got there too early before the performances started so we walked across the street to Deoksugung Palace and caught the Changing of the Royal Guards. After it finished we walked in to explore it and the small art museum inside. When we left we walked along the palace walls in the Jeong-dong neighborhood. It dawned on me that we weren't just hanging out when he said, "this area is known for being a romantic place and walking here is good luck for relationships." I said, "Oh, I didn't know that...I came here before by myself." He said, "Well, now you're here with me."
During September the much anticipated Asian Games were held in Incheon so I had easy access to such a monumental event. It was so cool to walk down the street and see so many athletes from all across Asia. To kick off the start of the Games, there was a Kpop Concert. I was so excited to finally be able to go to my first Kpop concert. I listen to so much Kpop and had not gone to any concerts in my first year. It was wonderful because there were so many popular groups that performed. Some of them were a little lackluster but others really put on a show. I, of course, felt like I had to go to a couple of sports events even though I don't really like sports. I went to a basketball game with Daniel who I went to Modo Island with. I realized that with a third person with us at Modo, he was easy to get along with, but when it was just the two of us it was very boring. He did not stay the whole time and left me by myself to watch the second game. Luckily, the second game was more entertaining! A couple weeks later I also went to a tennis game.
Before the end of September, I did a couple more outdoorsy activities like going to Namiseom Island (which is east of Seoul) with my friend Sunny. It was beautiful, calm and relaxing. If it was not so far away I would go there often. I got to make my own glass jewelry there and the glass-maker was so nice he made another one for my friend and gave me a special one with a snowman on an icicle. I also went with the WinK group on an overnight trip to the Andong Mask Festival. I met a lot of down to earth and funny people there but, as usual, there was no one I made a really strong connection with that I could hang out with back in Incheon/Seoul.The festival was also great and I loved the serene nature of Hahoe village. It was country but made me feel the real beauty of Korea.
In early October there were still a lot of Korean holidays so I was off once a week for a couple of weeks. There was a long weekend that I could go to the famous Busan Film Festival. Before going to Busan, I went to an upcoming movie screening "Seoul Searching" by director Benson Lee, the Hi Seoul Festival and a Gangnam Fashion Show with Soozie. I talked to a couple people at the movie screening and there was this one guy that looked soooo familiar but I couldn't figure out where I saw him from. I talked to him about where he was from, what he thought of the movie, etc. and he seemed just like a regular person. As soon as I got home I googled his name and it turned out that he was an actual TV star here in Korea. I had even seen some of the TV dramas he was in! Even on the bus to Busan, his reality TV show was playing. Now back to Busan...I was so tired from the movie screening the night before that I missed my train the next morning (by 5 minutes)! So, I had to quickly think of a plan B. I decided to head to the local bus terminal and took the bus which added an extra 5 hours to my trip. I was still very determined to get there. One thing that's great about Korea is that you automatically get a refund if you miss your transportation. I finally got to Busan and I was running all over the place. I ran to the ticket booth, then to check-in to the Guesthouse Coooool hostel (which was beautiful by the way), then the movies, then to get food, then to another movie, then to dinner and back to the hostel. The weather was taking a turn and getting colder. I kept
trying to block the cold air from my ears by holding my scarf over them
and one thing that really angered me at the end of my night was when a
group of black people walked past me and said, "Damn, it ain't THAT
cold." Who are they to tell me how cold I am and why did they
have to be the ones to say it? Why did they have to criticize me with no
censor, when I was just walking, minding my business? It just made me
think how being in Korea, I still can't escape people like that. I was soooo tired I couldn't stay up any later, which was definitely disappointing. The next day, the hostel hosts made a delicious breakfast and I was off to watch one more movie before heading back home. The thing I love about film festivals is that the directors come for Q&A after their movie. It's very insightful to hear their intentions for the movies. I saw three diverse movies and one was actually a Korean mainstream blockbuster movie. I didn't see any Korean movie stars though. The good thing about taking the bus back is that it goes straight to Incheon Bus Terminal down the street from my house.
The next weekend, I hung out with Anakaren who I have been seeing less and less (she has new friends). We went to the Itaewon Global Festival and walked around fast paced trying to find space. It was ridiculously crowded and frustrating but it was a unique experience in Korea to find so many diverse food booths in one place and it all smelled so good. There was some entertainment but we didn't watch them for long. The only moment when me and Anakaren sat down and talked was when we sat in front of a pie store while she ate...and on the train. Other than that it was pretty hectic. It was interesting how Koreans came up to us asking to "interview" us. That was a first for me. We departed on the note that we would hang out again on Halloween. Fast forward to the end of November and I have yet to hear from her, let alone hang out again. I did reach out to her about Thanksgiving but she was not really trying to meet up again. It's sad because I don't have many friends here and holidays feel even more lonely so spending it with the few friends I have is always nice. I guess she's doing her own thing. It may be a good thing because it gives me more time to work on my design....or so I thought. 
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