Church Christmas and Soccer

I headed out to church with 4 large bags of gifts for the four children I (and my Mom) sponsored for Christmas. The bags were heavier than I expected and I got quite an arm workout from carrying them.

Luckily I was able to catch a bus from the subway to church and only had to go up some stairs to cross the big street to get to church. I arrived and went into the chapel, only to find the Christmas party happening where we normally have mass. The woman selling tickets said that mass was being held in the small chapel up the hill. (I went there for Ash Wednesday mass in the spring) I hiked up there and we had to wait for the German mass to finish before going in.

After mass, they told everyone to join the Christmas party that had started after the 9am mass and that it would continue until 2 or 3pm. So I headed back down and went in. I bought some tickets to use to buy food from the many stalls set around the space. The countries represented in food selling were Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, USA, France and of course Korea. I got a plate of food from the Philippines since I will be going there soon and wanted to try some food beforehand. Then I got some dessert from the US (Cheesecake-in cupcake form- and lemon pound cake). Both were really good, but the cheesecake. Wow. Just wow. Way better than mine! They had a few people sing some Christmas songs and they were doing raffles for presents. I decided I'd take off because I wasn't really able to find anyone to chat with and I didn't do the raffle.

When I got home, I did some more research and planning for my trip to Cebu. I think I've squared everything away and decided what I'm going to do and when. Then, it took me about 10 minutes to layer up for soccer and I walked there.

This week we had 6 of us and there were 7 high school boys. It was nice because we could play the whole time-especially nice when it's so cold. I don't want to sit out and wait when it's that cold. The high school boys really beat up on us. When we had about 30 minutes left, we swapped 3 of us for 3 of them so our teams were mixed. I had a lot of shots on goal this week, but none went in.

Gifts ready to go!

My plate of food from Philippines stall

Christmas party! This is where we normally have mass

Christmas Market

This morning I woke up early. I was able to skype with my Mom for about an hour. Next was a skype date with grandpa. He and I talked for an hour and a half. I so wish I could just jump through my camera and sit in 3940 E. Armour Ave.

After we finished talking, I went to Seongbuk for their European Christmas Market. I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was mostly food stalls selling different European foods. I first walked around to see all the booths and what they were selling. Then I decided on goulash. After that, I tried some food from Ukraine, a kind of dumpling. I got chocolate mousse from Switzerland. I wanted to try more, but I was really full because the goulash was quite a big serving! I also bought an advent calendar. I'm excited because I haven't had one of those for many years! I thought about buying an advent wreath, but I don't know if I can (or should) light candles in my place. It was so very cold and I was outside for about 3 hours. (They had musicians performing most of the time) When I finally decided to leave, I could barely feel my toes and my legs were all wobbly. Josh messaged me while I was out saying that he was still busy helping his brother. I decided to come home and have another night of research and warmth.

I got some groceries and headed home to make dinner. Though I was still feeling a little full from my treats at the Christmas Market, I made rice with vegetables and it turned out pretty good. I watched some Dr Who and made hot apple cider. I also bought a Poinsettia at Emart to brighten up my room too. :)

Some of the stalls at the market. It was so crowded!

Goulash!

My chocolate mousse

My advent calendar and Poinsettia I bought at Emart :)

Recovering

I've been feeling a little under the weather. Nothing too serious, just a scratchy, sensitive throat. Also feels like my ears are clogged up a little too. It was a good night to just stay him, stay warm, do research and recover.

One of my Inje acquaintances was visiting Seoul from Busan. I got in touch with him and thought we might possibly meet up for dinner or afterwards, but it turns out he was busy helping his brother move. We postponed until tomorrow.

Another Run Day

I was supposed to meet Bohye for dinner tonight. But when I checked in on her, she said she was sick and couldn't meet. She's been taking some courses on how to edit videos and is quite busy so she got sick.

Instead, I suited up for a run. It takes me a good 10 minutes to get ready for a run-I put on so many layers to keep warm. It also looks like I'm probably 10 pounds heavier. When I returned from my run, I made dinner (fried rice) and watched some TV shows. I also did a little bit of research for my upcoming trips. My friend Mike booked our lodging for Hong Kong, so that trip is coming together too.

Class

Nothing too special at school today. After work, I mailed some letters and headed to Myeongdong before class. I wanted to find a pair of gloves for running and soccer. I'm quite bothered though because I KNOW I have at least one pair of gloves like that here. I just can't find them. I've already torn my room apart at least 3 times looking for them. Finally, I caved. It's not worth it and I need to keep my fingers warm!

Then it was on to class. Nothing too special there. Just a few more weeks. But, I figured, if I don't pass again, I will take the class one more time. I'm not crazy about going all the time, but it is nice to have something scheduled once a week. And it is good to be learning and trying to practice in a structured way too. Might as well keep going because it's free. Eventually these grammar points will stick in my head!

Tuesday with Hee Eun

Since I ran on Monday, it was best to meet Hee Eun today for dinner. We went to crazy ddeok and ordered the soy sauce dish, rather than the typical spicy one. It was really good. After dinner, we walked around Hongdae a little bit, but it was so cold! We went into one of the kind of shopping malls and I bought some bracelets.

Then we went to Starbucks to warm up with some hot drinks. There we chatted for an hour or so. Last weekend Hee Eun went on a blind date so it was fun to hear of her date. She liked him enough and will be meeting the guy again on Thursday. We parted ways at the subway.

I came home and bought my Christmas ticket to Cebu! I had a hiccup with my credit card and it was flagged for theft. Luckily Mom was there to save the day and call the Credit Union to straighten everything out and the tickets were purchased.

Cooking our dinner

First Snow Fall

This morning when I awoke, I noticed that there were a few flakes of snow drifting from the sky! The first snowfall of the year.

After work I went for a run, even though it was pretty cold. I missed soccer yesterday because of my weekend trip. I figured some exercise was due. My run was a little bit slower than the previous runs, but I'm going to blame it on the cold weather.

I returned home and made keran jjim (steamed egg) on the stove top with onion, broccoli and carrots. It turned out pretty good and was very easy to make. I had dinner and watched some TV shows. It's been so nice to catch up on some of my favorite shows.