................Taking Flight...............: Back to Seoul Sunday

I slept really well last night. When I got up, Jungyoon and I had bread. Then we just hung out and watched tv. Her parents drove me to the bus station and her dad gave me an envelope of money. They also gave me a lot of advice about teaching in the car. ^.^ It was sad to say goodbye, but I’m sure I will see them all again.

The bus ride was not very eventful. I didn’t sleep except for the last maybe 30 minutes of the ride. I arrived in Seoul and I was struck by how busy and how many people there are mashing about. I forgot how rude and pushy people in Seoul are. The southern part of Korea is much more laid back and people are friendlier and I think a little more kind. They are not so busy and ‘go-go-go’.

I hopped on the subway to get to the station near the guesthouse. My friend suggested I not walk to the guesthouse but either take a bus or get a taxi; and Jungyoon’s dad told me to take a taxi with the money from him because it is too hot to be walking so much with my heavy bags. I got a taxi and called the office to tell the taxi driver how to get here. When I arrived, Mrs. Jung, the ‘house ajuma’ was waiting in the alley for me. She helped me with my bags, but funnily enough, it was my lightest one. Anyway, I was shown how to enter through all the doors and everything and given a tour of the guesthouse.

I decided it wouldn’t be too bad to walk back to the subway to get to church because I wasn’t carrying much with me. I went to church and after, I met with my soccer team for dinner. One of the players is returning to Italy at the end of the week and he wanted everyone to get together. The group played today, but with church and my toe, I decided I would pass and wait a few more weeks (next week is the start of my orientation and the following week I’ll still be at orientation). While I was at Jungyoon’s house, she had me put on some medicine (some kind of iodine?) that is supposed to help with the discoloration from the bruising and maybe it helps some other way too. I’m not really sure, but her dad also strongly recommended to me that I use it, so I did. The team and I went to an all you can eat grill your own meat buffet. I didn't eat much because I sat with the Italian (Soo Bok) and his wife and they are vegetarian. I had to use a grill on a different table and it was a little awkward reaching around the guy sitting next to me.