More Seoul and Life as a Celebrity!

Heylo. I was just looking through some of my pictures and saw some more I'd like to add. The first is a perfect example of how Itaewan (the "western" section of Seoul) was a bizarre and seedy place. Is this a mistake? What kid of a place is this?? Does it serve coffee. Directly accross the street there were several transvestite prostitutes, so I didn't stop to check it out (and no, I didn't take pictures of the prostitutes, much to Alex's chagrin! I felt bad for those "ladies").





The next picture is me in front of a dragon statue made of bamboo that I thought was pretty cool. It was just on a random street that we were wandering along a little lost after getting into Seoul.





Next: the ladies who come in everyday and clean Naju ET. They're the one's who've taught me so much about super junior, their cell phones, and how much they don't like their hogwans. Everyday they crowd around my desk to try to ask me questions in English or otherwise just look at me for a while. They all want to see my cell phone so they can get my number. This is how our phone conversation would go:

Cathy: Hello?

Geum-bi (for example): Hello Kesi!!

Cathy: Hi. Who's this?

Geum-bi: Cho Geum-bi.

Cathy: Oh, Hi! How are you?? (every kid has learned how to answer this question if you ask slowly enough)

Geum-bi: I am fine. And you? (this is the response that every child has learned)

Cathy: Ohhh, not too bad. Not a lot going on here. What's up? (I've totally lost her)

Geum-bi: Ahhh...

Cathy: I am fine as well.

Geum-bi: OOOOhhh! Good!

Cathy: Yep...

Geum-bi: yes.

Cathy: So... I'll see you at school?

Geum-bi: Yes, yes.

Cathy: (long pause) Okay, bye!

Geum-bi: Bye Kesi!!





They are also always talking about coming to visit my apartment, but they're always busy at night (hogwans) and I'm gone on the weekends so it hasn't happened yet! I'm sure we'd end up watching tooniverse (popular cartoon channel) and talking about super junior!!

Today we had a camera crew in to film the class for some sort of instructional video which was... un-freaking-bearable!!! Dude, do you really need that close-up of my face as I try to pronounce "visiting"?????? STEP BACK!!! We had a future Orson Welles (or Stanley kubrick if that reference was too old) in our very own ET, bossing everyone around and telling everyone where to stand for a few hours. Brendan, a waygook represenentative for the Jeollanamdo Office of Education (very important!) was even called in to "help out". Mrs. Kim, my own personal dating service made sure to mention how woefully single and alone I am. "Cathy must spend time by herself always", "Cathy must go for walks by herself" and the outright "Cathy is single. Are you married Brendan?" etc etc. Kill me now!! But it was all in good fun, and made for an interesting day.