Saturday, February 21, 2009

I had a great time with Young-Sook, Steven, and Claire in Seoul. They were so incredibly sweet and hospitable. We went to Namdeamun and Insadong markets and to some really upscale mall. We had odeng in the market, Starbucks coffee (with Young-Sook), a really nice lunch of this beef stew with seafood and the dish that looks like an omelet with oysters, and a red-sauce other seafood dish, and dongdongju (rice drink). Everything was so delicious. I had great talks with Young-Sook about ESL teaching and learning and with both of them on every other thing that came up. Their vivacious 6-year old was a real trooper. We hung out until 9:00PM! I took the bus back, which stops near the KTX train station. The bus trip was not bad at all, and the luxury bus was half the price of the KTX. I’m not sure if it was just closer from where we were or if I would have been too late for the last KTX train, but I was up for the adventure. In some ways the bus was nicer because the luxury seat leans back and a leg rest pops up, so you can sleep. The trip is about an hour and a half longer, but I had the latest Steven Pinker book (The Stuff of Thought) that I am borrowing from my neighbor, Paeder. Taking the bus reminded me of taking the bus anywhere. It's all the same; I was really glad for the one rest stop for a bathroom break. Steven said that the bus terminal was near the train station, so all I had to do was follow the people getting off, no chance of getting lost or ending up in Timbuktu. I planned to take a taxi from there to Kyungpook, but the bus stopped somewhere else first, and some people got off, so I asked a young man/boy to be sure where I had to get off. He said that that stop was West Daegu, and that I needed the East Daegu, the last stop at the terminal. When we arrived, he waited for me and asked if I wanted a ride to Kyungpook, that he lived nearby. His dad had come to pick him up. Wasn't that nice?! I accepted. The boy's name is Jeong-Eun (sp?). He graduated from HS last week is going to Seoul National in March. He wants to be an earth scientist. I gave him my card in case he ever came to Austin.

Home in six days! Love to everyone.