Bongeunsa Temple, Gangnam

(in no particular order, cuz trying to do that would put me over the edge)

First, winter in Korea (Jan- Feb) is mostly just cold and dark…very cold…very very cold. And until just a few weeks ago, it was almost dark when I got out of class at 5:30…and most definitely when I got home at 5:50. And when I get home, my hips and back screaming from the walk home AND it’s cold AND it’s dark…I just don’t have what it would take to me to go BACK out. So mostly I just ate early, studied (eh, sorta), did my remote job, watched one episode of a show, and went to sleep. Not really the stuff of scintillating blogs.

One big distraction I did have was THE WORLD. More specifically, the US. I’m not quite sure yet how to proceed on here, since I do share my thoughts on things….let’s just suffice it to say I am really struggling with the status quo and am very VERY distracted by All the Things. It’s all taking up a lot of my mind space.

Moving on.

Lastly, without going into too much detail…a close family member is doing…very poorly. There’s been a lot of back-and-forth over the past month about when I should go…but in the end, I have a flight booked for this coming Saturday to go back to the states for a week. I’m concerned about them, I’m actually quite nervous about getting into and back out of the country…I know that seems crazy, but Things Are Happening and I feel like the title of this era is It’s A Slippery Slope and who knows what’s next?? The least of my concerns (though others have expressed concern) is my airplane falling out of the sky, as so many seem to be doing these days. And I start back to school this week (and will be missing the full second week), so there’s that as well.

Okay. On to some lighter things. What HAVE I been doing?

Met up with my Valentine’s Day friend in Seongsu for lunch, a walk, and talk…this is the Dior store that also has a cafe.

Body lotion shop in Seongsu. Guess what the scent du jour was?

A really good fake cherry tree on a store roof in Seongsu. I had to do a double-take to confirm it was not real. We’ve got another 3 weeks nefore the cherry trees start blooming.

Shose. Seongsu used to be the shoe district.

Dinner with a friend in Kondae, which is where I live. Neither of us got what we thought we were getting.

Solo studying in Starbucks.

We haven’t had a LOT of snow right here this year, but it snowed more often than last year.

This new little place just opened up around the corner from me. It’s just a little drinking place with “anjou,” like little “drinking dishes.” Anyway, she had deliciious cheese corn (yep, it’s exactly what you think it is), AND…see the little red plastic folding tables and chairs?? Those are MINE, baby! As soon as it’s warm enough to sit outside in the evenings, I will drag whoever I can over there with me to just enjoy sitting out on the sidewalk, having a couple drinks and some cheese corn.

Solo Seongsu trip. I was not lonely. But I’m glad someone was on my side.

Solo Seongsu Soup outing.

The soup. I also studied.

Kopiko coffee candy has product placement in like EVERY k-drama.

My final visa extension. My “leave by” date is August 23, 20025.

Spent an afternoon with Valentine’s Day Friend visiting a local temple and tombs in Gangnam…

Temple Dude

We ended the day with dinner at a cute new hot pot place in Seochu-gu with conveyer belt foods and a little train that goes around on a track to bring you your soup. Very entertaining. Do you think I got a picture of the little train? I did not. I’ll try to put the video here.

video_1_dab03dd3a0c44a8082f5fc0c76791b22

At the end of the meal we got popsicles that were unlike anything I’ve ever had before – I LOVED it. A Chinese friend said it’s salt water ice, but…that isn’t what it tasted like AT ALL. It had the faintest faintest Bazooka bubble gum essence…and the ice itself was much harder than your usual popsicle, which was nice cuz it didn’t really melt, even though it took a long time to eat.

Narrowest 7-11 in the world??

I feel like I’m missing some things…but I’ll get them in next time. This seems like enough pictures for one post!

It’s already March 6 as I’m finishing this up. I leave the day after tomorrow for the US. I’m having some Big Anxiety about the trip. Because I have a transfer in a country other than the one I’m departing from, I need to get off the plane in San Fransisco, go through immigration, get my luggage, then re-check-in my luggage, and go through security before getting on the next flight to Florida. Time-wise it’s going to be tight, so I’m STRESSED.