...My Classroom's in Another Country!: Busan...To Seoul...and BACK!!!

I took the opportunity to take one of my remaining weekends off, and head to Seoul with my girlfriend and visit my old "Seoul posse."!!! This was a slight monkey wrench to the plans of the Hermit Kings, but I hear they pulled off a stunning accoustic set at U2 without me. (Of course they could...they are a remarkable, if somewhat scruffy group of musicians!)

So....off to Seoul I went with Mai. New sites, new sounds and lots of Korean people convinced that my Japanese girlfriend is indeed "Korean"; therefore constantly speaking to her in Korean. So...after constant barrages of "I'm not Korean", "She's not Korean", "Please stop speaking Korean, I'm Japanese", "She doesn't understand you, she's not Korean, please speak to me" and many other similar combinations based on the same theme.....we got through the weekend and actually had a pretty good time!

Of course, the proper raleigh point of any good Seoul-expat is Geckos in Itaewon. The greatest pub-menu, this side of anywhere (the Geckos Cheeseburger is the most incredible culinary experience in Korea!). I met with great long-time friends, Dave and Lisa as well as some lovely dregs from my Pagoda teaching days! Mark and his lovely fiancee, Ja-ryang and Lindsay, who, came all the way up from Bundang.....good stuff.

One thing I truly realized this weekend. It's never Seoul that I miss. I don't miss the place; I miss some of the things it has to offer. I don't miss Seoul; I miss Geckos and it's great food. I don't miss Seoul; I miss the "European atmosphere" of having a cocktail at Gecko's Garden. I don't miss Seoul: I miss my ole Pagoda coworkers like Mark, Arin, Jason, Lindsay, etc. I don't miss Seoul; but I miss Rolling Stone in Sinchon. It's the people and "specific" places that I miss, not the city.