Good-byes

With vacation and end-of-the-year activities at school, it's been hard to keep going to yoga regularly, but this week was a new start. I went to yoga on Monday and Wednesday. It was nice to get back into my workout routine. I couldn't run as long on the treadmill nor could I keep my balance during all of the yoga activities. But it shouldn't take too long to be able to rebuild my muscle, as long as I keep going regularly.
On Friday, I went to the school faculty dinner to welcome the new teachers at my school. We ate seafood soup. This Korean dish has everything from king clams to baby clams to live octopus. Literally. I saw them put the octopus in while it was alive. It was squirming while the waiter held it down in our boiling soup. The waiter suggested we eat the octopus first because it just gets too chewy if it sits in the soup for too long. So we each picked up a piece as soon as the waiter left. It was so delicious. The octopus was a perfect amount of chewy and the seasoning of the soup complemented the octopus perfectly. After the dinner, I joined the younger teachers to get come coffee. I missed my Friday yoga class, but I didn't regret it because it was nice to get to know my colleagues better. Hopefully, come Monday, I'll feel more comfortable with them. The teachers at the school talk mostly about school work, but we talked about things I could relate to, too. After coffee, I stopped by home to change and went to The Big Chill for my friend's going away party. Every Friday, this bar has ladies night from 9-11. Girls drink for free. By the time I got there, everyone was merry. After getting a couple drinks, we got some food in Yeongtong and all slept over at a friend's house. We ate homemade rice krispies for dessert there. We were all supposed to wake up at 5 am because the guest of honor had to catch the bus to the airport, but only one of us woke up. She's the second or third Suwoner to leave this month and more will leave in the upcoming weeks. It's a sad time of the year. The friends I make in Korea are like family to me. We talk about the cultural differences we face in Korea. We share stories about our students. We make fun of each other. We go on trips around Korea. Korea would be a lonely place without the friends I find in foreigners here. Today, I feel especially thankful for all of the friendships I've gained in Korea.