Late Update

Written Sunday at 5pm local time:

Oops, I've been neglecting the blog for the past few weeks. All our new experiences and adventures have kept us busy. We are currently in Manila's shabby domestic flights airport. Security here was such a joke! But trying to be better safe than sorry, we arrived at the airport more than 2 hours early. What better to do than to update the blog?

A couple weekends ago, Tim-jangnim (not sure on the actual spelling, but he was Kraig's boss's boss) treated us to a Korean style campfire dinner. I wish we had known this guy early; he has all the right connections! He's pretty high up in the tourism division for Seoul, so he knows all the managers and owners of major tourist spots. Kraig, 3 of the interns, and I met up with him after work and he drove us to the city campground. Normally you need to reserve a spot 2-3 months in advance, but since he knew the owner, there was no need. She got us through all the lines, paid the rental fees for tables and chairs, and helped us pick out the best stuff. Tim-jangnim paid for most of it, which is part of the culture, but surprised us. I guess it's custom that if someone higher up invites you out, it's their treat. They bought mostly meat (a lot of it!) and an onion for me.

I guess most people don't cook for themselves? It was interesting to watch Tim-jangnim figure out how to do the cooking and it was mostly unsanitary. But we figured any germs, uncooked food, and cross-contaminated food would just be part of the experience. On our drive to the campground I was a little skeptical- I didn't really know the people we were with, afraid I'd be starving all night, and nervous it would be an awkward evening. Quite the opposite! One of the Japanese interns, Tomoyo, was so curious about American things. She has been to the USA on a short trip and remembered a lot of brands, which she asked if we used any of them. If we didn't, she would say we weren't American. Very entertaining to hear a foreigner's idea of an American.

We also got to experience a little bit of the Korean drinking culture. They love to drink in Korea, especially older men (although sometimes on the subway I could smell soju on old women's breath). A few things to know: when you drink with elders (or with your employer/employees), there's a little bit of a hierarchy. If a higher up offers you more to drink, you should accept by offering up your empty glass. Also, to show respect, you should hold the glass with either both hands or your right hand with the left hand holding your right hand. (That usually goes for anytime you are accepting something from someone higher up than you) Korean's cheap alcohol is soju; it tastes similar to vodka (gross!), has a high alcohol content (19%), and is cheap ($1.50 for a 16oz bottle, cheaper than beer). Tim-jangnim made us a little concoction of soju and beer, which wasn't that bad.

After dinner, we walked around the campground and down to the river. Their way of camping is very different from what I'm used to. There were equal amounts of tents with walls and tents without walls. Of course it's too hot to sleep in sleeping bags, but they just sleep on the floor. The campsites were on top of each other, which I guess if there's only 1 campground and the wait is 2-3 months, they need to squeeze in as many people as possible.

After our long night (we left at 4pm and got back at 2am), Tim-jangnim graciously drove us back to the dorm. It was definitely a great night that we won't be forgetting anytime soon!