Surprise! Hope has gatherings in Seoul

On Monday, I got an unexpected message from K: Hope alum were gathering the following evening for a get-together with local Korean fathers whose children were in Michigan, professors on sabbatical, and alumni located in South Korea. Little did I know, there's quite a little business going on. (Shout out to K! Without whom, I would not have known about the dinner). 

Well, I emailed, and emailed, and emailed that Monday night, and eventually I got connected with the two gentlemen who were in charge of said event. They encouraged me to come and that they were excited to see me (and sorry that I wasn't on the list, apparently I'm still located in Okemos. News to me.) 

Tuesday. Spontaneous Tuesday. I bought my tickets Tuesday, went to and from Seoul on Tuesday, and  did not manage to get to bed while it was still Tuesday.. Tuesday was long. But so so good. I was a bit hesitant about going all the way to Seoul (almost a 2 hour train ride on the slow train, one-way) on a school night, but how often do Hope alums get together in Korea? More often than I thought.

Not only did I make it all the way to Seoul in one piece, I even made it to the right restaurant! (With a little help from new Hope friend D). I transfered subways, I did U-turns, I walked down side streets, I made it eventually. K was the only person I knew, but when surrounded by people from Hope, it seems like you already know everyone. (One professor said he remembered me from campus... what). I was so loved and encouraged here. Everyone wanted to know everything about everyone else in true Hope College fashion. We prayed over our meal together. We talked about what was changing on campus, what was new, what was being torn down together. I felt at home again, these are my people. 

I miss Hope so much. Towards the end of my senior year, I was very ready to leave the little snowy bubble of West Michigan. Looking back, I wish I'd savored the lasts a bit more. The last chapel, the last gathering, the last time I lived with all my friends. But also looking back, I am so grateful for my time there with those people. They are a special breed of people. They encourage, they love, they lift up, and they befriend even all the way in South Korea.

So here's to my new Hope friendships in Korea and my old Hope friendships in Michigan and the US. You are all so special to me. I hope you know that. My heart was filled, my stomach was fuller, and I was a very happy Hope alumni. 

(This is jelly fish... I was enthralled after dissecting them in Invertebrate).

Mak tasting at the Folk Village

Last weekend (I've finally caught up), was a festival at the local folk village in Asan. S and T were there sampling their special makgeolli with their academy. It was fun to wander around - there were scarecrows everywhere dressed up like people, there were straw games (tunnel and slide - I both all of them), they were sending little paper boats with wishes down a stream, there were corn ball things, and then we made our own makgeolli! (I still don't know if mine is finished yet...? It's been fermenting for a week and looks the exact same.) After we mixed our own, we sampled more mak (my favorites were S's apple cinnamon and a cardamum), cooked some meat over the fire, and played funny games with everyone. We then slept on the floor of the hanok! Heated floor with pad and very very flat pillow.  Met some very cool people! To get home: taxi to Onyang station, coffee (necessary), subway back to Shinchang, and walk back to apartment.. It took a while. 

Results of our mak photo shoot (Thanks, S). 

Happy.

This must've been the third week of October...

This week: 

S made breakfast. Cinnamon and nutmeg buttermilk pancakes with apple butter, yogurt, almonds, cooked apples, honey, and syrup to top. A feast. 

Drinking salad at school... is actually juice.

Got to Facetime Virginia!!! Thanks for waking up at 5 in the morning for me :) :) 

And don't kill me for screenshotting...

Water Festival in Onyang celebrating... water in all its forms? 

Highlight of my day: police punishing their fellow policeman. 

Police can have fun too. 

I described the exact same person... 

either my descriptive skills need work or their drawing skills need work. 

Snapchatting all day every day. Love this girl. 

Fall Beer Fest 2013

Such a fun day! Went with S earlier on the Saturday and "helped" her mix in her fruits into her makgeolli (she added apples, and T added pear). Then afterwards we trekked over to the fest. It was such a perfect Fall day. I ate pizza (real pizza!), drank homebrewed and craft beers, found solo cup (Yay, Dad!), was amidst the largest number of foreigners thus far, and found Founders Brewing, GR! (Man wearing it and wife were from Saugatuck, so I reminisced about how perfect Holland, MI is and how much I miss it). 

My favorites: oatmeal milk and honey stout, peppercorn amber, and pecan porter.

I was so spoiled this day. So thankful. 

Second week of October

During the second week of October: 

I found a cute coffee shop after church one day that sounds like a sneeze. 

It's called "Cafe Ahiszle" and there are many plants. 

We sat here for an entire hour because we missed the subway by literal minutes. 

But it happens, and we laughed and we drank yummy coffee instead.

On a Tuesday night during the second week of October, S, T, J, and I went out for some dducktoritang (I'm sounding it out, ignore spelling). All I remember is that it was REALLY spicy so I ate a lot of the sides (including the omelet thing bottom left). Pictured bottom right is makgeolli. 

The Thursday of that week, my school had their English festival. There were acts from third through sixth grade, my favorites being Do-Re-Mi (below) and the Cups song from Pitch Perfect! (Somehow I influenced this). It was loads of fun and Julie and I were the intermission entertainment with our quiz show. There were a LOT of children stuffed in a gym, but they had good attitudes and I think they even understood some of the English! 

A busy week, but we did have a holiday on the Wednesday so I can't complain.