LAZY UPDATE #7

Hmm...I keep falling into the trap of being too lazy to write down what goes on most days so I end up trying to remember everything and feeling overwhelmed by all of it, which will explain the lack of posts.  That, and I get distracted by other things e.g. watching series and my other favourite pastime ;) .

Last Saturday the International Office took all the exchange students in Chung Ang University (Anseong campus included) to the Korean Folk Village 민속촌 minsokchon.  This village is where they shoot a lot of the olden-day dramas and movies like The King and the Clown and Sungkyunkwan Scandal.  The surroundings are pretty much what you would have found in the olden days - straw huts, medicine shops, community entertainment arenas, noble's houses etc.

The office had organised some interactive activities for us: making a cup out of clay, a tour around the whole village and 떡 ddeok (Korean rice cake)  making.  The clay cup experience was really fun.  Each of us got a slab of rectangular clay, which we then had to mould into the shape of a vase/cup and decorate it however we wanted.  They said it took one month for the whole process to be finished - making, firing, glazing - so we'll get them back later.  The ddeok making was pretty fun too.  In the beginning it was a big lump of mixture, and volunteers went up to pound it with a huge hammer.  Afterwards they cut it up and we all tried it.  I liked it, but a lot of the Caucasian students didn't really like the chewy texture.  Cultural difference, maybe?

That night I went out with some friends for a Chinese dinner and some drinks afterwards.  Dinner was okay, but it made me miss my grandma and my mum and their home-cooked meals.  I always scoffed at the thought of people missing home-cooked meals because I always had them, but now I really really miss them!!  Afterwards we went to a little cafe with a very relaxed atmosphere and proceeded to be the loudest group in the place, but what else do you expect from a bunch of foreigners right?

On Monday night, I had dinner with a friend I had met through Samil Church but who is currently pastoring at another church.  It was a really spontaneous dinner which turned out to be really really fun.  I had posted up on Facebook that I wanted Korean barbecue and Amber immediately replied that she did too, so we made plans right there and then.  I really thank God for leading me to Amber during my stay in Seoul because she's someone I know who will be able to help me if I have any troubles.

On Wednesday I went to have a really early dinner (4:30 pm) with Jenny because we both hadn't had any lunch so we were starving.  Initially we were going to eat samgyeopsal, which turned into pizza but then we ended up eating chicken.  We went for coffee afterwards and did some studying.

Yesterday was a very 'scary' day for a lot of people.  The weather forecast predicted that the rain which was coming contained radioactive particles in it, so everyone was very freaked out and cautious about covering themselves up.  I still don't know what I think about the radiation situation.  On one hand I am pretty nonchalant about it since I've never really had any direct connections to radiation or events where radiation affected people I know, but there's also that paranoid side of me where I'm freaking out because I don't want my babies to be deformed, you know?  It's a very messy situation in my brain right now, as usual.

On another note, I think I'm going to try and start writing more on here.  I dislike the fact that I only update what I do as opposed to what I've always blogged about i.e. my thoughts and my opinions.  I feel like I've changed a little bit since I've gotten here, but I don't know if it's a good or bad thing.  Sometimes things come and go so quickly that I don't really think about what I do or the consequences from my actions.  I don't want to be like that anymore.