The Long Weekend - Part I

With the first week of training under my belt, it was time to settle in for the first weekend in Seoul...well, not exactly. The previous Sunday..aka the first day in Korea...Meghan had mentioned spending the weekend at a buddhist temple. Sweet! What a way to start off my Korean adventure!
By Friday I was a bit hesitant to leave for the weekend as I had not even moved into my apartment yet. I had bags that needed to be unpacked and maybe it would be better to stay in town and get settled. But I had made the commitment and life is meant to be lived...bags can be unpacked later. And so let the great weekend begin!

Saturday. 5:38 a.m.
I'm freezing on the couch in Kelly's new apartment. I hear Meghan's voice outside on the street. Perfect! I'm not sleeping anyways so I get up, grab my bags and proceed to my new apartment just down the hall. (Meghan took Amanda to the airport - I moved in to Amanda's apartment.)
I open the door...hmm...it needs some work but perhaps I'll just make my bed and go back to sleep. For those of you who know me, Ms. Organization, this was the dumbest idea ever. After making my bed, those suitcases and backpack just seemed to be longing to get unpacked. Please unpack me. OK.
9a.m. - completely unpacked. Clothes stored. Furniture somewhat moved. Floor swept. Garbage heap created. Time to shower in order to be ready to leave for Gyeongju for the weekend.
There's a knock at the door. Plan foiled again! Meghan has stopped by to tell me she has decided not to come on the trip and I am bummed. At this point, there's no time left for a shower so I throw some clothes into my newly acquired backpack (thanks Amanda!) and head to the lobby.
Even though it would have been wonderful to have Meghan come along for the trip, our group now makes an even six. We take the subway and hop on the train with a few minutes to spare.
It will take 4 and a half hours to get to Gyeongju...plenty of time for a nap. So I sleep for a bit. Koreans are quite quiet on public transportation. Lovely. Later on in the journey Kelly and I strike up a conversation and are quickly given a piece of paper from a female in front of us. It says, "Please the volume down. Thank you!" Conversation halts. Time to nap some more.

Gyeongju & the Hostel

We arrive in Gyeongju and head to the Hanjin Hostel. Our host is quite friendly and funny. Apparently we have to come back 2 more times during the year because there is so much to do there. He shows us all to our shared room which is decorated to feel like home and has a huge pile of blankets in the corner. Then there's the bathroom. Well....the bathroom seemed like it was out of a scene from a horror film. Something scary could come out of the drain of the bathtub any minute! I should say though that if I do return to this city again I will stay at this very same hostel. The host truly made it worth the stay.
After getting situated it's time to find some food. Our host gives us a map with some restaurants and other sites to see on it. We're off! We stopp at the "Cheap Restaurant" for some Bulgolgi and I am extremely to finally eat a meal the traditional Korean way - on the floor - Hooray!
We decide to see some of the sites and visit Chonmachong Tomb (mind you it was completely dark outside by this point), the grocery store, and another convenience store. While this may seem boring, it became quite an adventure as we got a bit lost and it was also my first time in a grocery store. Looking at the different kinds of food was...interesting. Oh and by the way, don't try ionic drinks, they taste weird and I think may be the cause of the random twitches that I now suffer from...Just kidding.
Knowing that we're going to have to wake up early on Monday (mind you it's only Saturday night), we decide to head back to the hostel and call it a night. Indiana Jones is playing on TV...very nice. Time to sleep.

Sunday & the Sauna
It's now 9 a.m. I need a shower. But the bathroom might eat me. Jen mentions there is a nearby sauna and it's the equivalent to $4. I've never been to a Korean sauna, so I decide to pull up my big girl pants and give it a try. So the four girls head out. Keep in mind that I have just met them this week.
We get to the sauna, pay our dues, are given towels, and head up to the locker room. I thought the whole nudity thing would be weird, but in the end, it's really just women who need to take a shower and want to climb into a hot or cold tub or sit in the baking room (as I like to call them). I thought I would be self-conscious but I didn't have my glasses on or contacts in so even if someone was looking at me funny I couldn't see them. What's the big deal?
Mission accomplished - I am clean.

The girls head back to the hostel and pick up the remaining two boys in our party. It's time hop on a bus for Golgulsa...stay tuned.