I decided to start my first weekend off well by being busy both days. On Saturday, bright and early I headed towards Gyeongbokgung Palace to meet my friend Kevin. He is new in Seoul so I thought it would be fun to see the changing of the guards there.
While I was on the subway I made the mistake of making eye contact with a strange looking adjushi (respectful way to say older Korean man in Korean). The next thing I know, he's standing in front of me and offering me some candy and gum. Children, never take candy from strangers--and here's a story why.
I was confused and didn't know the proper Korean etiquette. Did he want me to open the candy for him? Was he giving it to me? Looking around I could see sympathetic looks on the faces around me but clearly no one was going to offer assistance.
The person sitting next to me exited the subway so the adjushi sat down next to me. In broken English he started to talk to me. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to him but at the same time I didn't want to be rude. He kept asking me for my phone number and I kept telling him that I do not have a phone--unfortunately I had my i-pod touch out that looks like an i-phone.
As we continued talking he kept giving me more gifts. First it was a red beaded bracelet. Then it was a huge wooden cross necklace. Finally I came to my stop. As I told him that this was my stop he said, "Me too." And proceeded to grab my hand so I couldn't get away. It was beginning to look like I wasn't going to be able to get rid of this man so easily.
As I walked up to the palace gates I could see Kevin. As soon as he saw me hand-in-hand with this man he broke into a grin--I am sure we made quite the sight. As it was every single Korean we passed stopped and stared at us.
Meet Mr. Lee:
We walked around the palace for a while while Mr. Lee kept asking when we were going to leave. He wanted us to go to Insadong, a traditional shopping area of Seoul. The more we walked the further behind he trailed. Kevin and I kept telling him that we weren't going to Insadong and whenever we would say where we were going instead, he would respond with, "Me, too."
Clearly it would not be easy to get rid of him.
At the end of the palace tour we went inside of the cafe to buy some water since the day was quickly turning to scorching hot. Once inside, Mr. Lee went over and was doing something. Kevin turned to me and said, "I wouldn't judge you if you left right now without him." Even though I felt really bad and guilty about it that's exactly what we did--clearly there was no other way to get rid of him and I really didn't want to deal with him following me home when it was time. As so that's exactly what we did--we lost ourselves in the crowd.
After the palace we eventually wandered over to the "Friendship Fair" in Seoul Plaza. I never made it last year and I heard good things about it so we decided to head over. If you're ever in Seoul when this is taking place I highly recommend it.
The friendship fair is an event that showcases countries around the world. There are cultural booths, traditional costumes and food and places to see traditional dance. It was very interesting and the food was delicious. I managed to get a video of the traditional dance for Kazakhstan and Russia (of course :) which I found to be very fun to watch.
On Sunday I met up with some more friends and we headed to an Italian lunch. The food was absolutely amazing. I was also able to meet some new people--two Austrians (studying here for the semester) and a Californian. After the lunch the group headed over to the friendship fair to walk around for a bit.
All in all it was a brilliant weekend spent with amazing people. Not a bad way to start off my second year in the country. Next weekend promises to be just as fun.
While I was on the subway I made the mistake of making eye contact with a strange looking adjushi (respectful way to say older Korean man in Korean). The next thing I know, he's standing in front of me and offering me some candy and gum. Children, never take candy from strangers--and here's a story why.
I was confused and didn't know the proper Korean etiquette. Did he want me to open the candy for him? Was he giving it to me? Looking around I could see sympathetic looks on the faces around me but clearly no one was going to offer assistance.
The person sitting next to me exited the subway so the adjushi sat down next to me. In broken English he started to talk to me. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to him but at the same time I didn't want to be rude. He kept asking me for my phone number and I kept telling him that I do not have a phone--unfortunately I had my i-pod touch out that looks like an i-phone.
As we continued talking he kept giving me more gifts. First it was a red beaded bracelet. Then it was a huge wooden cross necklace. Finally I came to my stop. As I told him that this was my stop he said, "Me too." And proceeded to grab my hand so I couldn't get away. It was beginning to look like I wasn't going to be able to get rid of this man so easily.
As I walked up to the palace gates I could see Kevin. As soon as he saw me hand-in-hand with this man he broke into a grin--I am sure we made quite the sight. As it was every single Korean we passed stopped and stared at us.
Meet Mr. Lee:
We walked around the palace for a while while Mr. Lee kept asking when we were going to leave. He wanted us to go to Insadong, a traditional shopping area of Seoul. The more we walked the further behind he trailed. Kevin and I kept telling him that we weren't going to Insadong and whenever we would say where we were going instead, he would respond with, "Me, too."
Clearly it would not be easy to get rid of him.
After the palace we eventually wandered over to the "Friendship Fair" in Seoul Plaza. I never made it last year and I heard good things about it so we decided to head over. If you're ever in Seoul when this is taking place I highly recommend it.
The friendship fair is an event that showcases countries around the world. There are cultural booths, traditional costumes and food and places to see traditional dance. It was very interesting and the food was delicious. I managed to get a video of the traditional dance for Kazakhstan and Russia (of course :) which I found to be very fun to watch.
All in all it was a brilliant weekend spent with amazing people. Not a bad way to start off my second year in the country. Next weekend promises to be just as fun.
So what was up with Mr.Lee? :|
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