today

We had our Kyungwon University life group today and finally had a good crowd again. Went to eat kalbi (pork grilled in front of you) afterwards, then I went market shopping. I went to Dongdaemoon (a market at the old east gate of Seoul)in search of cheap candle holders. I had heard there was an antique market inside the stadium, so I found that. It's not so much antiques as just a big flea market or strange outdoor Goodwill made up of individual stands. There was one guy who just had a pile of old cell phones. I guess people buy those. There were a few people selling large collections of brass stuff. I bought some candle holders, but they weren't especially cheap. I need to learn how to bargain more. I am proud to say that I did bargain him down some, though!

I trekked off to Namdaemoon (a market at the old south gate of Seoul)next and found a few random things like hooks for my door to hang stuff on and a little dress for my friend Robin, who is Korean size. Hope it fits. I ate some meat mandu (dumplings) for dinner, they were pretty tasty. Then, I met my friends Kelli, Roberta, and Darlene in Myung-dong, a trendy area really close to Namdaemoon. We had fun trying out makeup, sunglasses, and perusing the wares of the many street vendors there.

On the way home, it was only 11:00 (the subway closes at midnight)and everybody on the subway had to get off. I was sad because I had a seat and was enjoying reading my book. I thought I was going to have to take a taxi, but everybody just stood and waited, so I did what they did. Another train came and we crammed onto it. This guy who was asleep jolted awake and turned to me to ask what station we were at. I was so proud of myself that I understood what he said and could answer him. When he got up to leave a few stations later, he hit my arm and told me goodbye like we were good buddies now. Funny.