What a fantastic weekend. It was one of those weekends that made me remember why I love living and traveling abroad. This week was really crappy, and I guess I forgot why I do what I do... but this weekend reminded me.

On Friday night, we had a work party at a Shabu Shabu buffet (delicious food) and then we went out to WaBar for drinks. Had fun with Korean coworkers who are just fun people.

On Saturday, we met up and had delicious falafel and hummus for lunch and then went to Seodaemun Prison. It was a prison that was used to hold and torture independence fighters during the most recent Japanese invasion. Crimes resulting in imprisonment apparently ranged from waving the Korean flag to killing Japanese officials. The prison was originally meant to hold about 500 prisoners, but at the height of the movement, it held 3500 people. That meant that in rooms that were about 10x10, there were around 30 people inside. So many that they had to take shifts for sleeping. Scary stuff.

There were apparently 95ish different torture methods ranging from sticking pins or rods underneath victims' fingernails to flogging to sexual torture to hanging. Many prisoners were killed. It's easy to understand why Koreans hated Japanese people. It was quite a haunting place. Hmmm.

We had a middle-school tour guide. It was great. His English was wonderful, and he knew a lot about the place. It was so much easier to ask him questions about the place than it would've been to communicate with an adult. I really preferred it, and he felt great because he did it all in English. There were these two old Korean ladies who came up to him to ask him if he was actually Korean. It was pretty cute. Definitely prefer that!

We walked through a market, had dinner at an Italian-Thai-Indian-Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant. Craaaazy mix of food, but it was delicious. And then I met up with Maggie
and her friend Jim in Cheonho, a part of town I'd never been to before. It was nice to explore.

On Sunday, we got up and had Shabu Shabu for lunch (delicious) and went into Itaewon. Maggie got a massage, and I went people watching, a fascinating pasttime in Itaewon, the foreigner district of town. Just the most random people. Interesting.

Then, we met up with a Ghanaian friend of Maggie's and his friend. We went out for lunch and spent a great afternoon with them, talking African politics and just having fun conversation. It was so African. And it makes me really want to go back. ASAP.

We left them to head up to Hyehwa for the gospel choir concert. Incredible. There just aren't really words to describe how much I love this monthly event. It's probably the highlight of my month, and it re-establihes my faith in humanity. There's just something incredible about people all singing together. And the audience was huge last night. They sang one of my favorite songs, one of the songs I loved the very first time I saw them. And it's sad to think I only get to see them 3 more times before I head out! :'( One of the things I'll really miss about Korea.

Eddie came to the concert... which was awesome. He enjoyed it and said he'll probably come again... And to top off an amazing day, Eddie drove us home. Driving around in Seoul, looking at city lights on the way home. Amazing. I haven't driven around a city since I left the States, and I've really missed it.

Basically, this weekend was pretty great, and I want to keep this feeling for quite awhile.

AND we have a four day week. It's "Children's Day" in Korea on Wednesday, so we have that day off. Which I guess I think is kinda silly. Because whenever I asked my parents why we have Mothers Day and Fathers Day but not Children's Day, they always said "because every day is Children's Day"... I should've come back with, "But they have it in Korea! It's a national holiday!" :D But that means we work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. MOST EPIC HUMPDAY EVER. AMAZING. SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO.

Don't be strangers. Keep in touch!