Thursday morning began with confusion and loud shuffling. Caillean was out the door by the time the first subway made its way from 신촌(Sinchon) station in order to catch her 9:30 am flight out of 인천 (Incheon). Unable to fall back asleep, I played on my phone for a bit while staying updated with her as she made her way to the airport. With two rollers, a duffle bag, and a carry-on, it was no easy task for just one girl to make on her own. After an hour of travel, she finally made it to the 인천 airport, noting that her flight time had been changed... to much MUCH later...
Or had it?
I then received a rather alarming message from my close friend.
Or had it?
I then received a rather alarming message from my close friend.
I was in high key panic mode for the poor Caillean. Gimpo was nearly an hour away and she wasn't holding enough cash to take a taxi. So with few other options, she attempted the near impossible. She and the three suit cases made the challenging trek between airports during the city's morning rush hour. If you've never seen a packed subway, it looks a little something like this.
Finally, an hour and a half later I receive a victory message from her, stating that she had made it all the way through security in the nick of time. Proud, I felt the urge to get out of bed myself. I made it a goal to finally get some grocery shopping done, and headed to the other side of 신촌 to No Brand Market. Brand market specializes in selling most things you'd find in a grocery store, but at a more reasonable price. The idea is that all of their products are generic brands, so you get everything you need without the fancy fees. I stocked up on my usual Korean load, which consists of
- bananas (2,000원)
- GIANT Americano in a bag (3,480 원)
- Soy Milk (2,380 원)
- Bread (1,480 원)
- Bio Yogurt (2,450 원)
- Oatmeal (4,860 원)
- Rice Flake Cereal (5,000 원)
- Persimmons (3,480 원)
- Mushrooms (980 원)
- Imitation Crab (2,980 원)
- Kimchi (4,890 원)
- Pickled Radish (1,780 원)
Does this seem like an incredibly diverse and miss-matched grocery list? Absolutely! But it contains everything I need for snacks when I'm too lazy to go out for food on my own. And breakfast. Don't forget breakfast. ~It's the most important meal of the day~
And in case you're wondering what GIANT Americano in a bag is...
I spent the majority of the afternoon pursuing my music education (receiving perfect scores on two exams) and had a relaxing afternoon of chill hop and drawing. Until, of course, SOMETHING had to change that.
That something?
성민.
(Seongmin).
Seongmin is a close friend I made through Caillean over the summer, and is one I consider to be my pseudo younger brother. Korean born but growing up all around the world, including the States as well as Brazil, 성민 has a unique and wild character that... just might be too explosive for the streets of Korea. He's a walking party and has a big heart, and I'd only been able to see him briefly the previous Friday. His work schedule had been dragging him down, not to mention making it hard for him to get any time to blow off steam. So with the good fortune of getting off early, I agreed to meet him in 홍대 (Hongdae) for dinner. Between the two of us, loud and incessant conversation led to a night of giggles and dumb fun. I bought a pair of fuzzy ear muffs, which were modeled many times throughout the night.
They are now a meme. We had rice dishes for dinner, mine being hot rice with fish eggs and his beef and onions over rice.
Afterwards, we got into some deep conversation about the difficulties of his job. He worked long hours as a parking director out in the cold winter days, and his boss had been no where near forgiving when it came to the struggles of hard labor. We discussed his plans to visit the US in the coming Spring as we stopped for street waffles.
STREET WAFFLES ARE A CONCEPT LET ME TELL YOU.
Just next to Playground, a designated space outdoors for hanging out in 홍대, a humble street cart takes its place just off the main road. Run by a little old lady and her husband, the stand carries only two things on their menu: Pie Waffles and Ice Waffles.
AND BOTH ARE DELICIOUS.
A pie waffle is a freshly made waffle slathered in whipped creams of three different flavors, than folded in half like a sandwich for an easier on the go snack. The ice waffle, which is what I indulged in, contained
- strawberry ice cream
- chocolate ice cream
- melon ice cream
- grape ice cream
- banana ice cream
In an array of colors that could be the best thing you ever darn taste on this Earth. Not to mention, it's only
1,000 원
That's like 86 cents USD!!!!!
But y'know, street food is difficult to eat in the winter cause Seoul is COLD. So we snuck into Holly's Coffee and sat upstairs in the warmth of a soft-lit cafe.
I suggested that 성민 find a replacement job, even if it is just for a month and a half before he visits the USA. He liked the idea but assumed it'd be difficult to find a new job in such a short time. And so, in a massive attempt to prove him wrong, we went job hunting at 10 pm in the evening. Seoul really is the city that never sleeps. We visited Playground Rooftop Bar and Cafe, Mike's Cabin, Cocky Pub, Thursday Party, and a few more restaurants in an effort to make a happier 성 (Seong), he received two job offers, and even I received one for a bar tending position. Ironically, it is at a location I previously worked at but now has a new manager.
We parted ways so that 성민 could go home and start applying online. It felt good to have a bit of success for the night, and so I went home feeling fulfilled and happy.
Oh and... turns out walking backwards through the most crowded parts of Seoul is not my thing. At all.
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