Last night I put on my dancing shoes and walked to the school in the pouring rain where I was scheduled to meet the students from my class for dinner. I waited, and waited, and waited. 20 minuites later I trudged home grumbling to myself about how unreliable and rude people could be. Checked my phone when I got home and found 9 missed calls. Just then Jade called asking where I was saying she'd been waiting for me -- on the 3rd floor of the school! Grrrr. I then told her I'd been waiting in the lobby. That mix-up fixed I changed out of my skirt and heels into jeans and this time took a taxi.
Marine (that's his english nickname) took us to a fabulously rustic restaurant a few blocks away. The stone gravel entrance way led to wooden tables that looked like they'd been cut whole from the tree. Lights hung on strings from the ceiling and a man with a guitar seranaded us with Korean songs of unrequited and lost loves.
For the first time I tried Korean liquor made from rice. Marine poured it from a copper kettle into my bowl and bid me take a sip. It wasn't bad but the aftertaste was strong. Marine and Jade poured sugar into a metal tray, held it over the flame, mixed in a little baking powder then poured it onto a steel plate. They explained it was a traditional Korean "cookie". We didn't get to eat it in the end, it was too hard. Oh, well.
They ordered some kimchi "pie", sausage and dofu. We nibbled as we talked and drank and listened to the music.
Louise didn't come because of the rain (another typhoon passed by) and because she was tired. Also, she woke the other morning to find her tooth broke. Tomorrow we're going to church because they have free dental care for foreigners.