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Hmmm, I don't have too much in the excitement department to write about! The past few days have been very pleasant for me, but don't bring much to actually write about! I met with some friends for lunch, this time the Cotter underclassmen! I have decided that my favorite Korean food is any warm noodle (they eat cold noodles in the summer which I don't care too much for...) that is in a spicy broth. So so good! We had them after our shabu-shabu (basically hot broth is put on the table and we put veggies and meat into it...), and it was amazing!! Mashta! (Delicious)My second favorite food is Korean dumplings, usually sausage or some type of meat ground with green onions and other herbs, steamed inside a thin dough. SO GOOD!

Tomorrow I'm meeting some of my work friends for dinner. Unfortunately I won't see Ji Young, as she and her family are vacationing in AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND, but Hyun Gi and I are going to meet her next Monday, so all is well.

I had my last Korean class yesterday... Kind of sad at the time- I've seen some of the people in my class five days a week for two months! But, it was really nice to not have homework to worry about and to sleep in a little later this morning! I'm getting over my loss pretty quickly!!

Hmmm, today Hyun Gi and I ventured in to In-Sa-Dong, a tourist place with tons of pretty shops and vendors. I was there once with Ji Won, Hanna, and Eun Chun in my first few days in Seoul. Wow, time flies. If you didn't know, I'm leaving for the US on Tuesday. I seriously can't believe it. The whole thing seems so surreal- that the two lives I've lived (that in Winona and in Seoul) can co-exist in such a short amount of time. I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and friends, this is for sure. However, Seoul is so much cooler than Winona! I love the lifestyle the people here live- meeting friends, all of the shops, the beautiful lights, the endless amounts of things to do! I honestly can't picture myself at home right now! Ahhh, so weird!

I just want to make this clear, though: Seeing my fam and friends will make coming home so amazing! It's just the re-adjusting that is maybe going to be hard. My mom forsaw this, and at the time I didn't really know what she meant, but life will be different, that's for sure! I'm looking forward to it, though.

As much as I love Seoul, a city in the summer is not that fun. I always wondered why New Yorkers made such a big deal about going to the Hampton's for the summer, and now I know why. In Winona when it is hot, I wear athletic shorts, tank tops, throw my hair up however, go around barefoot, and swim whenever I want. Here we are surrounded by heat-radiating concrete, and on the subways and buses by heat-radiating humans. We always have to look nice and swimming isn't that accessible here. Basically, summer is something to get through in a big city, whereas in a smaller town it is something to savor.

Also- today I decided that I have divided my time in Seoul into two parts:
Before I cut my hair and after.

This may seem kind of lame, but to me, before I cut it, I think of myself as a shy, naive little girl, wide-eyed and timid. Now I feel much more secure in myself and in what I have to offer. Is this comparison completely accurate? No, but I find myself seriously defining my time here by the length of my hair! Strange....