But living in a different country is more than just about eating, sleeping, and pooping somewhere other than where you're from, it's about absorbing as much of the culture as you can while you have the opportunity to do it. I said from the beginning that I was going to get out and do and experience as much as I can and I'm well on my way to doing just that.
My adventures over the past week or so have taken me on a long walk past some fascinating museums that I fully intend to explore the insides of very soon, to the aquarium at the CoEx mall, and to the most interactive baseball game I've ever seen.
The walk that seemed it would never end began as a simple trial run for the interview that I had the next day. In typical "me" fashion, I got lost (if you didn't know, now you know, I'm completely directionally challenged). I grossly over-complicated some very simple directions and ended up walking around for about four hours--totally safe, great exercise, highly recommend doing it on purpose. I took being totally lost in stride by sight-seeing while I wandered. I accidentally found the agricultural museum, Samsung hospital, and the Seoul Museum of Art, and the Plaza hotel among other random things in the city hall area. They were setting up for something call the Hot Festival in one of the open greens, which I didn't stay around long enough to see to completion. Although I didn't realize it until I got home, I did actually walk by the building I needed to go to the next day.
The CoEx mall is something you just have to see to believe. For my Chicago friends and family who have never been here, imagine a mall and an aquarium inside of McCormick place. This place had everything from the usual stores, restaurants, and a movie theater (appropriately name the MegaBox) to a conference center and yes, the aquarium. I mention the aquarium one because the picture of the open fridge and front loading washer is actually a fish tank and two because I initially didn't really want to go into the aquarium. Due to the steep entrance fee of about $20 per person, I told my husband that we should just skip it. He ignored me, paid the fee, and walked in. I was pleasantly surprised to see some amazing fish, sharks, stingrays, and turtles, as well as other water mammals such as beavers and otters and of course, my favorite, the penguins.
We didn't see daylight until we walked out hours later after having watched Elysium and having eaten dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Needless to say, it was an awesome date with the hubby and a much needed break from the work he was doing and training that I was doing for my new job.
Finally, this past weekend, we went to an exciting baseball game between the Nexen Heroes and the Dosan Bears. I'll admit that the most exciting part of a baseball game for me has always been the beer and hotdogs but clearly, I've never been to a sporting event in Korea! There were cheerleaders, games for the fans, a mascot hurling baseballs into the stands, song, chants, and dances, and of course beer and corndogs on a stick!! I was on full ADD overload the entire game and we had a great time.
So maybe my Seoul Patch won't be just one patch but a series of patches I earn for completing different activities. I'm pretty sure I've earned my entertainment patch and I can't wait to see what's up next.
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