City Lights, Fun Nights, & Being Afraid of Heights

Another successful week in Korea has come to and end. For those of you following along with our journey, there are only 6 weeks left so enjoy these blog posts while you can! This week was short since the holiday last Monday and Tuesday. That meant we only had class Wednesday and Thursday. I didn't mind that one bit!

One evening we went to see Namsan Tower, which is a giant needle-shaped structure built on top of a hill. Getting there was half of the fright... I mean FUN!! (But really, anyone who knows me well knows that I am terribly afraid of heights.) Anyway, we decided to ride the cable car to the top instead of hiking up. At this point I wasn't really sure if I wanted to see the tower or not, but onward I went to what I was certain would be my impending doom.

I kept my hand on the rail the entire trip up and just kept looking into the far distance. I knew for certain that if I looked down we would all surely die. Thankfully, we made it to the top and had a beautiful view of the sunset and the city! We arrived at the perfect time. We walked around and saw all there was at the tower and watched as the glow of the city below intensified before us. It was a beautiful site and reminded me a lot of the views I had in Quito, Ecuador. Then we rode the car down and splurged at a California Pizza Kitchen in Myeongdong. A genuinely authentic Korean experience, I know.

Our next adventure took place on Saturday. The weather was nice, so we took a stroll through Itaewon to see the shops and all that touristy stuff. It was a grand. We then headed back to Myeongdong to get a haircut.

If there is one piece of wisdom that I have learned in my time in Korea, it is that a smile, a nod, and a laugh will get you very far in this world. I had no clue what the ladies at the salon were saying, but just nodded my head, smiled, laughed, and let them get to work. They told one of my friends with me that I was very cute. I said, "Tell me somethin' I don't know!" Anyway, they gave me the 5-star treatment. Drinks while I was waiting, a scalp massage, and a robe to wear! Paula is gonna have to step up her game back home! (Just kidding Paula! They didn't make me look as good as you do! Don't scalp me next time!!)

This is pretty much what I ended up looking like at the end of my haircut.

After that we walked around looking for a Japanese Curry place and got down to business looking and feeling like a million bucks! It was a fun evening and the end to another excellent week in Korea. Many laughs were shared and great times were had by all. These next six weeks are going to fly by. Then I've got finals to look forward to dreading and stories to look forward to sharing with everyone back home!