On the Flipside: A Korean Adventure (2): Our first visitors in Korea: April 20th

Since making the big decision to move to Korea, Ian and I have talked a lot about how to deal with missing our family and friends back home. It has been 8 months in Korea and luckily with skype, kakao talk, whats app, and emails we have been able to keep in touch and cope with being so far from home. Another big factor helping us along these past 8 months has been all the great new friends we have made here. I don't think we would have the same Korean experience without our "Incheon family."

Technology has been a key factor in minimizing home sickness, but nothing truly beats having friends come visit! We were so lucky to have 3 of our friends come visit Korea this past week! Having Larissa, Teresa, and Molly in Korea has been an amazing and unforgettable experience! I have known Lariss my whole life and met Molly through her. The three of us also all lived together for three years in university. I loved playing the tour guide role and showing my friends around our Korean bubble. I also loved being able to share their first Korean experiences. It also made me realize how much I have become accustomed to in Korea; there are so many simple little Korean things that are now second nature to me. Incheon really feels like home!

So here is what we have been up to this past week. We have been very busy but it has been great! On Saturday April 20th, our Incheon friend Ashley organized a Pub Crawl in Incheon. Ian and I met up with our Incheon friends and although I was very excited for the pub crawl, I couldn't contain my excitement for the Poprawa sisters to land in Korea later that day! Part way through the afternoon, I left and headed for the airport to pick up Larissa and Teresa. There flight landed early, so when I arrived I immediately starting running with my neon pink welcome sign to our meeting spot. They said they saw me running from far down the terminal because I was also wearing my bright pink rain jacket. We may have made a slight scene at the airport, but it was worth it! I then introduced the girls to the subway system while we headed to my apartment. After settling in (the girls thought our Korean shower that seems normal to me was hilarious), the three of us headed to Bupyeong for their first Korean dinner (dolsot bibimbap, and of course a side of kimchi) and then we rejoined the pub crawl. I was nervous about finding vegetarian food for them, but thankfully they both eat seafood!

On Sunday, we headed to Yeouido Island in Seoul for the Cherry Blossom festival along with our friends Isabelle, Adam, and Natasha. It was a nice sunny day to walk around the park and along the Han river. We loved playing the game "Spot the Mouple (matching couple)." We then headed to Myeong-Dong shopping area, ate 32cm tall ice cream (you find these extremely tall ice cream cones all over Korea), Ian bought a hilarious neon bright yellow hat, and we got dinner (dak galbi and seafood galbi for the vegetarians) before coming home. On Monday the girls explored Bupyeong, and then visited me at school. I think my students were a little shocked to see so many waygooks (foreigners) together in one spot. They took lots of pictures and practiced asking the girls questions. We also played soccer with my students. That night Larissa and Teresa headed to Sokcho for two nights for some hiking and to experience another more rural part of Korea. On Thursday, they did the same DMZ tour that Ian and I did back in November. That night, our friend Molly flew from Shanghai to Incheon for the weekend.

This past weekend was so fun! It was unfortunate that our Incheon friends went away for the weekend, as they didn't get to meet Molly, but Ian, Larissa, Teresa, Molly, and I had a great time together. We all commented on how at times, it didn't really feel like we were in Korea. With the girls, we started the weekend by walking around Changdeokgung Palace, exploring Bukchon Traditional Village, walking the streets of Insadong (one of my favourite areas in Seoul), and having a roof top patio lunch with sangria, before heading towards the Seoul Namsan Tower. That night we met up with Ian, went out for dinner and had a great night out in Hongdae, listening to live music in Hongdae park, playing beer pong, and dancing into the night!

Other weekend activities included going to a sheep cafe, yes a cafe with 2 sheep! Ian and I have been to cat and dog cafes, but a sheep cafe was another one of those only-in-Korea type of experiences we had to check out! It was a cute little cafe that served amazing breakfast waffles, and we were able to pet and feed the 2 sheep. Other activities on the itinerary were walking through Namdaemun market, exploring more of Myeong- Dong, finding Traditional Korean Tea, and taking a stop in a Korean photobooth. At night, we went out in Itaewon and had dinner and drinks at the Canadian bar - appropriately named Rocky Mountain Tavern. We ended the perfect weekend with a Sunday afternoon baseball game in Incheon. Baseball games involve a lot coordinated dancing and cheering.

Sadly, on Sunday night it was time to say goodbye to our visitors. It was tough seeing them leave and it really hit me how I much I miss our friends from home, but I know Larissa and Teresa will have an amazing adventure traveling through Asia and I will see them soon enough. I am not sure the next time I will have a reunion with Molly, but this past reunion was amazing so I know the next will be just as perfect! Thanks girls for visiting us!!!

Now Ian and I have a mini break before our next visitors land! My family (parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin) are visiting us and will be here in exactly two weeks! I can't wait to see them and act as their Korean tour guide!

Here are some pictures from the weekend!