The Mongol Invasion!

Well. Today started out just like any other. I woke up and hit breakfast with mah boi YJS. We went to CJ kitchen which isn't my favorite but it still makes good food. After eating we walked to class, and I dropped him off at the K-PACE center as usual and continued onto the global lounge building where my class is at.

I showed up about 20 min early as I usually do and started to look over some vocabulary when I noticed 4 new sets of books on the teachers desk and a list of names. Hmm what could this be about? The names looked very foreign to me so I couldn't figure out what nationality they might be. As you may have guessed from the title, they were Mongolian! I was pretty excited about this because I have never met anyone from Mongolia, and in fact I was looking at the map on the way over to Korea and was thinking to myself how you never hear anything in the news about them. Well now I get to meet them first hand. What would they be like? Do they speak English? Do they hate Americans like the rest of the world? Are they all related to Genghis Khan?

The group ended up being 3 guys and a girl. The girl was one of the guy's sister, and apparently had talked him into joining her in Korea after he wasn't able to go to Australia. They all spoke English, which was interesting. Their English wasn't bad either, as good as most of the people I have met here in Korea. I wondered how they would fare basically joining a class already in session and being 4 weeks behind.

They seemed to do alright, I think they had studied a bit of Korean before they came. The girl was pretty good though, I believe she had been here a bit studying though. Physically they looked Asian, and you couldn't really tell them much apart from other Chinese in my opinion.

I also asked the Chinese girl Li Ting ting who sits next to me for the pictures she took yesterday on our field trip.

 

 

This was the best picture and apparently it was a movie file so I posted it as such even though it barely moves. Anyways, this is me with Li Ting Ting, and Hwa E the Vietnamese boy from our class.

Today was mostly review, and the teacher informed us that tomorrow a teacher would be sitting in to learn how to teach Korean so he wouldn't be able to use English like he normally does. Oh well, I guess I can try one day without a crutch haha.

Moving onto lunch! YJS, Heavy G and I all hit up the student cafeteria in the middle of campus for lunch. An Hyo Sang had his 100th day anniversary (A huge deal here) with his girlfriend so he was unavailable. However, on the drive over we saw him and I punched him a few times through the window for his betrayal.

All 3 of us got Dak Kalbi, and it was very good. This place made it spicier than the typical kitchen I go to. I welcomed the change, but I still think 8 Ho Gwan is better. YJS likes the spiciness though so his vote was with the student cafeteria.

After lunch it was time to nap before my workout with An Hyo Sang! He knocks on my door at 3pm and tells me that he can't go because he's busy. Man, this betrayer. Ok I can deal, more nap time!

Another knock on my door at 5pm and its time for cooking class! YJS and Mr. Choi our ROTC student helper are ready to go so I throw on some clothes and head out with them. We gotta drop by the K-PACE building to pick up the students on the way to the engineering school.

When we get there, things get started much quicker than last time. We are making 호박전 (Ho Bak Jeon) or Pan Fried Zucchini Fritters. Along with this we made some rolled omelets with carrots and green onions cooked in. These turned out very well.

Finished!

Nom Nom Nom.

I continue to be fascinated and amused at the Korean obsession with ketchup on eggs. I feel that it's sort of a polarizing topic in the states. You either swear by it or you abhor it. Personally I think it tastes good but rarely use it on my eggs. Either way their eggs are very American.

Afterwards it was time to head back to the dorm and get the simple things done. Work on homework, finish the blog, check students homework and check them into their rooms. I get tired pretty early these days, and those of you who know me know that's not typical. I've settled into a good sleeping schedule and I intend to keep it that way. It feels good to be able to hit my natural circadian biorythms. That's all for today! Come back tomorrow for more adventures!

Korean Word/Phrase of the Day: 배신자 (Bae Shin Ja) Traitor! Just like An Hyo Sang! I'll get him back for this I swear...

TL:DR I'm in Korea.