On Friday night after work, I caught the subway and met Shannon at her stop. SHE'S FINALLY IN KOREA WITH ME!! We stopped for some chicken wings and went to the hotel where she's staying. It was CRAZY GOOD to see Shannon and catch up :)
On Saturday, we went to Seoul. Our first stop was an ancient village, Namsangol Hanok Village. It had five different styles of old-fashioned Korean houses; they were set-up like the traditional houses would've been in that time. We walked all around and took pictures. Then, we grabbed some lunch at Paris Baguette, which is maybe Shannon's new favorite restaurant? :)
After lunch, we walked really far and for a really long time to the Cable Car. It goes up the mountain to Seoul Tower. (Seoul Tower then takes you hundreds MORE feet straight up the mountain.) Shannon and I didn't take the tower up because there was already the most beautiful view!! After we got off the cable car at the top, we could see a 360-view of Seoul below us. It was amazing. On top of the mountain there were tents set up with local people selling things. There was also a gift shop at the top with mugs and t-shirts and pretty much any random tourist-y item you could want :) We also saw these warrior-looking men who were mock fighting in the courtyard. They were wearing red robes and had long daggers and shields. They were calling out things and fighting each other until one of them would collapse on the ground. Everyone clapped when someone was "defeated." I'm not quite sure who they were representing, but it was pretty cool. I think I might've gotten some pretty good action shots on my camera. :)
From there, we took the cable car back down the mountain and went to an open market in Insa-dong. They had tents set up on the sides of the streets, and people were selling all kinds of goodies. We've heard it's pretty popular to go there, so we wanted to see for ourselves. There was so much to look at!! From purses to clothing to keychains to American $2 bills!! Anything you could ever want :) We FINALLY headed home after a long day. We stopped at Lotte Mart and grabbed some dinner in their cafeteria and headed back to Shannon's hotel.
This morning, we got up and met one of Shannon's co-teachers, Reuel. She had invited Shannon to go to church with her, and we were DEFINITELY interested!! Shannon and I wanted to find a church together, and find somewhere that we fit in. We were searching for a community, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to start our search. The three of us went to Dos Tacos and had really delicious Mexican food!! We finished early, so Reuel showed us a fun bookstore close-by. Then, we went to the church. It's called New Harvest. It's in Gangnam, which is quite a trek, but really worth it!! It took us about 40 minutes by bus. New Harvest's mission is "to reach every English speaking foreigner and native, and make them disciples of Christ who radically impact Gangnam, Korea, and the World." Right when we stepped inside, I knew this would be my new church home. They had contemporary music (which is my preference) and the speaker was fantastic!! About 30% of the congregation was foreigners, but mostly Korean Americans or Koreans. I didn't have very high expectations because I came from such an incredible community back in Orlando. I definitely felt like I fit right in. The search is over. :) Shannon and I talked the whole way home on the bus about how excited we were that we had found a community so quickly!! We expected to do some church-hopping until we found the right fit, but this was perfect. After the service, Reuel, Shannon, and I signed up for whitewater rafting this coming Saturday!! It's only $40, which covers, transportation, whitewater rafting, and lunch. What a deal! So, we are really looking forward to this weekend!
After church, I collected my things from Shannon's hotel, and we headed over to my part of town, Suwon. She wanted to see where I lived, and I wanted to show her around. She saw my apartment, and then we walked into town. I showed her the school where I work, and some "hot spots" that I normally frequent. We went to the Porridge Place because I was DYING for her to try it! We got it to-go and walked to the Reservoir where I run. We sat in the park and ate our dinner (which Shannon loved!) and then walked around the lake. It was such a nice night. We walked all the way back to my place, and she headed home. I'd say that's a pretty awesome weekend if you ask me! Welcome to Korea, Shannon! :)
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