This past weekend I said goodbye to two very dear friends of mine, Amanda and Abby. I met Amanda about a year ago at my last school, and we became fast friends. Abby is the teacher who replaced me at my last job. She and I went to church together. One of the really great things about living abroad is the variety of people you meet! I've met so many friends from many different countries, including Canada, Australia, Korea, Ireland, South Africa, and Brazil! I love having this opportunity to work in Korea because there are so many really interesting people I come across every day.
Amanda and Abby are two special friends of mine, who I'm hoping I'll have a chance to see again. They are both from Canada, but live at opposite ends of the country. They both talk of coming back to Korea in the next few months, but you just never know what awaits them at home. I wish them the very VERY best in their next adventures!
This past weekend, Amanda, Abby, and I were able to celebrate with each other before they boarded their planes home. We met up on Saturday at a hostel in Hongdae. (Abby was staying at a different hostel than Amanda and I.) Amanda and I chatted for a few hours when we first arrived, and then we both took naps. Abby met us at our hostel around 6:30pm, and we waited while Amanda got ready. We met our friend, June, for Korean BBQ dinner. It was SO GOOD!! After that, we went to another restaurant for more food and drinks. (It's a typical Korean night-out to restaurant-hop for different food and drinks.) June took us to this really nice place, kind of underground. He was the only one who had been there before, so it was a new experience for the three of us! They had really delicious food and the atmosphere was awesome.
After that, we met up with some other friends in a Jazz Club down the street. We didn't really feel like staying there long, so we decided to go to a nooribang, a private karaoke room. The four of us found a really nice one down the street. After we paid for the room, we got free popcorn, juice, and ice cream! JACKPOT! We went to our room, and started singing!! I just love the idea of nooribangs and feel like they should open up some of these fine establishments in the States. :)
After the nooribang, we walked to Hongdae Park, and met up with one of Amanda's friends. We talked for awhile in the park, but it was SO COLD! I ended up bailing early, so they walked me back towards the hostel. I wasn't wearing my coat, which was a horrible decision on my part, so I was REALLY uncomfortable. I ended up calling it an early night at 4:00am, while the others went to a pub close-by to keep chatting. I just wanted to be warm. :)
On Sunday, Amanda, Abby, and I met up at the hostel again and got ready to go. I packed all my stuff, because I was only staying that one night. The three of us hopped on the subway and headed towards Myeongdong. Along the way, we passed through Seoul Station. Amanda wanted to take some pictures, so Abby and I stopped in at McDonald's and had some breakfast/lunch/afternoon snack. :) We went on our way and ended up in Myeongdong. We stopped at Starbucks for some coffee to help us keep warm. We walked the streets of Myeongdong and went shopping at all the little carts that were set up. Amanda and Abby were looking for small things to take home with them. We went into a few stores and did some light shopping. I bought a jacket, some leggings, and...A SPIDERMAN SWEATSHIRT!! It's my first one ever! It's like it was meant to be. We were in Forever21, looking around at some coats in a corner of the store. I turned and looked across the room, and all the way in the OPPOSITE corner, hanging on the wall, was a Spiderman sweatshirt. It was love at first sight. Sigh... :) So, I just couldn't resist!
After we finished shopping, we went into a cupcake store called "Goodovening." Ya, I have no idea why it's called that or even how to pronounce it. But, they have the BEST CUPCAKES EVER! They have all different kinds to choose from. I (obviously) chose the chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and chocolate cream on the inside. Yum. We sat and chatted for awhile, and then left to look around some more. Throughout the day/night, we took a bunch of pictures in the street. We wanted to document our last night together. For dinner, we went to a popular chain restaurant in Korea. It's one of those restaurants where they cook the food in front of you. It's rice, spicy veggies, chicken, and cheese all mixed together. So. Good. By this point, it was 9:00pm, so we knew we all had to head home. Amanda and Abby had to finish their last minute packing, and I had work in the morning. On our way to the subway, we stopped in at a card store and bought some Christmas cards. We did our very best to find some cards that DIDN'T have typos. (It's really hard to find those in Korea.)
When we got to the subway, we parted ways at the transfer point. The girls were going on Line 2 and I was going on Line 5. Amanda and I took a "sad face" picture at the separation point. We said our goodbyes, there were tears and hugs, but it was good. We did all the things the girls wanted to do and see and eat before they left Korea, and we had a really great time doing it. I'm going to miss Amanda and Abby, but I wish them the best! I'll be sending happy thoughts their way as they sort out their new lives back home. :)
