So, October 6th, I met Jon, a new buddy in Korea. I was wandering down the street on a Saturday, when out of nowhere this Asian guy asks me, "Do you speak English?" He arrived the week before and hadn't met anyone who spoke English. So we spent the afternoon hanging out, then introduced him to several people and had dinner with them. And now I know one of the most awesome people in Korea!
We had quite a nice week in mid October at school. Every school in Korea has its own holiday where it celebrates its founding. Ours for some reason involved a student drag show.
I don't really get it, but it was hilarious. The day after, we had sports day. It was a bit of fun watching the kids compete against each other. I also had my first sweet potato pizza, which was surprisingly delicious-the school asked the other teachers if they wanted kimbap or pizza, but for the Americans, they just figured we would want pizza. For the record, Korean pizza is not very much like American pizza. After lunch, Allison was very sad that the teachers did not participate like she thought. So they offered to let us run in the team obstacle race. Allison and I were the last runners on each team. Instead of a baton, we had to put on a long skirt, run, spin around 10 times, pop a balloon with our hips, vault over a wall, and drink something nasty, which turned out to be vinegar. DO NOT EVER DRINK VINEGAR! That was an unpleasant experience, but at least we amused some kids. Afterward, we went downstairs to the range and I impressed myself with how fair a shot I am.
As I wrote in my last posts, I had an awesome birthday weekend. The next weekend (the 21st), Jon and I and Jimmy (from the conversation club) went to Gangneung for an international food festival. The festival was a bit disappointing, but we did manage to nab some half decent tacos. We also all tried and loved bamboo tea. After that, we wandered for a good, long while trying to find a certain coffee museum. We eventually found it. No one had been able to give us good directions because it was out in the middle of nowhere. It was a fun trip though.
The next weekend (last weekend of October), I went to Busan, one of the largest cities in Korea, for a fireworks festival. I had a rough time finding my hostel, but once I did it was pretty decent. The next morning, I found my way to a giant shopping mall and poked about there for a while. I also went to an art museum. I was pretty crushed that the fireworks got canceled due to rain, but I met up with some friends from orientation and drank and danced my troubles away for several hours. That was probably one of the best workouts I've had since coming here.
Last weekend, I went out to a 노래방(noraebang, or singing room) with Jon. Then we went to Gangneung again the morning after and met some amazing new friends there (some of whom he knew from his orientation with EPIK). We had an action packed day of brunch, shopping, beach walking, dinner, drinks and more noraebang! Then I stayed at my new friend's place there, because the last bus had already left. On Sunday morning, we went to nearby Samcheok city to see Haeshindang Park...a park full of penis statues. Unfortunately, I ended up missing the conversation club's Halloween party, but it was a great time getting pictures that will prevent us from running for political office in the future.
This weekend, just to catch us up all the way, I met a new buddy named Ashley. She met Jon in a similar way to how he met me. After being bereft of English speaking company for two weeks, Jon met and befriended her in a convenience store. So on Friday night, I got to meet her and walk around a bit, then we met Jon and headed to a friend's birthday dinner. That was followed by a visit to the local ex-pat hotspot, where we hung out for a bit. After they left, the remainder of us headed to a noraebang across the street. Although I liked the karaoke in Gangneung better, it's always fun to make an ass of oneself singing with others.
Saturday morning I woke up and met Ashley, Edel (from Gangneung) and two
of her friends, and we went for a hike in Meurang Valley. 
So, all in all, it's been an adventure filled few weeks full of fun having and friend making. School's still a bit tough, but life in Korea is pretty great, and that makes it pretty darn bearable.
