Korea needs more Nappy-Headed Hos

I think part of my job description should have included dealing with Korean girls who think that because I'm a young guy, I will instinctively fall in love with them so they can have their own private native English whore to hangout with all the time. I went out to dinner with two such girls last night, although I think just one them actually has a desire to learn. After texting me for two weeks, I had to give in and engage in a slightly heterosexual activity. This was the same girl who interviewed me a few weeks ago after I finished eating at the pasta place. Apparently my answers were not good enough, she said her friend's foreign guy gave longer answers. Well, that guy can blow me.

But anyway, the dinner was fine mainly because she was paying for it and she had already given me two pairs of socks when we first met up. Koreans think socks are the best gift in the world. But then we had to do the interview and I promised to try my best to speak for a long time. First question is What is your name and age? I respond accordingly and then just awkwardness. She started at me like she wanted me to elaborate on my freakin name. The awkwardness just continued as she'd ask a question and then shake her head like I gave the wrong answer. More likely, though, she just had no idea what I was talking about. I said New York City and Seoul were similar in that they are both big cities that also have a lot of stuff going on. She shook her head. Because she's been NYC before, right. After six minutes of torture, the camera came out. She made me put my arm around her. She had also asked me earlier "What kind of girl you like?" I said "Funny girls." So of course, after 40 pictures, she says OK lets do a funny picture. Then I took a few more pictures with her friend. I'm heading into dangerous territory here as she already said she'll come with me the next time I get my haircut so she can translate. After dinner as we went in different directions in the subway, I gave her this weird half high five half handshake. I'm not saying this girl is terrible, she's seems nice enough, but she's going to school to major in English, she wants to hangout with me for one reason only. And actually, if she was hot, I'd also want to hangout with her for a different one reason, but it's just always uncomfortable for me to deal with them.

We got on a random bus on Saturday afternoon because there's nothing great to see in this city so if you hop a bus, chances are you'll end up in a place that looks strikingly similar to every other area. Of course, somehow we ended up at this huge national park, but luckily it was getting dark, so I didn't have to fake illness or death if Bender had decided he wanted to go up any sort of steep incline. We went to another soccer game on Sunday, got there a little late because Bender refused to wake up on time, but hey, that's always an issue with him. Damn game ended 0-0. That should just not be allowed in sort of sport. They kick that freakin ball around for 90 minutes willing I have to deal with some guy waving giant nasty squid in front of me and no one can kick the stupid ball into the net, it's actually very frustrating to watch soccer. But it's a guarantee we'll be back at the next home game, because still we haven't seen a goal from Seoul and that's probably the exciting part of the game. Maybe.

We're in the process of planning an early July trip to Thailand, which if it actually does happen, is almost guaranteed to be the best week of my life just behind senior year Beach Week. That'll likely be the last trip out of Korea before I go home, which is fine, because I think I've seen enough, at least for someone as terrible and lazy as myself. If anyone has money to burn and wants to share a twin bed with two other guys, please come to Thailand with us.

I think I've been trading off excitement for comfort as the months have gone by here. Seoul isn't new or fresh any more. Dealing with crazy Koreans is just normal everyday fare at this point. But I feel at home here now, so much so that I have a pretty warped sense of America now. I know I lived there for the first 24 years of my life, but all of that seems so far in the past now. I've still got 6 more months here, but that day I get off that plane in New York next October, I picture it everyday. Not in the sense that I'm dying to get out of here, far from it, but I just know it's going to be a surreal experience. I'm happy here, but once you're away from America for long enough, you begin to see it for it really is, the best damn country in the world.