Good news, I found a place to play trivia in Anyang! This summer, my dad's friends graciously let me crash their weekly guys night trivia game and I had been hoping to find a place here to carry on the tradition. Luckily, there is a pub right near my house that is run by an American and does English trivia on Thursday nights! Its also a great place to meet other expats living in Anyang.
On Saturday I did another hike with Climbing in Korea. I'm starting to think I should rename my facebook album "Pictures of Julie on Mountains (in Korea)". I'm really loving the challenge these hikes offer. Just the right combination of aerobic and strength exercise plus the added adrenaline rush from the crazy routes we take to the peak. This time around I felt a bit more knowledgeable about what to expect and found people asking me questions about the best way up various sections and such. I also got to reconnect with the girl I met from UVA a few weeks back! Its good to feel like I'm starting to create a group of friends in Seoul/Anyang that I can explore the city with!
Icicles on the mountain!
The view of Seoul from 836 meters up.
It says 0 Celsius. Enough said.
After hiking, I had my first noraebang experience. This is the Korean version of Karaoke, but you and your friends are in a private room belting your hearts. This was definitely an activity that was eased by some soju, but I had a pretty good time. Worth the experience, even if I don't go again (although I was able to show off my rap skills, which if I may say so, are superb). See Anthony Bourdain's take on the noraebang for more context here. We followed this with a round of bowling, which caused me to miss the last subway train by less than a minute, resulting in a pricey cab ride back to the city.
Lastly, on Sunday I went into Seoul again with another teacher I met at trivia to feed the homeless. The organization meets every Sunday to buy food, package up the meals, and then distribute them to the homeless around the area. I didn't notice many homeless people in Korea at first, but lately have been seeing many people living in the subway stations. I really enjoyed volunteering for this group, although when it comes to volunteering I like to know more about the particular issue to give my actions some context in the greater socio-economical surroundings. I also like to have a bit more personal interaction with the people I am helping. However, the experience was really rewarding and I met some great people who showed me ways to find other volunteer activities.
I don't have too much planned for this week expect for Thanksgiving themed trivia which *may* include pumpkin pie....
xo Julie
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