On the back of a scooter, soju in hand, we zipped across speed humps over narrow side roads behind buildings on our way to the apartment.
It was the first time I had ever been any substantial distance on a motored bike. I was trying to branch out, meet people, get to know those I'd drank with at Zio Ricco on Wednesdays. Some of them were hanging out at a house on the other side of the Hadaedong district, where I lived. I think they were in the same district. Time blurs the lines a bit.
I've reached that point in my stunted emotional development where I start to think that coming back would be a good idea. It really wouldn't be. At least, not without trying something else first. I know that. Still. It would be nice if what is best would coordinate with what is easy for once.
Unless you have plans to return to your home country for the holiday season (happy ChristmaHanukKwanzikuh to you, by the way), buying - and shipping - presents is the likely way to get your gifts home in time for the holidays.
While you know your parents and friends better than I do, here are some suggestions for making their Christmas a Korean one - and yours an easier one. Before purchasing, shop around. The same thing will cost 20% less (or more) at other places around town.
One night, after a particularly heady bout of alcoholism at one of Jinju's finest watering holes, a few of us not yet ready to call it a night headed out for more beer, good cheer and chow. While Jinju was a city, plenty of its eating establishments had a curtain call somewhere in the vicinity of midnight, leaving us with not many choices.
As reported about in this month's events, the Seoul Snow Jam snowboarding event made Gwanghwamun Plaza feel almost like the more famous X-games. A few quirks aside, it was a fairly well-run, if overcrowded, event.
The owners of the apartment we rent recently told us they were planning to sell it, which meant we either had to buy it, or find somewhere else to live. It caused me to consider the fact that in a little over three years, I've moved home four times - three times of which were between countries - and perhaps under the circumstances I shouldn't feel ashamed to be reluctant to add a fifth relocation to my list.
If the recent Korea Times article or the snowboard competition in downtown Seoul whetted your appetite to try it yourself, Seoul has several places relatively nearby to ski or snowboard. As you might expect in a country of mostly mountains, skiing and snowboarding are quite popular winter sports. While there are dozens of places to give it a try, none are located in Seoul proper, and traveling to most areas works best if you speak Korean, have a car, or both.
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