Cat Cafe

Disclaimer: Okay folks, I just proof-read this and I feel it may be necessary to explain that I am not now, nor have I ever been a cat lady. This post comes off slightly cat lady-ish, but let me assure you that I don't even own a cat. Just because I happen to love cat puns, doesn't mean I've gone over to crazy cat lady territory! Okaaay, disclaimer (rant?) over.

As you may or may not know, I love animals, especially cute furry ones. Months ago, when I was first researching Korea, I heard about cat cafes. "Cat cafes(?!)", you might be asking yourself "what is that?!" Well America, I once wondered the same thing. Get this -it's a cafe full of CATS! Who would have guessed? Basically you get a coffee -or in my case hot chocolate (because the only thing I love more than furry animals is chocolate)- and you sit around playing with dozens of cats!

Sounds amazing right? I know, my first thoughts were pretty much you have cat to be kitten me! Are you serious right meow? A cat cafe sounds like the purrfect way to spend my evening! As you may or may not know, the only thing I love more than furry animals and chocolate is cat puns.

So, of course, for my first weekend in Seoul I had to go to a cat cafe. Well folks, mission totally accomplished. And let me tell you, it was AWESOME! The hot chocolate was just okay, but let's be honest who the f cares about the hot chocolate at a CAT CAFE? That's like judging a strip club on its chicken wings.

But let's be even more honest, you guys, who the f cares what I have to say when there are pictures of cute cats to get to? No one right? That's why I'm going to make the rest of this post mostly pictures with a few sentences interspersed throughout. (Notice my use of the word interspersed.)



We got these very informative rules.





This was my favorite cat!



 

Creepin on a cat. Check meowt!

The cats all loved the heater. So we camped out here to maximize our cat to human ratio.

I'd say it was a purrdy good time. And it was much more hygenic than I'd thought it would be. There were cabinents to put all of your stuff in and lint rollers to use before you left. If you can get past the 2 stall co-ed bathroom (wtf, right) then it's totes worth a visit. I'll be back. It's not just for cat ladies!

Bukchon Hanok Village

Last weekend I visited the Bukchon hanok village in Seoul. It is located  in Samcheongdong. A hanok is a traditional  Korean home. Although they were popular  during the Joseon Dynasty, they are becoming pretty  hard to find. Bukchon village is one of the larger clusters of restored hanok villages.

The hanok homes were beautiful. They are spread throughout the neighborhood, so the area is nice for an afternoon walk. Some of the hanoks are available  for home stays so I may try to do that before I leave as well.

If you're ever in Korea I would say Bukchon is worth a visit, but I'd pair it with a visit to one of the nearby palaces as it doesn't take long to walk to village.

Shit Korean Kids (and adults) Say

And here is my second edition of a little update I like to call "Shit Korean kids say"!

Photo Key!

1. Racist comments in a graduation speech
2. The red writing is mine -I was suspicious that she copied from the book. Suspicions confirmed?
3. This is a sign at my school above the sinks. Good job English school!
4. Thank you note from the kinder moms. Who the hell is Samanda teacher?

Folk day at ILS

Hello again!

Don't worry, I'm still alive. I have been seriously neglecting my blog lately. It's been over two weeks since my last post. This is mainly due to two things. First, my computer is still out of commission and I hate updating from my phone. Second, I hadn't done anything particularly interesting. I had been pretty broke lately waiting for my first payday!

Boy have things changed since my last post. I'm a city gal now, you guys. I even have my own subway card to prove it! Also, I'm pretty much a legit Korean. Except for the fact that I can speak only about 10 Korean words. Details! Right? But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me update you about the highlights.

Last week Korea celebrated Lunar New Years and I discovered one of the great perks of teaching -gifts! My kinder students gave me a fancy lotion/bath wash gift set and I got chocolates from one of my elementary kids. ILS gave all the teachers gifts as well -a Korean rice wine called makgeolli. We got four bottles each. Woo hoo!

We had a four day break from school for the holiday. I've always been kind of terrible at budgeting. Combine that with some unexpected expenses because of my flight mishap (thanks again Chicago) and I was depressingly low on funds the last week before payday. So I spent my break watching a lot of Law & Order SVU and eating ramen. See why I haven't updated much? I didn't think an update about what a hero Mariska Hargatay is was exactly news-worthy.

Anyway, I got paid on Wednesday. I'm officially a millionaire, you guys! It's so nice to eat real food again! And boy did I do it right. On Friday I went for samgyeopsal (Korean barbecued pork belly) with a couple of co-workers. It was probably the best meal I've had in Korea. So delicious!

Friday was also folk day at ILS. Everyone wore hanbuks (traditional Korean dress) and played games all day. They "surprised the foreign teachers with" (read: forced us into) hanbuks as well. It was kind of cool to experience though so I didn't mind. The game I was in charge of was "rubber shoes". Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've seen 4 year olds in full traditional dress (hats, vests, full skirts and all) try to kick a shoe into a cone.

There were other games as well. They had an arm wrestling competition. The only thing cuter than seeing all the kids in their hanbuks, was seeing them try to figure out arm wrestling. It was basically extreme hand holding.

On Saturday I made my way to Seoul for the first time. It was a day of firsts for sure. Among other things, I rode a train and the subway for the first time. It was a great day. I saw Changdeokgung Palace, a hanok village, ate great food, and even went to a cat cafe! The weather was pretty cold, but the big fluffy snow flakes that fell softly from the sky all day was magical. I will post all about it soon.

Until next time y'all! Picture Key 1. My fridge right before payday. All you need -wine and hot sauce 2. Yummy Korean BBQ 3-8. Hanbok fun 9. 1st time on the subway! 10. Changdeokgung Palace