Halloween

What a terrific weekend! Once I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was no longer my final weekend, I was able to relax a bit more and concentrate on having the perfect costume for Saturday's Halloween Party.

Friday night was a typical night, spent at the Pirate Bar in Sanbon. I knew I needed to have an early night so that I could be prepared for a long day Saturday. Saturday morning I awoke to a beautfiul autumn morning, and after lazying around for a bit, I set out for a early-afternoon walk through Pyeongchon and our very own Central Park to collect leaves. The leaves were part of my grand scheme of going to the party as a "Wood Fairy."

The girls preparing for the big party... 

Therefore, all of Saturday afternoon was spent hot gluing various shapes and sizes of autumn leaves in brilliant colors of red, yellow, and orange to a skirt and top. Of course, I already had the necessary accessories ready: wings, wand, fishnet stockings, body glitter, and eyelashes. Around 6:00 pm, I began getting ready, finally carefully wriggling into my costume just as some of my friends started arriving. About eight people came over and we took pictures and had some snacks before setting off into the cold. I was half-naked and therefore freezing, and the cab ride was a laugh because I had to sit on my knees facing the back windshield so as not to ruin my costume.

No chance in hell... 

We arrived at the party just as it began at 9:00 pm...we wanted to take advantage of the $25 we paid for the open bar from 9 until 1:00 am. We had a great time dancing and socializing before the final and most anticipated event of the evening: the costume contest. Now, I was not at all going for a sexy look with my Wood Fairy getup...if anything, it was cute and innocent. But someone deemed me sexy, and I won! I owe it all to my loud-mouthed friends in the crowd who cheered for me. Anyway, I won a DVD player, which is probably the last thing I need a week before leaving! Oh, well!

Nope, she's not the sexiest, and neither is he... 

After the contest, we hopped into taxis and headed to Itaewon. We ended up at Polly's Kettle, where I managed to lose any remaining leaves from my costume...and MY WALLET! That is wallet #2 in the last couple months! I am an idiot! The only thing in that wallet, other than money, was my Alien Registration Card. Rumor has it that one has to pay a $100 fine to immigration if the card is lost. Just my luck!

Managed to crawl into bed around 5:00 am, and other than a fruitless trip to Itaewon in search of my wallet, today was a pretty low-key day. I am just now getting excited about the idea that I will be leaving in eight days!!!

Seodaemun Prison and Gyeongbokgung Palace

Well, I was supposed to take advantage of my last three-day weekend by lying on a beach in Busan, but the rain began falling in torrents Thursday night without any sign of letting up, and the weekend's forecast looked pretty grim. Therefore, around 9:00 pm Friday night, Erin and I decided to scrap our plans and make the most of the weekend in Seoul.


Seodaemun Prison Cellblock. 

Therefore, we met up with some friends and spent a bit of time at the Rockssin open-mic night before finding ourselves in a Noraebang. It had been ages since I have partaken in the good-time Korean-style singing rooms, so I rounded up the troops and twenty of us crammed into the small space. We sang our hearts out until the manager had to finally kick us out at 6:30 am.

Saturday I was awaken around 10:30 am to the phone ringing and an immediate searing pain through my chest. My pain had been bearable for the past week, but this was the worst feeling I had ever had. I tried to shrug it off and accepted an invitation to a day of ice skating and shooting. However, once I was outside meeting my friends, I was doubled over in pain, unable to breathe or speak. I decided to bow out of the plans and get back into bed. I then awoke around 2:00 pm and knew it was time to see a doctor. So I went to a man who barely knows English, and after a chest X-ray and cardiogram, was informed that my heart was okay and that he would be prescribing me "mind medicine" for my "anxiety"...cue the anger. Long story short, I went off on him for even implying that I was a head case, telling him that I never suspected heart problems but just wanted something for the pain! He meekly gave me a prescription, and I got the heck out of there.


Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Saturday night, still unable to breathe, I went out for an Indian dinner for Kelly's birthday in Itaewon. It was a short night for me, to say the least. Yesterday morning I awoke feeling much better, even though I still had not mustered the courage to take the pain medicine. I invited Kelly to be my sightseeing partner, and together we headed first to Gyeongbokgung Palace in North Seoul. We arrived just in time to see the ceremonial changing of the guards, but I really had no interest in touring the palace.


Seodaemun Prison Entrance. 

After the palace, we went to nearby Seodaemun Prison. This is the famous prison that held the "patriotic fighters" during the Japanese occupation during the early to mid-1900s. The tour of the prison included the cells, execution room, and torture chambers. It was a very eye-opening and appalling experience, and a reminder as to why the Koreans still have such harsh feelings for the Japanese.

Saturday night I went out for another birthday dinner in Itaewon, followed by some dancing with friends. This morning I awoke feeling quite tired and run-down...it's 4:30 pm, and I am still sitting around in my pajamas. Everyone needs a lazy day like this every now and again, not to mention it is probably just what I need to recover from my chest injury thing!