[Part 3] 156. Moving out of Co-m Livingtel and meeting up with Ziggy & Jaeoung

Thank goodness for my alarm and my self-discipline this morning! On most days, I would ignore my alarm and go back to sleep but luckily, I went down to look for Jeannie at 6am today. I managed to catch her just in time before she left! She was entering the lift with Phyllis and Vi. Even though we'll see each other back in Singapore, I felt sad that she's gone and life in Korea feels a little empty without her presence now. It has definitely been fantastic spending 5 months here with her. Even at 2am+ last night, we were still talking in her room, just like old times. It was also our last time doing that. After sending her off, I embarked on my packing mission all the way till 1pm!

Post-its to remind me of the numerous things I had to do! 

I wanted to take a cab from Co-m to the post office but YW said that we could manage the 5 bags of stuff I wanted to ship/air-mail back and he was right :) I saved on cab fare. But I feel stupid now because I sent back 2 boxes, one by EMS and the other by ship. I should have sent both back by EMS because the difference between EMS and ship for a 6kg box wasn't that great, just 10,000KRW+ and now, I have to wait for a freaking 1-2 months for my stuff! Youngjin's mother called the PO for me a few weeks' back to enquire about the charges and delivery time for shipping and she was told that it would take between 21 days to 1 month. But at the PO today, I was told that it'll take 1-2 months -.- Also, it sucks that the PO in KU always runs out of the biggest sized box no. 6 and since my stuff can't fit into box no. 5, the biggest box available at the PO, I had to get 2 boxes which increased my base charge.

YW and I went to Insadong for lunch and I shopped for souvenirs for my relatives before meeting Ziggy and Jaeyoung for dinner in Dongdaemun.

All the work winter brings about!

They brought me to an eatery near the wholesale clothes market for  닭한마리 dakhanmari (which means one piece of chicken) for 18,000KRW. It was really delicious and much better than the one in Anam. There were quite a number of Japanese tourists there as well. Even though it was spicy, I love the taste and we ordered 1 bottle of 막거리 makkori as well. Just one bowl made me turn super red and I was so embarrassed of it :(

The spicy but delicious sauce that goes with the chicken

The kind ajumma who taught us how to cook the chicken!

Chicken with kimchi!

Ziggy and Jaeyoung

Rice cake

칼국수 knife-cut noodles in the chicken stock

After dinner, we walked along Cheonggyecheon Stream from Dongdaemun to Jonggak, near the Jump theatre and it got colder and colder and colder :( We went to The Place for fruits waffle and drinks.

This trip in Korea has been wonderful because I met so many people! I got to meet up with Morten, my one and only Norwegian friend, whom I thought I would never meet again unless I go up to Norway to visit him. But this summer, he came down to Asia for holiday before starting work and we got to spend a few days together in Korea. I miss you, Morten! And through Morten, I got to know Ziggy, Jaeyoung and Himchan who kept in contact with me throughout the semester and brought me around to eat good food in Korea. I just met up with Himchan last week for the last time and today, I met Ziggy and Jaeyoung for the last time. It seems like only yesterday when we first met, but that was in the 1st week of August, and that was last year, even though 2010 isn't that far away yet. I think my Korean listening skill has improved quite a bit in that I don't switch my mind off so easily anymore and I actually make an effort to listen attentively and follow through the conversation. As much as I wanted to spend more time with them, I had to leave early because I needed to pass Kenneth his 2 bags of stuff, check out of my room in Co-m Livingtel and move over to my friend's place for my remaining time in Korea. After 2 handshakes and 2 hugs, I bade them farewell and rushed back to Anam. I think the tears floodgate will open on Friday. Really badly. My new shades will come in handy for sore puffy eyes.

Back in my room, I took some photos of the room I used to hate but gradually fell in love with. I'll miss it so much! I love slacking in my room and listening to Korean music while surfing the net aimlessly. But of course, there is a downside to it. For this trip, I had expected to travel alot but instead, I spent most of my time in Seoul. It's tiring to travel around and sometimes, I just want to laze in my room. Kenneth came over but just as I was going to bring out the paper bag to him, it broke because it was overloaded with Jeannie's and my stuff to him like toilet paper, Dove body soap, Thirsty Hippo, instant noodles, heat pack, etc. Luckily, the lady at the counter of my hostel had 2 empty paper bags for him and she also helped me call for a taxi. Initially, Kenneth waited with me but I chased him off because his friends were waiting for him at a patbingsu place. But it was a bad choice because the stupid taxi driver didn't know how to come to Co-m and asked me to look for his taxi instead. Like WTF. There's a reason why I called for a taxi and not walk down Anam Chamsarigil to flag down a cab, right?!?!?! Also, I couldn't catch what he was saying so I passed the phone to the lady to give him the directions but I could hear her getting more and more exasperated with the taxi driver. In the end, she cancelled the call and said I had no choice but to go down and flag a cab myself because it's easier. But Kenneth had already left!!!!! I had no choice but to call him back and he came with his 2 friends who helped me drag my luggages down the very steep slope and I managed to get a cab within 3 minutes. But the taxi driver wasn't sure how to get to my friend's place and I had a hard time explaining to him. Grrr....the horror of taking a cab when the drivers don't know the way and I don't know how to give them the directions in Korean. And guess what, they all have GPS in their taxis which they "refuse" to use?!?! Like WTH. I don't even have GPS to use when I need/want it. They have it but they don't use it. But yes, I made it to his place :) Kenneth and his friends said my check-in luggage is definitely more than 30kg but YW said otherwise. I need a weighing scale! It sucks because I haven't completed my shopping for my relatives yet and my luggage is already full and near/overweight. It doesn't help that I already sent back another 2 boxes today and that I may have to send back more stuff again. The life of an exchange student who shops too much or buys too much for others :)

Walking back to Co-m this way for the last time :(

Second from the top, second from the left. Jeannie's room was right below mine. 

Best location...right beside the kitchen, nearest to the aircon switch for some manipulation during summer, desktop when my macbook couldn't access some websites and nearest to the washing machine as well.

Ready to go! The 2 bags on the right were for Kenneth

I'll miss you, my dearest room for the past 5 months!

So little time and so much to do.

I actually look forward to wearing only 1 layer of clothes in a few days' time. It's quite a hassle to dress up everyday after the novelty of dressing up for fall and winter died down. And it's a horror walking on ice everyday. I'm on tenterhooks each time and I can't wait to walk on normal iceless pavements and roads.

My poor left knee is bruised from falling twice on the same spot on a stupid icy bridge in Nami Island last week and from falling countless times while skiing yesterday. At least, I made it to the Intermediate slope!