Daegu, City In The Valley

My slogan is much better sounding than the real one, "Colorful Daegu", in my humble opinion. We had a long weekend with Monday being National Foundation Day, a holiday celebrating the myth of the creation of Korean people. I think it's interesting that a nation can be so firmly rooted in traditional folklore while identifying with religions that are historically speaking, non-Korean, such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Catholicism to name a few. It's a paradoxical balance that I don't fully understand, as an outsider on both religion and nationality.

To me, it was simply a great weekend, one of the best I've had since the school year started again in September. But I'm getting ahead myself.

Friday, September 30th, 2016

We skipped ball to have fun like high-school students. Jon, Julez, Michael, and I had dinner at a tiny homestyle restaurant at PNU, before we went bowling at a nearby space-themed alley. I lost both times unsurprisingly, but my score did improve in the second game. Thank Buddha we weren't placing bets.

After Jade joined us, we went to 노래방. Donghoon came, and then Joyce came, and then Jade left, and then Jon left, but the entire music sesh was super fun.

Good crowd, awesome music.

Saturday, Oct 1st, 2016

I went to a wedding without an invitation. Alex's friends from Ultimate, whom I didn't know, were tying the knot. The groom is American, and the bride is Korean, and the wedding was outdoors under a white tent tucked in an alcove between a very traditional Korean hanok house, and a very modern glass building, surrounded by trees and stone steps.

I'm a little embarrassed about crashing the wedding of, and posting a photo of a couple I never met and probably will never meet again. However, I'm not so embarrassed that I wouldn't do it.  

We had a family-style traditional Korean meal afterwards, and the whole experience was super surreal. But in a neat way.

That night, we celebrated Julez's b-day even though it's a day early. Dinner was at 유가네, and here is a clip of the birthday girl eating a banana GyeongMin gave to her (unabashedly as a present).

Wow, the freeze screen looks super dirty.

We had a quick game of bowling while more birthday guests came, and we realized afterwards that nowhere could accommodate such a large group of buffoons except for Prix, so we went there.

I did not buy it like this. Sora knocked it to the floor at the bowling alley. An accident, so she says...

B-day girl got cake smeared on her face by Eddie

Weird moment at Prix

It started out innocently enough. Eddie thought that someone should smear cake on the birthday girl's face, so he did the honours.

After we had a good laugh, and washed it off, Julianne decided to take revenge, on both Eddie and GyeongMin. Then Joyce got cake on her face.

I don't know how it happened, but I heard girls screaming and saw running, and suddenly it was a cake fight between the 4 of them.

Joyce tried to get GyeongMin back, missed, and got Jade and me instead - hair, dress, coat, and all.

And my bitch mode was activated.

Jade stayed cool, and ate cake calmly while Julianne wiped the cake off the back of her shirt. To be fair, she didn't see the damage. I however, turned to Joyce in a fit of murderous rage, and could only enunciate, "PAPER TOWELS. NOW."

When I saw her come back, still giggling, with dry paper towels, I stomped off to the washroom with an expression that Michael took one look at and said, "Woah, that's scary". After chucking the soiled paper towels onto the floor, and taking out my phone to glare at it furiously, Eddie sat beside me.

"Are you okay"?

"Yep."

"You seem really mad".

"I am".

Joyce came back, put her jacket back on, and sat meekly in her chair at the end of the table in silence, because she knew I was pissed. Man, I tell you, kids these days. I don't even feel bad about it; I was really pissed off. 

But, I got over it and everyone danced together at Yaman afterwards, and we're okay.

Went home early though, I had to pack for an overnight trip to Daegu for next day.

Sunday October 2nd, 2016

My mom's birthday. She's having a great time though. She's currently on a cruise in Europe with my dad and a dozen other good friends, and they all celebrated with her, and she sent me sweet photos.

Happy 40th birthday mom! (For the 14th time lol)

Meanwhile, I was taking a 40-min KTX ride to Daegu to meet Jayden, trying desperately not to fall asleep and miss my stop.

Pikachu donuts, nature's sleeping pill.

Daegu is a really charming city. The pace of life is less rushed than Busan; older people don't shove past you for a seat on the subway. Located in a valley surrounded by mountains makes Daegu a beautiful, lush, green city, but also a humid, hot AF one. While the rest of Korea is in autumn mode,  Daegu was still in mosquito season. They gave me plenty of action, those tiny mofos.

On Monday, we went to E-Land, which has way less people than Lotte World on any given day, so we didn't have to wait in line at all. It rained a bit in the afternoon, but it wasn't too bad.

Miss you already, weirdo.