On Tuesday it rained so hard we did not leave the room for much of the day.  Honestly, I was perfectly content to sit in the dorm, watch American TV on the internet and catch up on my book.  Sightseeing can be very demanding and the previous day, Monday, was not only full of ancient culture but also contemporary culture when we met with two different groups of Korean buddies.

Bonnie's group met us in the early afternoon and took us both to lunch at a restaurant known for it's hot spices.  A little scary for me as I am a wimp in the spicy department and the nagging cough that I have acquired is exacerbated by one tiny bite of something too hot.  The Korean buddies helped me though and cautioned me on what would be hot/mild/wimpy meals.  

We went to Gyeongbok Palace afterwards with one of the buddies named Yuri.  She was very sweet and patient and, although she is not interested in museums and palaces like Bonnie and me, Yuri tried to explain what she could.  She even commented on her surprised reaction to our fascination with history and Korea.  This was certainly one of the highlights of the week, the palace was beautiful, there were many people there in traditional clothing and the Folk Museum was attached and very interesting.

Afterwards we met with three of my Korean buddies.  We ate an "Italian" meal somewhat awkwardly as my buddies were "nervous" according to one girl named Mina and did not talk much.  They explained that they did not have any questions for us because they knew a lot about American culture.  A little unfair, I felt, as it the majority of their knowledge probably came from movies and TV as none of them had been to America.  

During the meal, however, the girls shared some of their experiences while the lone boy in the group sat uncomfortably.  The ladies explained that many Korean women do not like the holidays like Chuseok or Chirstmas, they do all the work and the boys sit and play games or watch TV.  They do not like the double standard, which is understandable, we have a very similar one in the U.S.  But, I would argue, most women in the U.S. do not hate the holidays but rather enjoy them.  Maybe I am biased as I come from a large family filled with women who seem to love taking care of the family.  I think it might be fair to conclude that Korean women must have it harder on a day to day basis than their American contemporaries.  I get the impression, from having talked to a few Korean women now, that the men do not always pull their weight domestically with the housework or the children.

Another fascinating, if not completely sad, bit of culture shock stemming from our conversation was how my two female buddies described Korean women.  It was explained to me that women do not eat a lot of food (no shock there!  you should see the size of these adorable women!) and do not like to work out so they do not bulk up.  They also avoid the sun and wear very light (to white) colored makeup.  Why? "To appear weak for their boyfriends/husbands," was the reply.  I am still somewhat confused if they meant most Korean women or the new/old generation of Korean women, or if they were referring to themselves or other women.  I have seen many older Korean women on walks throughout the city so they must be getting stronger muscles and sun, right?  I guess I'll have to ask more about this in the months to come.
  

It was an interesting dinner, however awkward, and I did appreciate the honesty.  

On Thursday we were invited to our Korean coordinator's house for a traditional Chuseok meal.  It was delicious and a great experience.  The food was beautiful, all laid out in many dishes, one after another kept coming to the table by Dr. Lee's niece. It was also nice to sit and relax and discuss some of our experiences with Dr. Lee.  

This past weekend we visited Souvenir heaven, a magical place called Insadong.  You can find everything here: artwork, crafts, keychains, bookmarks, scarfs, shoes, pottery, beautiful paper, clothing, food, and many foreign tourists.  It was a lot of fun and very productive!