On the 25th May, 2014 it had been 6 months since
I left the UK. Nearly half way through and the time has gone so quickly. I’ve
been quite lucky that I haven’t felt any homesickness, obviously it would have
been nice to see friends and family during that period but it won’t be long
until I’m back, and sparing any UKIP deportations everyone will be there
waiting for me when I get home.
A reason why I possibly haven’t really felt any homesickness
so far has been that I’ve been surrounded with familiar faces since leaving the
UK. When I was in Thailand I met up with Amy and Kelsey, two girls from uni. In
Australia, I met up with Ed and Amy, a couple of Bedford companions. I got to
Korea and met up with Toner, a great friend from home. Soon after, Ben came out
to visit for a week. In February, Karl, one of my best mates from uni, came to
Korea to teach for the year. And most recently Kate, another mate from uni
popped over to Korea to visit Karl and I as she was passing through Asia on her
travels. In only a short period of time, I have gone from a tourist to a tour
guide, as I showed Kate and her bum-chum Rose around the sights of Seoul. Although
when most people think of Brendan the tour guide they immediately think of a
flamboyant, overweight twat… Maybe it’s more accurate than I thought.
Kate and Rose arrived in Seoul to torrential rain. The
heavens had opened despite my promises to Kate that it would be hot and sunny
when they arrived. She was not impressed. We started the catch up with a few
pints in the local, as we shared stories and got to know Rose a bit better. A
quirky, fun individual to say the least!
Unfortunately, due to our teaching hours Karl and I couldn’t
spend as much time as we had hoped with the girls during their stay, but this
gave them some exploring of their own to do without us. There’s a lot to see
and do in Soeul but when you’ve only got a week you have to start cramming. We
suggested the truly touristy attractions; cat café, dog café, palaces, temples,
museums, and of course soju and kimchee. Korea in a nut shell.
On Saturday we took a trip to the baseball. We found a good
spot in the stand to watch the game and cracked the first beer open in the
afternoon sunlight. It was nice for about 10 minutes but standing in the unbearable
heat stops becoming fun very quickly. I soon became a hairy, sweaty mess. My
chest was like a rain forest, my arse was like a swamp, and my bollocks had
mushrooms growing on them. I spent most of the afternoon with my legs apart
trying to give the twins some breathing space. And apparently the summer gets
hotter here in Seoul, my heritage derives from Ireland and England, I wasn’t designed
for the hot climates. I’m happy in the cold and rain, I’m a human slug.
 |
| I look so camp in this picture. |
The baseball game was enjoyable despite “supporting” the
team that got dicked 23-1. In attendance were Kate, Rose, Somi, Karl, Bernd,
Angie, and I, we’re hardly what you’d call die hard baseball fans. Our excuse
was to show Kate and Rose something different that they hadn’t experienced on
their travels so far. In the crowd I happened to see this guy watching TV on
his phone, upon further inspection he was watching the baseball game that was
happening live in front of him.
If he had lifted his head up 20cm then he would have seen
the game live. Baseball is hardly that interesting at the best of times, if you
watch the game live and then watch the replay on your phone you’re only going
to be bored twice.
As we were leaving the game we also saw this pair of sad
acts.
“Together Since 2010.” So what? Rihanna and Chris Brown were
together since 2008, and look how that turned out. (Although, based on the
pictures Angie has been drawing of us maybe I shouldn’t comment on other cringey
couples).
We showed the girls the highlights of the Hongdae night
life. We went to the park and they got to meet the notorious Makgeolli Man.
Both Friday and Saturday night were filled with drunken
adventures which ceased around 5am.
They said they had a great time in Korea, and would like to
come back again. It was great having them here it’s just a shame it was only
for a week. Korea is an awesome place, and you know the old saying ‘Once you go
to Korea… you get gonorrhoea?’ I was trying to think of something more accurate,
but that’ll do.
