Thanksgiving week

So last sunday, yes, the day after MBLAQ, Sarah, Lauren, our friend Canako and I headed over to Kyung Hee University to catch another concert, this time, IU.  The university is really pretty because it's very European-inspired.

this was the theater- looks like a church, right?

No photos were allowed during the concert, except for when IU took 5 minutes to have photo time. She's adorable and SUPER talented. 

she had a gatsby theme going on with the stage

Back to life

new, fur lined slippers for school cause
it's COLD now

There was a cool LIFE photo exhibit we stopped by

My coteacher got me a little something because
she knew I was sad about missing thanksgiving

 Side note- my 15ish year aversion to hot chocolate seems to be subsiding. I can stand to be in the same room as it now, and have even had a cup or two. FINALLY the smell doesn't make me feel sick!

This week was SUPER busy, and involved a lot of shopping for the winter (Lauren needed a down coat since she's never had a winter coat and it's getting pretty frigid here), Korean class (I learned the past tense!) and then on Friday I went to see Catching Fire with my friends. I actually saw it on Wednesday with my coworkers, because we have a field trip bonding day like every month and that's what we decided to do. So I saw it twice in 1 week. Totally worth it, it was AWESOME.

This bathroom stall at Lotte Cinema
had a tv in it... Oh, Korea.

I may have bought meercat pajamas...

 On saturday, I went to Namsan Tower again to see the lights and Christmas decorations!

I was also busy this week making a workbook for winter camp, which is a 10 day english camp my school is having. Fuuuun. I got to skype with my family for Thanksgiving, thanks to my co teacher who generously took over 1st period so I could talk to them. I tried to get the kids to say hi, but my third graders got really shy in front of the camera. It was still super cute!!!

And the other day, Lauren and I went shopping for some heattech clothes in Hongdae. My co teacher informed me the next day that one of the students came up to her and told her she saw me in Hongdae and took a picture of me!! I am apparently a celebrity at my school!!!

So, on Sunday (since I have Korean class on Thursdays), a few of my foreigner friends and I headed to a tavern in the popular foreigner area, Itaewon, for a Thanksgiving meal.

It was delicous

 I have never really been away from home for a major family holiday before, so this was pretty difficult. But thanks to skype and facebook, I've been able to keep in touch. Even though I miss everyone fiercely, I'm still incredibly grateful for this opportunity and all of the joy it has brought me. Sometimes I get pretty homesick, but I've met a ton of great people here in Seoul and I'm so excited to see what the future holds. It's pretty crazy where life can lead you... If someone told me, heck, even 2 years ago, that I would have spent Thanksgiving 6,000 miles away from my family, I probably would have laughed. And yet, here I am, eating turkey with friends who are just as far from their families and reminiscing about holiday traditions we missed this year. But I'm still very happy with my decision to move here, so I'll take that as a good sign!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sending lots of love from Seoul!!!