Keep Going: My weekend (Sat. nite - Sunday for this guy)

So my work week is six days (better than the last job), so I get a Saturday evening and all day Sunday to enjoy some free time. I already posted about my Saturday evening though. Now on to some posting about my Sunday, which was "family day" for me.

The melatonin is finally working like the old days again. No, I am not an addict, but I do like to take a few of them, once or twice a week. I just shouldn't have set my alarm so early for Sunday morning though. I did crash at an early hour, but waking up at 5:40 am was almost impossible, thus my IPod snooze button was tapped at least five times until I finally rose from my wondrous sleep. I managed to get off campus and on a bus by about 7:20, and I arrived at the Pohang Bus Station, right around 8 am. I bought my ticket and was able to hop right on the bus and a moment or so later, we were on the road.

I am not sure if this God fella' plays a part in what we call perfect timing, but sometimes I have to think he deserves some of the credit. As I stepped off the bus, there was a taxi coming around the corner at just the right moment. I hopped in, instructed him where to go, and I was delivered. During the ride, I got a little wi-fi and was deeply shocked to see that the Saints were losing (we won't discuss that much more). The taxi driver was impressed with my knowledge of Korean -- I always respond and tell these people "I know a little".

I arrived a few minutes early for breakfast, although I was expecting to be late. The day was Sunday, so I guess I could have cut myself a little slack. Wooyeup (my Korean brother), and his mom were still working on the food for the meal. His mom gave me a big hug when I walked in the door, and it felt like I was back in the old home again. Wooyeup and I ate with his dad, who kind of smiled at me, and just sat down to eat breakfast.

Things in the Koo household go like this: Dad starts the morning off opening up the bathhouse (which is about twenty yards outside their front door) at 5:30 am. Then the mom wakes up and starts preparing breakfast sometime around 7:30 or 8. Once breakfast is ready, then mom goes over to the bathhouse and relieves the quiet one (seriously, he is the quietest man I have ever met). Around 9 am, Wooyeup, his Dad and I would usually have breakfast together (when we were all in the house at the same time). Then when the men are finished, we all go over to the bathhouse and get cleaned up, and ready for the day. In the meantime, Grandma goes back to the house and eats her meal. When she gets finished, she usually cuts up some fruit for Wooyeup, and I (doesn't matter if we are full or not from breakfast). Then when she gets finished, she heads back over and relieves the mom, and she eats breakfast sometimes on her own, or with one of the ladies in the neighborhood.

Now back to Sunday. Once Wooyeup and I got cleaned up, and I did my weekly shave of the head, we found the broadcast of the Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets game. We watched the game for almost two hours, before we were to meet the director of the Young Cadets of Daegu, Mr. Kim (one of my old bosses). Of course Momma didn't approve of my LL Bean barn coat -- it didn't look warm enough to her, so she put me in what she thought was a warmer coat. She even put a scarf on me (I call that losing man points, but sometimes it's worth the sacrifice). Meanwhile, Wooyeup's sister finally woke up. She just finished her senior exams for high school and will be graduating on February 9th. Even though college starts a month later, she is still unsure of where she will be attending. That, I think is a little odd.

We met Mr. Kim, his daughter Na Yeon, and William (one of the Young Cadets) at the office, and a little bit of reminiscing time Wooyeup was pushing the fact that the two of us were a little hungry, so we walked downtown, and ate a nice filling lunch of pork cutlets (also known as donkus). I don't think my stomach likes those things anymore though, because later that afternoon, I wasn't feeling so hot. When we finished our meal, we then had some nice conversation (mostly in Korean), at a traditional tea house. I had some Omija Tea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_tea) . It was nice and warm. Mr. Kim ordered some kind of tea made from dates for the others, that didn't look too appetizing, but I am sure it's good for you. If Koreans tell you to drink it because it is good for you, then you better drink up. They are probably speaking the truth, unless they are pressuring you to consume large amounts of their alcohol.

Wooyeup and I met his sister for a movie after tea time. We watched a Korean flick called Hwang Hae, which was a little bloody (understatement). I didn't need to know much Korean to understand this movie, because there was so much killing with axes and knives, and other random tools (since Koreans don't have guns in real life, why use them in movies, huh?). I did almost get sick, but maybe not from all the blood. That food from earlier was kickin' my behind, which sucked because we had an awesome, awesome dinner waiting for us.

One of my cadet parents who lives in the neighborhood had taken a special trip to visit her parents, and also get some duck meat. It was pretty good stuff, but my tum-tum was a wreck and then some, so sadly I was unable to eat much of it. When it came time to mix a little fried rice with the meal, I just had to stop. I felt kind of selfish, because I was a little anti-social due to my horrendous stomach troubles, but Wooyeup and I went back to one of the bedrooms and hung out for a bit. While some of the young ones were hanging out and discussing smart phones and all that cool technology, I decided to take cover and the floor and lay down. Instead of taking a late bus, I was just going to wake up early and get an early bus from Daegu to Pohang.

In this household, everyone sleeps downstairs in the Winter time. The mom and dad sleep in an extra room (usually used for laundry), then Grandma and Sis share a room, and Wooyeup takes Eum Bi's (sister's) room. I shared the floor with Wooyeup, and had to wake a few times to use the bathroom, which made waking up at 5:30 a piece of cake. I got out the door and a into a taxi for the bus station. We had checked a website on Sunday evening that said I could get a 6 am bus out to Pohang -- well that was wrong. The first bus to Pohang started at 6:30, which pushed things a little bit. When I got to Pohang, I caught my bus, got to the University, and back to the dorm with just enough time to get ready for camp. Needless to say, I slept good on Monday evening.