Movie Night

So, today was an action-packed day.

This morning (which already seems like ages ago), we had a lecture on Religions in South Korea.  I felt kind of bad for the professor, as it was evident that he was brilliant, but he deviated a bit from the lecture notes he provided, and threw a lot of facts out without giving a clear framework for how they all fit together . . . fascinating, and I now have quite a few bits of useful information for my term paper on Christianity in Korea, but I do kind of wish he had been a better presenter so that everyone else could have been as interested as I was (I'm a Religious Studies minor, so it's kind of my thing), and also so that I could have followed along better myself.

We then had lunch, featuring some tofu cakes which were DELICIOUS, and then a group of us ventured out to Itaewon, which is kind of like foreigner central for Seoul.  Every guide book we've read on the place has been sure to mention the fact that in Itaewon, there are clothes in sizes big enough to fit fat foreigners.  Always useful.

While there we stopped at a coffee shop and I had a Vanilla Latte, which was absolutely wonderful.  On this trip I have overall been drinking less coffe than at home, but the coffee I have been drinking has been far fancier than at home.  Since we have to order coffee from a shop, as it's not supplied with any of our meals (except for the few times when sweetened coffee-in-a-can is given, and that's more like soda), I've been tending to get nicer coffe drinks than just straight black coffee.  Lattes, cappuccinos, you name it, I've probably drunk it on this trip.  Iced and hot.  One of the other girls from Cedar Crest and I had thought we ordered the same drink, just that mine was hot and hers was iced, but somehow the orders got lost in translation, and I got a hot vanilla latte like I ordered, and she got a sweet potato latte.  The taste was not bad (we all tried it in an attempt to figure out what it was), but the chunks of potato that came up through the straw were kind of off-putting.  This whole trip has been a rather interesting culinary experience . . . you're never quite sure what you'll be eating until you try it, and many times you still don't know what you've had even after you've eaten it.

In Itaewon I didn't buy anything, but there were plenty of shops offering their appealing-to-tourist wares.  T-shirts that say "KOREA!" and boxers printed with the design of the money are just some of the items available.  There were also lots of shops offering more department-store-like clothing wares, but we didn't have much chance to shop there, as there were a number of guys in our group, and they might not have liked being drug down by a number of girls trying on clothes.

Then we returned to SWU in order to meet up with the group who had pre-ordered tickets to see Harry Potter this evening.  I and three other girls decided we would go to the theater but see something else, as two of the girls had promised to see it with others once they got home, and I and my roommate were simply interested in seeing something other than Harry Potter.

As we ventured out to catch the bus to go to the theater, it was raining, and we formed a little umbrella brigade heading towards the bus stop, and as we were running just a bit late, we ended up running for a bit down the sidewalk, trying to get to the bus in time.  Lucky none of us slipped and broke our necks, considering the sidewalks are somewhat slippery, surprising considering rain is common in Korea, at least at this time of year.

The cinema we went to was in Lotte department store, which features plenty of levels of clothes, a level of restaurants, and the movie theater way at the top, on the 10th floor.  Which we reached by using the escalators.  I don't think I've ever ridden so many escalators in quick succession as I did this evening.  The four of us non-Potter-ers decided on watching Transformers 3, and we ended up with the 3D version, as it was the only one playing at a reasonable time.  The theater had no ticket counter, but instead a large bank of standing touch-screen machines where you can order your tickets, pick your exact seats, and pay.  The longer I stay in this country, the more I realize how behind the US is when it comes to technology.

We then had a few minutes to kill and went downstairs to get some coffee (I told you there's a coffee-buying increase here) and also stopped in the restroom, which featured smiley faces on the toilet lids, and a little mouthwash dispenser by the sinks.   Admittedly, this was a swanky store complex (Lotte is a big brand), but I don't think I have ever seen such a well-equipped bathroom before.

Back upstairs on the theater floor, there were a few little shops to entertain while we waited to go in, all featuring the cuteness that seems to pervade Southeast Asia.  Little happy keychains and pens and whatnot, all adorable.  Once we got in the theater and watched the previews, the one that cracked me up the most was the one asking you to go get some beer with your popcorn - I know this country is much more relaxed than the US when it comes to alcohol, but I keep getting surprised.  I was also surprised by the TV in the toilet stall.

I won't talk about the movie much, in order to not give out spoilers for anyone who wants to still see it, but I did like it.  Especially in 3D, I had never seen a movie completely in 3D before, so that was a nice treat.

On the way back, we took a taxi, because we had trouble finding the bus stop for the bus number we wanted, and I was astonished by the cleanness and roominess of the taxi.  I should really stop being surprised by how nice things are here, but it keeps happening.

Tomorrow, the menu says there are to be hotcakes for breakfast, something we're all (at least all the American students I've talked to) looking forward to.  I really hope that hotcakes mean American pancakes, and not something else.  But I've been wrong before, yesterday the menu said "Cherry Tea" when we were having Cherry Kool-Aid.  Whatever.  Close enough.