Preachers, haircuts and VIP treatment

Matt called this morning and we talked for nearly an hour. That’s pretty good for people who hate to talk on the phone! Today was also Jung Min and Hyun Ji’s birthday. Jung Min turned 23 and Hyun Ji is now 15. Happy birthday, girls! On a sad note (and a rather gross one), Mom has been suffering from gushing nosebleeds at least once a day since she got here. Is it the pollution? Is she hemorrhaging from her brain?? No one knows… She says she’s going to go to the doctor’s but hasn’t as of yet. *pulls hair out in frustration*

Stephenie’s mom called this morning and asked us if we wanted to go to lunch. We met up with her, her cousin and a Korean pastor who was either from the States or transferring there. I wasn’t quite clear on the subject but I didn’t ask because I don’t think he wanted to talk to me after a certain point anyway. It wasn’t my fault, really. He started it! *sticks out tongue…pbbbbt!* Steph’s mom was asking me about my boyfriend when the man asked if Matt went to church. I said no and then he has the audacity to declare that my boyfriend must not be a good person! And then CHIDED me, saying I needed to date a Christian. Argh!! *having an apoplectic fit while cursing religious bastards in my head*

I did manage to spit out that I don’t go to church either due to uptight religious people who think they’re better than everyone else all the while GLARING AT HIM in hopes that he would understand the message was for him. Alas, no. He was either dense or used to people trying to maim him with their eyes. *screaming in utter FRUSTRATION!!* (Once again, only in my mind.) I really think I cannot come to Korea anymore. It’s bad for my blood pressure. *sigh* The only point of redemption this afternoon was lunch. It was good…when I was able to choke it down past my aggression.

We departed from the restaurant as a group. (Unfortunately...) It was pouring down rain with insane gusts of wind. After the tension of lunch, my mom and I burst into hysterical giggles while trying to fit the two of us under one umbrella. Then we had to anchor both sides with our finger because the wind was trying to turn the darn thing inside out. Talk about stress relief! We were laughing and getting completely soaked. I love my mom! We finally had to stop at a Dunkin’ Donuts to see if the rain would let up a bit. After agonizing minutes of stilted small talk on my part, we were free to go!! It had been nice to see Stephanie’s mom again but I was SO glad I didn’t have to make nice for that holier-than-thou asshat.

Mom and I set out to try and get my haircut since we were running around anyway. We caught the subway to Myong Dong but quickly decided against leaving the station once we realized it was still pouring. Luckily, Migliore is reachable from the station without going above ground so we went in to do a little window shopping. (Korea doesn’t have malls but it does have buildings with a bunch of little stalls that sell things. I know it doesn’t sound that different but, trust me, it is.) TAH DAH! It turns out Migliore has a hair salon.

I love getting my hair washed. It’s the best things about getting my hair cut. And the head massage they do… *nearly swooning with joy!* I went short. Well, ok. It wasn’t THAT short but shorter than I’ve ever had it before. It was pretty cute! Until they started styling it. Why do they do that?!? They fluffed out my hair and curled everything under until it looked like shit. My mom took a picture of it for me outside the hair salon after we paid ($15! Can’t beat that!!) and it looked like straight up ajjumah hair!

Mom and I looked through some of the clothes on sale there but it was so outrageously priced that I had to leave. $40 for a tank top?!? Whatever! They did have some cute underwear stores though. Oops, excuse me. ‘Inner Wear.’ I didn’t buy anything there either. I am skeptical about Korean made under clothing. It never seems to fit me. But it’s SO cute. Darn… Anyway, the day wasn’t a complete loss. I did buy two pairs of shoes!When I got back to the apartment, the first thing I did was wash my hair and then it looked sooo much better. Hyun Ji decided she wanted to go out for her birthday dinner. It ended up being just the four of us: Hyun Ji, Hyun Ho, Emo and me! My uncle was working late and my mom and grandparents didn’t feel like leaving the house. So, we went to…VIPS. Except I didn’t know that’s what they were talking about because they kept pronouncing it ‘bibs.’ I tried to explain that it’s an acronym and not said as if it was one word but they completely dismissed me as asinine. It was kind of funny.

The best part of the whole experience was the waitstaff. If you asked for something, they would reformulate the question in order to confirm what you said but then add something to make it sound so much better. For example, I asked for some water. The waitress looks at me and said,”Sure! I would love to serve you some REFRESHING water. I’ll be right back with your order.” Omg…hilarious. We did cake when we got back to the apartment and then I passed out once again.