Monday/Tuesday of Parental Visitation

After our return from Busan, we were all pretty tired. On Monday, morning my parents came to meet me for lunch and my dad really wanted pizza (?). The pizza place near school ended up being closed and I didn't have time to guide them to the only other one I knew of, so I left them on their own to find some grub.

The ended up finding a pizza place that I had passed by thousands of times but never noticed. They managed to order two pizzas and a mushroom salad by broken words and writing on napkins. They brought home leftovers and they were delicious!
We had plans to go into Seoul Monday night for a Dr. Fish pedicure, but I'm pretty sure neither was very excited about the idea, and I was exhausted, so when they offered to pass on a trip to Seoul I didn't put up too big of a fight. I ordered some Vietnamese takeout on my way home and we spent the evening in my apartment watching illegal streams of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Cougar Town.

On Tuesday, they came to meet me right as kindergarten was ending and I had a half hour break. The kids had just finished their "Talent Market" where they get to use the stickers they accrue over time in exchange for toys and games. Cotton candy and an alarm clock were also given to each student. We had some extra, so Dad got some:

There was about 5 minutes left in class before my kindergartners left, so I introduced them to my parents and we took a few snapshots. They were surprisingly not as shy as I thought they would be. They jumped right up on both of their laps.

Then, they walked home to change and get ready for our big traditional Korean meal in Bundang. Here's Dad on the walk home.

On the way, they also stopped in a hand-painted kitchenware shop. English was limited and my mother made it her personal mission to purchase something from that shop before she left. The only English the woman knew was "sample," and made a big "x" with her arms, letting my mother know they were not for sale. Of course, if you know the Weezer at all, you certainly know that this wasn't the end of this brigade.

I told them to meet me back at school at 5:30, so they changed, showered, got some coffee and made their way back just in time. All week, Dad was amazed by the delivery boys mo-peds, so he decided to get a photo with one.

We took a bus to Bojeong Station and then the subway to Imae Station. We were to meet my Korean family (mother, Eunyoung and her two children, Hyejun and Jaehyun) at a restaurant between Imae and Seohyeon, near AK Plaza, called An Chip (안 칩). We were a bit early, so we had time for a photo op in front of the building (which actually ended up not being the building - but it looked a lot like this :-).


Inside, my Korean mama, Eunyoung, did all the ordering. She ordered a set that included bulgogi, sam gyeop sal, fish, and stir fried octopus. Included, as with most Korean meals, was a huge assortment of side dishes. We took our shoes off, sat on the floor, and ate until we couldn't eat anymore. This was the most traditional Korean meal I had ever had, so it was exciting for me, too!

Here are Mom and Dad wondering what the heck they got themselves into:

If you look to both Weezer and Dad's immediate right you'll notice a cooked fish that is still in one piece, plopped down on a plate. That was probably the most overwhelming moment for my mama, and she didn't eat any of it, but Dad and I dived right in. That is, until Jaehyun asked for the plate and ate the whole fish before we could say, "Pass that back!"

Then he proceeded to stab the eye of the fish with his choptick and take photos of it. Ugh. Boys will be boys...

Here I am with my Korean family. From left: Jaehyun, Hyejune, Eunyoung, yours truly.

They are the same family that I baked cookies with back in the Fall and that I went camping with a few weeks ago. You will see more pictures of them shortly when I tell you all about the camping trip!

Overall, a very successful two days back in Dongbaek. The next day, Wednesday, was Children's Day so I had the whole day off school. We went into Seoul for the day and had a blast. More on that later...