again I haven't blogged in ages, but this time it's because I've actually been busy doing things.

michelle's visit began last friday night, when I went to meet her in seoul. I left work at 8:30 and hightailed it to dongdaegu station, making it just in time for my train. when I got to seoul I found my way just fine to the hostel- I thought. the hostel where I was to meet her was called western co-op residence hotel. walking down the correct street, I came upon a hostel called co-op residence hotel. I figure it must be the same one, so I go in and give her name. they've never heard of her. mind you, I don't have a cell-phone that works in korea. so I run to a convenience store, buy an international calling card so that I can call her singapore cell phone, find a payphone, and call. our hostel is about two blocks away from the other one. they belong to the same company. why the desk at the co-op residence minus the "western" did not call the other one, suggest I check the other one, or at least inform me of its existance is anyone's guess, but whatever. I got there. that night we just talked and caught up and went to sleep.
the next morning I accompanied m to the hospital where she'd had surgery the day before for a deviated septum, because she needed her bandages changed. I sat on a plush red couch trying to read nabakov but instead peeking at all of the plastic surgery certifications on the wall and admiring the ornate decoration of the waiting room. after that we went to itaewon, because I wanted to get glasses and I figured it would be simpler to do so in an area where the optometrist was highly likely to speak english. it was raining off and on, and very cold. seoul sees fit to bust out the horrible weather every time I visit. but I had good shoes and a jacket. the process of purchasing glasses was surprisingly quick and painless. he charged me nothing for the eye exam, which, while not as exstensive as those I've had at, say, lenscrafters, seems to have assessed my prescription just fine. I am indeed seeing more sharply than with my old glasses. I got two pairs for 170,000 won (about $170). definitely cheaper than if I bought them back home. after that, we walked around in the residential area off the main street of itaewon. that (the residential area, not commercial itaewon) is probably my favorite place in seoul. steep, winding, uphill roads, stone staircases, narrow little alleyways...gorgeous.
after leaving itaewon we went to dongdaemun and spent way too long in the same seven-or-eight-floor indoor market where dinah and I wasted a similar amount of time over lunar new year. I bought nothing there. when I'm surrounded by too many things for sale, no matter what they are, I get completely overwhealmed and have difficulty processing any of it enough to think of buying. this is why going to a big market, while nice for wandering, rarely proves productive for me. later we had dwenjang jiggae (a delicious stew made from a base of fermented soybean paste), and then turned in fairly early.
on sunday morning we parted ways for a couple of hours. I wanted to go look at art and michelle hates museums, and besides she had to move her stuff to the other hostel where she would be spending sunday night since I was going back to daegu. I found my way to the seoul museum of art, but am a bit embarassed to report that all I managed to see was a special exhibition of work by the french sculptor antoine bourdelle. it was amazing, and I spent an hour wandering among the bronze figures, truly appreciating for the first time the necessity of seeing sculptures in person to fully appreciate them, looking at them from every possible angle to see how the light catches them differently, to notice the time and effort in every detail, down to a dimple in the thick thigh of a woman, the folds of a dress, the furrows in beethoven's brow. however, having taken so much time looking at the bourdelles, I had no time to see any of the museum' permenant collection. I may try to make my way back before I leave korea, we'll see.
after that I walked in the garden of a palace, then met up with m again. we went to a burial shrine, which was much like the garden of the palace. flowers and trees were beginning to blossom despite the chill, and the sun was shining, and a group of schoolboys said "hello! where are you from?" (this happens frequently). I told them "new york" (I always say new york, because it's a more concrete reference for them than detroit), and they got very excited and proceeded to giggle and stare every time they saw us after that.
we left the burial shrine and went to namdaemun market. it was less crowded and I was more rested, so I was able to process things a bit better and managed to purchase a few gifts. we had dinner at restaurant in the marketplace. I made the mistake of ordering samgyetang, which while failry delicious,is also expensive and way too much food for one person. it's an entire chicken (a small one, but still an entire chicken) stuffed with rice in a pot of boiling broth. I ate only about a third of it and tried to stop, but the server came and insisted that it was delicious and I should eat more ("samgyetang! mashisayo!"). I ate a bit more, and michelle helped, and we hopefully decimated that chicken to the server's satisfaction. afterwards we went to the train station so I could catch my train back to daegu. michelle stayed in seoul for another two days, and on wednesday she came to daegu. this weekend we visited busan and gyeongju, but those stories are for the next time I blog. right now, I have to walk to work. m is still here, and this weekend we're going to jeju island, where we will climb an extinct volcano, possibly see wild horses, and be by the ocean.