Bennett Baldwin: Cheonan and Gongju

Weekend update: Last Saturday morning I left for Cheonan. I met my Tom and Hannah at a bus station in Cheonan. A different bus station than the one I arrived at, which created a little trouble. I got out of my bus station, and of course everything is in Korean. So I tried to take a taxi to their bus station. But the driver just pointed behind me, not at my bus station, but at one down the street. Why are there two different bus stations a hundred meters away from each seperated by a department store? I don't know, but I'm past being embarrassed when things like that happen, so I thought it was my lucky day I was so close.

Besides seeing Tom, who I haven't seen in more than a year, I got to several other ETAs too. That afternoon we hung out at a coffee shop, went to a mall, and did karaoke. For dinner we went to Karen's homestay and her homestay mom made a great meal. Then we went out to a bar and clubbing, which was fun because I haven't really done that in Gyeryong.

Sunday Tom and I slept in. Then we went our seperate ways at the bus station and I went to Gongju to see Sarah! She was waiting for me across from the bus station in a grass sports field! Apparently some actually do exist here. Almost any other field I've seen here has been dirt, and grass is usually off limits, so I'm a little jealous of her city. I got more stares in her city than I usually do... people are intrigued by what's different I guess (my skin and hair!) Sarah's homestay mom is a great cook and made a delicious dinner.

I think I made a good impression by bringing a gift. I've been getting into the gift giving that is such a big part of the Korean culture. Fruit is a really good gift because it's consumable, more expensive than in the US, and a nice gesture. So Sarah's homestay family got some grapes. I also got some grapes on the way home for my homestay family. Apparently ETA's have ended up on the homestay family's bad side for not thinking of their homestay family (by bringing home a gift) when they go away for the weekend. My family is very relaxed, but I'm playing it safe. And I just end up eating most of the grapes anyway.