ER + ER4 in Korea!

Howdy y'all! I have an excuse for being so behind on my blogging, I swear! The magnificent and studly Ed Rogers came to Korea (honestly I had my doubts about if it would ever happen...) and distracted me horribly! For your dismay at a lack of brilliant reading material a la my updates, blame him.

Seriously though, Eddie did visit, and we did have a perfect two weeks. This is one time I don't think perfect is too strong a word... : D

Because we had so much fun, I also fell behind on my school work, so I have to keep this short and catch up on lesson planning etc. Also, I left my camera at a chicken restaurant in Seoul, so I will be able to add more pictures after I retrieve it this coming weekend.

To begin my speedy quick and tragically short post, here are some pictures from his visit:

Only a few hours after his arrival in Incheon on his birthday, dinner, drinks and hookah at Yeti, and Indian/Nepalese restaurant in the Hongdae area of Seoul,

A delicious Korean modern-traditional fusion brunch the next day with my host dad's aunt Yun Jin, then to the Seoul Art Center for an awesome exhibition of Korean contemporary work,

Out to Yangsu-Ri to visit Inge, Mandy, Rosi, and Lisa for sam pab and birthday cake from the popular bakery chain, Paris Baguette,

Next day, a visit to Gyeongdok Palace and then up to Buam-dong, a town on the northwestern edge of Seoul, for pizza and beer, espresso affogatos, and a hike up "Poet's Hill" for a sweet view of Seoul,

A surprise invite to the opening of the Art Center Nabi's 'Borderless Reality' exhibit of video and technology-centered installations (all dressed up and super pumped for free food, free drinks, and chats with the artists!),

Back to Cheonan for my school's post-midterms picnic. Eddie's entrance to the chartered bus for the field trip = all 40 students on the bus SCREAMING, "teacher, BOYFRIEND?!!?! SOOOO HANDSOME!!!!!" This went on to happen every time he stepped foot in my school, and especially when he sat in on my classes. The picnic also served as the setting for a story of love at first...taste? Ed developed a deep respect and fondness for makgeolli after my vice-principal gave him his fist cup, after which he plunked an entire pitcher down next to Ed at lunch,

A wonderful week of "take your boyfriend to work" days for me!! Everything seems less stressful when your favorite person is always around. It was also super fun to hear my students unending stream of "ohhhhh, perfect couple! sooooo cute!" (less fun after he left and my already gloomy mood was met in every class with, "Eileen, where is Eddie?! Why did he go home?! We miss him!")

Hiking Gwangdeoksan with my friends Melanie and Jane, and making a new friend: Makgeolli Dude! (He volunteers to carry 14 bottles of the rice wine to the top of the mountain for hikers every weekend,)

Dinners out, first with Ms. Na, her daughter and her friend, Jasmine to say "thank-you" to Ed for helping edit the student newspaper, then with my co-worker Yoon for a very animated seafood stew:

We also had date night in Cheonan: Indian, gelato, and '22 Bullets,' a French movie with Korean subtitles... :)

Arario Gallery's exhibition of the works of Subodh Gupta, one of the most famous contemporary artists from India,

Back to Seoul for one last weekend in Hongdae: fun in the park watching a clown on stilts and a b-boy dance battle accompanied by live saxophone and drums and dancing at Papa Gorilla,

Back to Yeti, the Cupcake Factory (yes, it's as awesome as its name suggests), and off to N Seoul Tower to fasten a "love lock" to the fence and throw the key off the edge (this was something my students insisted we must do,)

A night of sweet music at DGBD: fun Korean all-girl band Juck Juck Grunge and one of Ed's favorites, Tera Melos, who just happened to be playing an inexpensive and small-venue show!!

A sunlit last morning of Haagen Daz, Dos Tacos, attempting (unsuccessfully) to retrieve my camera from the chicken restaurant, and a sad bus ride back to Incheon,

And finally, a very cinematic, silly and teary goodbye kiss in front of the woman who checked his passport, only a second before he went into the customs room (this is the part when I turn around, sobbing and alone in Incheon Airport, to see three Buddhist monks in their flowing gray outfits with their flowing gray hair wearing safari hats, which I guess is included in their travel outfits... it might have been hysteria, but it cracked me up!)

After such an awesome visit, I miss Ed more and less than before, depending on the day or moment, but I definitely can't wait to see him in Louisville after Christmas with my family! December is just going to be overflowing with sweet reunions and love and happy Kentucky time!