Friday, May 9, 2008

You'll Never Guess What I Ate Tonight!

Cate decided to take us all out for dinner and drinks after school today. I like hanging out with my Korean co-workers, so I was happy about the plans. We went out to a small restaurant with a very small selection for hors d'oeuvres, then headed out to another place later. At the second place, two unusual incidents took place:

The first was that I ate sea snails for the first time. They actually resembled beef in appearance, flavor, and texture. So, believe it or not, I liked them! I expected them to taste like escargot, which is disgusting, but I was happily surprised. When my sister reads this, she'll probably gag!

The second incident occurred when a man asked to speak to Jackie, one of the Korean teachers. It turned out that he is opening a new English academy here in Gyeongju and wanted to offer jobs to both Jackie and I. And he did so right in front of our boss! Cate found the whole situation highly amusing, as did we. Later, Jackie and I teased Cate, saying that she'll have to pay us more now that there's competition for us!

I had a very happy surprise today: it turns out that I get another three-day weekend. I knew that Monday is Buddha's birthday, a national holiday, but I did not realize that that meant a day off for me. As much as I love my job, I am thrilled at having an extra long weekend. Hopefully I can catch up on the sleep that I missed out on last weekend!

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"Passage—immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!
Cut the hawsers—haul out—shake out every sail!
Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough?
Have we not grovell’d here long enough, eating and drinking like mere brutes?
Have we not darken’d and dazed ourselves with books long enough?

Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go, And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

O my brave soul!
O farther, farther sail!
O daring joy, but safe! Are they not all the seas of God?
O farther, farther, farther sail!"

~Walt Whitman, "Passage to India"