Hello 2009!

Turns out that Christmas was such a hit we were nominated to host New Year's, too!  I immediately promised myself that I would not get too Martha Stewart-y (years of Marilyn Dennis on CityLine after school has taken its expensive, time-consuming toll already).  No new decorations, no new foods (we still had unused food and leftovers from Christmas); only a place to hang out on another day off.

I had to work until 10pm that night, the final day of classes, so Jon took care of the setup.  I had thought that, being New Year's and all, I might have no students show up for class - especially the later ones - and might get to leave early.  I had forgotten that Education is the biggest religion in Korea.  I had full classes during the day, and regular classes until my last class at 8pm.

One student, a young and exceptionally cheery woman named Song (her Korean first name was similar to Seong Yu) arrived in class early and eager to chat with her classmates ... who, it turned out, felt they had better things to do on New Year's Eve than brave the partying crowds to get to a sterile classroom to talk for a few hours.  Uncomfortable as she was being the only student in the class, we went out for a bite to eat nearby (any new setting that gives us something to talk about is always, always welcome).  We filled the two hours by sharing travel, family and relationship stories (the big 3, again, aside from school), and parted ways, she, glad to have finished class and ready for a night out, and me, desperate to get home to friends who had been there for hours, chatting away without the pressure of filling the airtime with (sometimes hollow) questions.

Little did I know that it would be the night of North Korean soju and rounds of drinking games.

This stuff is more potent than the Southern stuff - 6% more potent, in fact, and still much easier to drink than its Russian cousin, Vodka.  And within about an hour and two or three drinking games, it had turned both Richard and David into happy, hatted men.

Richard didn't know his hat was pink for about two hours ... by the time he realized, he had gone outside to smoke about six times and been given strange looks by many Koreans who knew a little more than he did about his topper.

A few more joined us than had at Christmas; Rob Davis from Vancouver and his Korean girlfriend, Cecil (who has offered to teach me Korean), David's girlfriend Yuri, and Richard's soon-to-be-girlfriend, Christina/Hazel (she renamed herself before entering our place, leaving Richard confused for weeks).  All this meant that seating was on the floor with Keedo.

This is, one could say, a 'talking picture'.  Apologies that the photos are not so stellar this time around: better photos are on their way in future posts!

Lucky for a few of the drinkers we know, we got a holiday on New Year's Day.  Then, the real work began - January, I've been told, is the busiest month of the year at The School.  After working two weeks of ten to twelve hour days, I believe it.  More about January to come!