love love love

i think i'm in love with emily fuhrman.

when i got her letter in the mail i really and actually wooped

and raised my arms above my head a la rocky.

who puts sprigs of lavendar from cambridge in their beautiful cards?

emily fuhrman does, that's who.

and she used the "bad" address and it still got here!!!

today was such a hard day too

i had weird insomnia and only slept for an hour

and then i had to teach seven classes

(which actually were quite fun and the kids' insane happy energy lifted me out of my post semi-all-nighter funk.)

but i was already exhausted from my crazy touristy day yesterday!

sunday afternoon, i met up with mike (boy with the girlfriend)

and i'm really glad i didn't just write him off as a creeper and that i wasn't too awkward to ever meet up again.

we hung out all day in a really fun dawg way

and he really fixed my jones for my boys back home.

(i really miss my boy friends! arthur! will! allen! nathan! david! crob and bm et al! i miss hangin!!)

just having someone make fun of me 

and laughing a lot feels so happy and comfortable and good!

his girlfriend is coming to live here in a few months 

so maybe she and i will get to be friends too!

we went to the fancy old palace

(i will later post silly pictures)

did you know:

doctors would smell the emperor's poo when he was sick to make a diagnosis?

if it was tricky, they would EAT it!!

everyone in the english tour group was trying to be culturally sensitive and not EWWWW

which was kind of funny to see

people's restrained EW BARF reactions

then mike and i went to itaewon, the foreigner district near a U.S. military base

and it was insane and smelly and kind of scary and people kept grabbing at him (but not me?) and trying to get him to buy things.

but we found a cool used english bookstore

and since i only have two books

and he was an english teacher/major back in the states

we were like YAYAYAYAYAY WOOOO BOOKS WE CAN READ!

and they weren't even $20 (American books get marked wayyy up)! they were $5!!

and we went to subway

which dude was maybe a little too excited about -

like kind of losing his mind excited.

...but i sort of was too.

it sounds so lame, but it's nice to eat familiar food that's just EASY every once in awhile and doesn't leave you with a burning mouth and stomach.

(oh, but i ate this street food kiwi smoothie and i literally got weak in the knees. it was maybe the most satisfying drink of my life! and it was only $1!!)

after the long subway ride back to our 'hood, we walked around lake park at night with all the speedwalking grannies and drunk teenage boys.

we were seriously walking champs.

and he eventually got walk-tired (even though he RUNS!?!)

but it was nice to be around another foreigner who doesn't always want to take a taxi?

i don't understand how i'm totally unfit but i can walk and walk like no one's business!

and people who ACTUALLY work out get tired! i think i should become a pro walker.

but also: i've already lost seven pounds here without trying at all!

the walking / scary korean food plan! wooooo!

anyway, sightseeing is good, friends are good, school is good, kids are good, and letters are AMAZING!! 

emily, you made my day!