I look Once More, Just Around the River Bend

IA about a week ago, the manger of my school came up to me while I was sitting at my desk. He picked up my calendar and pointed to August 16. Do you want to go rafting on this day? He asked. All of Kang Tae Woo campus’ can go on this day, no money. Unable to provide me with any further information, he still needed an immediate answer. Sure! I said, a little bewildered.
And so, bright and early Sunday morning, 6:00 to be exact, I crawled out of bed and reluctantly started to get ready for the day ahead. Unfortunately, the night before, I went to Hongdae, just for supper, but got a little carried away in conversation and wasn’t able to get on the last subway that actually got me home. I had to get off about seven stops away. I ended up walking to next subway stop and then waiting about 15 minutes or longer before I finally got a taxi to take me home. I didn’t get home until after 1:00AM, making the early rising rather difficult.
Uncertain of exactly what to wear or bring, I packed bag. I had no idea what to expect. I met Crystal, one of the Korean teachers in front of the school. We were the only two from our campus that could be convinced to go. We had to take a cab over to the Junggye campus to catch the bus and meet up with people from the other campuses. The bus was supposed to leave at 7:20, but due to someone’s birthday party the night before, a bunch of people showed up really late and we didn’t actually leave until 7:40. We made one stop to pick up the folks who live down in Gangnam, including Kang Tae Woo, and then headed east, I think, out of the city.
The bus ride was about four hours long with one rest stop. We arrived at the river; I think it was the Donggang River. As we crossed the bridge we saw scores of folks in PFDs (because they are different from life jackets) hanging out on the river bank, some were being forced to do jumping jacks before they could get in the boat.
Once we arrived at the head quarters, were all giving our own PFD and a helmet, to protect us from all the super dangerous rapids we were about to encounter. After we got back on the bus, Kang Tae Woo brought his daughter over to Crystal and quickly said something to her in Korean and pushed his daughter forward and pressed a hair tie into Crystal’s hand. He wanted her to tie up his daughter’s hair because he didn’t know how. After we finished rafting and showering, I saw him ask a different girl to tie it again. Three handsome young boys joined us on the bus and we rode out to the starting point. We were given some instructions in Korea. Crystal vaguely translated it to be something about being safe. OK.
At the starting point we were divided into groups of 10, 10, and 9. Despite a solid effort on my part, I was once again grouped with the super annoying guy from the Girum campus (FUCK!) and I was in a raft with Mr. Kang Tae Woo and his two children and I was separated from Crystal. Furthermore, all the cool kids ended up in one raft with the really cute guide (they were all pretty cute, but he was cutest. The guides made us do stretches and jumping jacks before we were allowed to get on the raft.
The guides were awesome. Tanned and muscled from paddling all day in the sun, funny and entertaining, not just making sure we get from point A to point B without drowning, but making sure we laugh while we do it. Also, they had really nice legs. It was funny watching them flirt with cute Korean girls, tossing them around and what not. I wish I were small enough to be tossed around in the name of good fun. We didn’t really experience any sort of deadly rapids, but we did get pushed in the water a few times and we did stop once to play games on the rafts, like that game I used to play on Nintendo, Snoopy Olympics, where Snoopy and French Snoopy battle on the boat to see who can push the other off. Just like that, expect with annoying white guys and handsome Korean guys.
The actual rafting only took about two hours and the break was about half an hour long. The scenery was beautiful; there were mountains all around and big cliffs on one side of the river. The trees were full and green. It was almost breathtaking. Apparently this area is one of the most beautiful areas in Korea.
After the rafting, we had an opportunity to take a shower. I was prepared to do so, physically (I had brought soap and shampoo) and mentally (ready for public nudity) but then I walked in the shower room and realized I was not prepared for the sheer number of naked women. I think I can now handle the naked part but I am not ready for the naked in small places and touching part. I decided to forgo the shower this time.
After the showering and changing, of which I did neither, we again boarded the bus for lunch. Once again, despite a solid effort on my part to avoid him, I ended sitting across from the annoying guy from Girum. Aeeessh!!! Besides being loud and saying embarrassing things and doing embarrassing things, he has a bad mealtime habit of being vocally vegetarian. We get dude; you don’t eat meat. What does he expect during communal meals? This is Korea; everything has meat. Why must he act surprised every time that there is only meat? And then he was complaining about lack of beer choices, he only drinks Cass because it’s delicious and not Hite because it is like horse urine. First, I would not call Cass delicious by any stretch, although better than Hite, I agree. Second, Hite is only marginally worse than Cass and everybody I know still drinks it if there is nothing else and doesn’t really complain too much. Finally, he’s an ass and can do no right in my opinion. Fortunately, he was lured to another table by grilled kimchi halfway through the meal. At which point, I quickly invited someone else over to fill his spot. A guy who has been here for three months and has only had traditionally Korean food once! Dude is missing out. Seriously,
We had a number of choices for the meal, a couple of tables had samgupsal and some other grilling meats and there was also a chicken and potato soup option. I didn’t realize that we had options and choose the chicken and potato soup unwittingly. Good choice though, much healthier than the samgupsal and still quite delicious. Also, the side dishes were awesome and we were eating under a trellis with real grape bunches hanging down off the vine and we ate some of the grapes, still a little sour but good.
Finally we boarded the bus and began the five hour bus ride home, Sunday night traffic into Seoul is real bad and it always takes longer than getting out. I was a little exhausted girl before I was finally able to shower and climb into my bed.