Update Madness!

Well folks, after receiving free Internet access for about 5 months, because someone forgot to cancel their service, the jig is up. A woman moved in down the hall, and I think the company figured out that I happened to still get a network. So currently I am using the network at school, until Lauren schedules an installation. It was good while it lasted, though.

So, this weekend is Chinese New Year, and being so close to China, it's a pretty big thing here. (Regular New Year, however, not so much). This weekend I am headed to Seoul with some friends, taking advantage of the general migration south to Busan that every Korean seems to be taking (most people go to their hometowns, and most people aren't from Seoul), this has resulted in amazing hotel prices and a less crowded metropolis. Hoping to go to the Olympic Museum and perhaps the art gallery. Then its back for three days of working and then to Busan for my friend Jade's birthday. If this sounds wonderful, that's because it is. I need to wire money home soon. This is detrimental to my bank account.

Also, a thrilling new first. The other day, David (the British coworker), Adrienne (my Korean friend) and I went to dinner. While it was normal Korean cuisine, there was something different. The presence of a new side dish. Silkworm Larva! Bug eating here isn't that unsual, actual. Eating the coccoon of a butterfly is done as well, they fry it up. I haven't had it, but I don't think that will happen. Upon learning that I hadn't tried these tiny taste parties yet, David popped one in his mouth, declared that I now had to have one, and that they were delicious. Not willing to back out of such a dare, I picked one up with my chopsticks and started chewing. While it may have looked like a nut, it had a crispy outside with a wet chewy center. Also, it tasted like the ashes of my father's cigars. I can't even explain to you how horrible this felt.

Ignorance is bliss. I would rather be ignorant about this taste than fully knowledgeable about wanting to drink Listerine in order to get the awful feeling out of my mouth.

By for now,
Mallory