Chingu Means Friend

Sometimes things like holidays and birthdays can be bittersweet spent in a land far away from home without family and close friends there by your side, but cards and packages from home, skype conversations, and of course chocolate cake make things like birthdays and holidays spent far away from home seem more normal.

thanks for the hat, mom! love it!

I am blessed to have found some really amazing people here in Korea that I feel fortunate to call chingus. My birthday celebrations last weekend were really special thanks to everyone who came out. Friday was a night spent with the ladies. First, some girlfriends and I ate at a classy little Italian restaurant for dinner. There was candle light, white table cloths, pasta, wine, and good conversation. We then headed out for some hookah and drinks. Next we hit a dance club and finally, before I knew it I was climbing into bed at 5AM.

my Bundang ladies at dinner

Saturday my girlfriends came over to my apartment to spend some time together before we headed out for the night. It was my friend Aly's birthday last week too, so we decided to have a double celebration.

birthday girls, Aly and Jackie

our adorable cake

After getting all done up, it was time to head to the docks and board a boat on the Han River for a booze cruise. We then grabbed a cab to one of Hongdae's clubs, M2, to continue dancing the night away.

the ladies on the boat

the boys

"I get by with a little help from my friends"

Last night Sean took me to dinner at a very upscale restaurant in Seoul. The restaurant was located on the 59th floor of the 63 Building, a building that was at one time the tallest in Korea. The view was great, even though mother nature decided to rain on us. We enjoyed a fabulous 5 course dinner and the service was some of the best I've ever had. Each time one of the wait staff left our table they stood at the end of it and bowed to us. When we finished our main course they brought me the craziest birthday cake I have ever seen in my life. It had this plastic thing on the top of the cake and when the man lit the candles it opened up, sparklers started going off, and it actually played the tune of "Happy Birthday". Wish I would have gotten a video. Anyways, it was an amazing night.

Sean and I at dinner

(can't see the view out the window because of the flash)

Thank you to all my family and friends for making it a birthday to remember.

Namaste