Norae Party with my Korean Moms

Friday night was a really fun time. I met up with my Korean Moms after work for a goodbye party. It's not just for me, one of them was going to be leaving on Sunday for a 2 week vacation in America so she won't be attending any more of my classes. Everyone was decked out in their best and really excited to have a night on the town without any children. We made for an interesting group and did get a couple of glances but we didn't care about that.

I'm grateful for this Moms class because it has taught me a lot more about Korean culture. I'm not just talking about the opportunity to make gimchi either, these ladies have allowed me insight into their lives and tried to explain the things that I just don't understand. This often happens at unexpected and innocent times, like when J asked me what time Matt wanted me to be home. I looked at her, rather puzzled, and explained that I come home when I want to. She was pretty shocked and confided that her husband had given her a midnight curfew (although she blew it and didn't get home until 2am...). The hierarcy here, even though I am aware of it, always surprises me. I am definitely used to having a lot of personal freedom and really come to expect it.

The first stop was a little hole-in-the-wall bar where we feasted on fried chicken and a fruit platter. I could tell they were curious to see how much I could drink and were all interested in getting me drunk. They bought me a special refillable all you can drink beer (for 7,900 or less than $8) and then proceeded to share a tiny pitcher between the four of them. On Tuesday they had asked me how much I can drink- my answer? More than you. Then Matt stopped by my room and taught them the phrase "I can drink like a fish." so I had a lot to live up to. I have to say, I definitely held my own considering my mug was almost twice as big as theirs and I had four of them while they each had only one or two. J was willing though, as you can tell by her eagerness to drink from the pitcher!

Next stop was a Luxury Norae bang in the area. We all had free ice cream while we waited for our room to be ready. I knew this was serious business since they all said they were "preparing" songs. I used this opportunity to teach them the idiom "wing it" when they asked me if I had been practicing. I was impressed that they chose a number of English songs, clearly they had been practicing! I heard Mariah Carey, Josh Groban and even Barbra Streisand. Maybe my favorite part was when J and I did a duet to the Wonder Girls song "Nobody". She supplied the Korean and I filled in for the English. I hadn't been able to learn a Korean song to sing. Maybe someday. We capped off the night with a rousing rendition of "We Are the World" (their choice, not mine) which turns out to be the longest song ever. It might even rival Meatloaf. It was a great night and I am so glad they were able to take time out of their schedules to do it. For more pictures of the Amber/Ajumma debacle '08 you can go here.