Seeing as though it was my first time having anyone come visit me overseas (and my mom's first trip abroad) I took my job seriously, preparing an itinerary as a guideline. In a place I thought didn't have much to do, I soon found myself struggling to fit everything into nine days.
The first few days of the adventure were spent getting Ba'bs acquainted with her surroundings. My plan was to ease her into Korean culture (which can be overwhelming at times). Maybe starting at the jim jil bang (Korean "bath house") wasn't the best idea, then. We walked into the women's locker room to find a packed room full of Korean women of all ages, buck-naked. We've all been in a locker room at one point or another (ahh, middle school PE), but this was....a little different. Instead of merely stripping down to head in to the showers or the baths these ladies were just hanging out in their birthday suits, chatting, watching TV, and now staring at my mom and me. We quickly got showered and headed down to the jim jil bang (clothed hot rooms), where we met Scott. We then found a series of rooms with varying temperatures, ranging from 65 to 212 degrees (that's right, boiling), and even one filled with snow, all for relaxing and "good health". Luckily there was no water in the hottest room...well, unless you count the sweat streaming down
our faces. Scott made it more than five minutes (twice) in the 212 degree room, while I was outta' there in about three. After that we were shot, and staggered home.
Since my mom was initiated now, having survived the sauna, it was time for the advanced course in Contemporary Korean Culture: Seoul Nightlife. We hit up all of Scott's and my favorite spots. With a day of exploring and shopping ourselves silly around Seoul under our belts, we headed to Hongdae for the evening.
It's a university district full of art, food and dancing, especially on Saturday nights. 
After filling our bellies with Greek Joy and cheap wine, we wandered across the street to the park to check out the college band playing. Scott and I had seen this band, Soundbox, in the fall and loved them...and this time they were even better! This band has it all; the usual suspects of course, with the addition of hand drummers, beat boxers, and my personal favorite: tap dancers. Not one, not two...but six tap dancers having what could only be described as...a tap off. It was awesome! Once we had our fill of tap, we went to Oi Bar to partake in some shisha (flavored tobacco). The ambiance in this place is amazing....like nothing I've ever seen. The
entire place is painted white, with dim red lights and candles to set the mood. To get to your "table" or private "cubby" you must walk through a maze of walkways lined with thin, red ropes hanging from the ceiling. We enjoyed our shisha with a mish-mash of friends we'd met around Korea. It was my mom's first time meeting some of the amazing friends Scott and I have made here, but not the last....
Scott and planned one of our monthly game nights during Ba'bs' visit. We managed to squeeze about twelve of us into our small apartment that Sunday night. We all got silly playing Pop 5, my favorite of the Cranium games. Usually, we play a little Catch Phrase (a standard if you've ever played games with me!) as well, but unfortunately its time had come. That's right, the Catch Phrase so many of you know and love bit the dust. I think I've had that thing since high school! Maybe if some of you would've only listened to me and not hit her so hard, she'd still be here with us today.
Despite the loss of CP, game night was a success. By now, Ba'bs had seen the beauty of Gwangju, the energy of Seoul and the spunk of our friends. What was left? Ahh, Korean food. I mean real Korean food. The kind that is set down in front of you, and you're not sure exactly what you're eating. My mom was "fortunate" enough to partake in a school dinner with my teachers. I have to go to these dinners all the time. They usually involve me smiling, nodding, and occasionally throwing in one of the few Korean words I know (that always gets a giggle). I was happy that my mom could experience something that is truly Korean and that Scott and I go through all the time. Lucky for my mom, we had pork galbi, one of my favorites (usually we have some sort of weird seafood dish). It was delicious, and all my teachers were really sweet to my mom. She had a great time.
Well, that was a glimpse into Ba'bs' trip to Korea. There was, of course, a lot more to it. Lots of shopping, eating, drinking and just enjoying being immersed in a different culture. We made it to Icheon to look at and buy some amazing pottery,
went to a norae bang (singing room) with Bruce, my Korean co-teacher and his family, checked out the local bowling alley (my mom was impressed with their lanes), and of course, made it to Dublin's, our "local" Irish Pub. That's actually where the name Ba'bs came to life. Thanks to Danny, Darren, their brilliant British accents and their poor memory....the name Ba'bs (aka Barb) was born.
