Blogger Notes

So, back to relationships out here in the Wild Wild East...

Being the adventurous girl that I am, I had signed up for a Korean penpal/dating site to test the waters shortly before I got here. That being the case, I decided I would meet up with a couple of the fellas this weekend. Personally, I wouldn't really consider this sort of thing "dates" because I'm psychologically unable to comprehend dating, but I digress. We met.

Sooo, on Saturday, I met up with a dude we'll call Minwoo. His real name was far less cool than that, but moving on...

Basically, I was meeting dude for a little "getting-to-know-you" dinner then going out to a club with friends. Dude is like, "Sure, let's meet up with your friends" BUT didn't have any cash. [Cultural note: In Korea, ATMs are only open until 11pm or so and the subways typically stop running at midnight...except on the weekend (!) when they stop even earlier.]

So, dude paid for dinner with a credit card and when we missed the last subway, he was like, "Do you have any cash?" *hold up! wait a minute!!!* Whaaa?! If I knew how to get where I was going myself I woulda considered leaving his ass behind and told him to call Tyrone. lol.

Then, on the way to the area we're supposed to meet everyone, he starts commenting about how many foreigners are there. He wanted to know exactly who was gonna be there and I assured him one of the girls was bringing her Korean friend and that a few people speak Korean...all this to get to the point where we're finally (1 hour later?) walking to the club and he looks like he's gonna pass out.

Soooo, being the considerate person that I am, I'm like, "Don't feel like you have to come. I understand." [His English isn't that great.] I'm trying to convince him it's all good either way. Finally, he's like, "Ok. Maybe next time," and it's all good. As I was returning the jacket he lent me, he's like, "Um, can I borrow $10?" NO LIE. *What the sam hizell?!?* Yes, this fool just asked if he could get some money to ride home AND, I gave it to him. At this point, I was just like, "whatever." The awkwardness was nauseously palpable.

In retrospect, I have a feeling he was thinking it was gonna end Sex in the City style. *Damn it Hollywood!!! And Snoop Dogg!!!* Basically, dude asked me to ride across freaking town to his subway stop. As I recall, initially when we were deciding when to meet, he had suggested 9 p.m. I didn't think too much of it because there's more folks out in my neighborhood at 9 then there are a 8 in the morning...but I mean, really? Seriously? If you're thinking of making a night of it, wouldn't you BRING SOME MONEY?!?! The primary reason I agreed to meet him in Sadang is because I thought his job was over there--and he had to work on Saturday--not for a whack booty call. *auuurrrghh*

There was definitely some random flirtatiousness which didn't cross the line or anything so it took me a while to process what went down and now I'm like BOOOO to online 'penpals' because the second situation was more disturbing...

Basically, there's very little I can do to describe the guy I met with on Sunday except to say that he was perfectly well-mannered, helped me with my Korean (study date, lol!), and drove an imported convertible. Did I mention he's a doctor? Totally positive traits yet, I had this weird feeling after we parted ways--a weird, very bad foreboding feeling. The last time I had this feeling I ended up dating a guy who refused to comprehend the meaning of "break up". He too had started off well-mannered and wasn't even as polished (or smart) as this guy...

Now, if I was the sort for random, sexual relationships, the second guy would definitely be on my radar. In fact, trying to explain how I felt about the situation to a fellow teacher here proved ridiculously useless. I feel like I've received a warning in my spirit, as we Pentecostals like to say, and I'm gonna go with it. I'm already plotting how to squirm out of meeting with this guy again even though he really seemed like a good teacher. (He's able to explain Korean concepts to me in English and he even knows a little Mandarin. *sigh*) At the same time, I'm reminded of a friend of mine who dated a guy long-distance for around a year, later found out he had two kids and years later, found out he was married. I'm definitely not up for that level of adventure during my stay.

Here's to smarter decisions and better people coming my way!

[Oh yes, as for the coworker that was in my mouth, he finally seems like he's over it. Which is a grand relief. That said, the other teacher in my hall nicknamed him "Future Ex-Boyfriend" which I thought was quite fitting for a situation you KNOW would never go anywhere!]