Tuttle [hic] Update

Not much happening around these parts, except we started year-end exams on Thursday, which will continue through Wednesday.

On Thursday, I was invited to 회식, hwe shik, a work lunch, with the Development Department of the school, even though I am not a member. In what I would term quite a coincidence, we had lamb skewers at the same restaurant at Sinjeongnegeori where I had dined with Kevin and The Stumbler just two nights earlier.

The head of the Development Dept, Mr Lee, took a liking to me early on, and I was invited so he could tell me how sad he is to have heard I may be leaving the school. Then liberal doses of Tsingtao and soju were applied, and then a bottle of Hennessey cognac came out, and then blue bottle of some clear Chinese hooch was produced.

At about three or so, several of us were whisked via taxi to meet English Dept head Mr Wright in a local hof, where lots of beer was consumed, followed by noraebang, or singing room.

It is a disconcerting feeling to be swimmingly drunk and back on the street from the noraebang while it's still broad daylight. We went to another hof and had chicken and beer. I texted some of my trivia compatriots that it looked like I would not be in attendance, but was informed I was needed.

Somehow, I got to Itaewon just as the quiz began and kind of sobered up under the influence of only three more beers and some heavily salted French fries. We tied for first with only 37 out of 50, which meant more beer.

Somewhere in there, 필름끊겼다, fillum kkeungyeotda, my film was cut but I woke up in my bed when the alarm went off Friday morning.

And that's how you do a hwe shik.