Like the title says, if you are warned about something or to "be careful" about something. You should probably listen. It's like when you are little and your parent's tell you not to do something, but you really want to and it just ends up bad. Most people are just trying to help you avoid the pain of something.
Danielle and I decided for Saturday we wanted a "spa" day. Manicures, pedicures and of course a nice massage. I love going to the Wind n Sea Day spa at home for spa days, its so relaxing and fun. Of course, being in a foreign country we didn't really no what to expect. There is the language barrier for one and well, in this country things are VERY strange. Caley warned us about massages. She was telling me about her friend who got one and it was "painful." Danielle's co-teacher also said it was painful and she is KOREAN! That should have been enough to deter us from getting a massage. Of course it didn't! We really needed one, so we searched and found one near our friend Kelsey's apartment. They told us a back massage was $18 and full body was $30. That worked for us! Kelsey decided to join the fun since it was going to be so cheap. The fun began with us putting this weird dress thing on, oh and disposable underwear.
We walked into a big room with several beds and naked women just hanging out everywhere. It was really strange and intimidating, especially since the women were laughing/making fun of us. So, I laid down on the bed for my massage. At first it was really good and then it started getting rough. I would say "ouch" and it would be okay for a little bit. I didn't relax at all for the hour of torture I put myself through. Occasionally a second woman would step in, she was extra violent. I would look at them and say ouch hoping they would take it down 10 notches. With the back massage you always got a scalp massage. It was pretty nice feeling again for a bit, until the last part where I felt like I was being scalped. Oh, did I mention they also pretty much pulled my shorts off of me and gave me an ass massage? Completely unnecessary.
After that was over and they washed the tons of grease off my back and had me flip over. It was again, very awkward since I was naked in a large room with lots of other people. And so began the massage of my front. This was extra painful. It began with my sides, I kept saying "aniyo" which means no. I'm very ticklish on my sides. The ladies response you ask? Laughter and the repeating of "cellulite" awesome. So, she continued pummeling my stomach repeatedly and then my boobs. I kept crossing my arms trying to say no or no thanks in Korean. More laughter and more pummeling. Finally, the lady decided it was time to stop attacking me and let me go. Longest hour and 15 mins of my life. The pain was already beginning to set in... and then we saw each others backs. There were huge areas were it looked like we had been scratched repeatedly. I mean, we had to laugh about it, but really it was not funny. We yelled to Danielle, who was still getting her massage that we were going to shower. We walked out to pay to find out the back massage cost $30 not $18. It was almost like they were taking advantage of the fact that we had no idea what was going on. The pain from the massage was growing and so were the bruises. Anytime someone touched our backs, even lightly, we cringe in pain. My lower back has several bruises across it as does my upper back and my arms. Awesome.
Lesson learned, always listen to the advice/warnings of others.
Danielle and I got ready together for our big night out. The USA vs England World Cup game was on at 3:30 am and we were pumped to see it. Although, we knew it was going to be a very long night. We headed downtown to meet up with Bess and Kelsey around 9ish. We met up with them on the street watching the Korea vs Greece game. TVs were airing the games all over as was every bar and restaurant. It is really awesome being in a country that is so excited for the World Cup! On we went to get dinner, we tried to eat at a foreigner restaurant called the Alleyway, but the kitchen had just closed. So, we headed to the best restaurant ever, The First Nepal. I love this place and the owner is so friendly and excited when people come in. We were the only people there, which was pretty awesome. Of course the meal was fantastic, as always.
On we went to bar hop and get our energy for the long night ahead. We wandered downtown, danced and enjoyed the company of new friends. Finally we decided to head to Speakeasy to watch the game. We wanted some excitement for the game and Speakeasy was PACKED with England and USA fans. We grabbed some chairs and had a good spot right up front. At first we were sitting on the England side, so we quickly moved to the other side so we could see better and be safe. It was intense with so many people, but also very exciting! At half time we decided we had enough of the crowded excitement and headed back to Mix Lounge were it was very calm and where we wouldn't get slapped in the back repeatedly. Finally around 5:30 am, after the sun had come up, the game was over and we were ready to fall into our beds. But first, we had to visit the Chicken Lady who stays out all night cooking delicious food, like eggs with ham, cheese, ketchup and some sweet sauce. Lovely breakfast! Around 7 am I finally walked into my apartment and fell into bed.
friends :)
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteGram just stopped over for her weekly blog update, and she thinks you get lost too much. She thought Danielle's bruises were impressive.