Who needs a Birthday, when you can have a Birthweek!

So as I said in my last post, this birthday was absolutely amazing! The kindness of everyone over here has been overwhelming!
So someone at the BCM let it slip in the middle of the week that my birthday was coming up at the end of the week... and the next thing I knew was.... each class had bought me a different type of birthday cake! In Korea, aparently, when someone gives you a cake as a present, it is not meant to be shared... or so my students told me... so by the end of the week I had 4 different types of cake in my fridge (don't worry I shared them with guests and friends!)
On Friday, I was a little bit homesick... and well... was in a funk... but after work decided that I would go to Suji and try to merriously ring in the new birthyear with my friends at my side. We all decided to go to Wa Bar for some pre-drinking. There, Liz's friend Eric joined us. Since it was my birthday, Eric decided to buy me what every girl wants... a $75 bottle of Taquilla! Truth be told, I was a little hesitant in accepting the gift... I mean 75$ is quite expensive... and I had only just met him... but according to Korean culture (which he is)... he said it would have been very rude and insulting if I turned down the gift. So... I decided to share!
So there we were, 4 girls and a guy, shooting taquilla with lemon and salt... and become VERY loud!.. but hey you only turn 23 once. Eric then decided to make a "boiler" (I think) and hand it to me for drinking. This concoction was a shot of taquilla, a half pint of beer, a lemon and a touch of salt. GROSS! But to avoid any rudeness... I drank it back! Then I was to make the same drink for a friend... and so on... until everyone at the table had drank the friendship drink. Needless to say I was a little happy by the end of that!
Koreans feel it necessary to order food with alcohol... so Eric (I know... but he wouldn't stop buying things despite my objections) bought a plate of fruit.... ah fruit.... for us to munch on while we worked at the taquilla bottle.
By 3am... the five of us had managed to drink... insert blush.... the entire bottle of taquilla... in addition to 6 bottles of beer. YIKES! So needless to say, when we finally left the bar to head to a Nore Bang (Korean Kareoke)... I was feeling less than stellar. We had made it just down the street... to the old Buy The Way... when I had to sit down. Not only was the world spinning... but the sent of Shelena's Menthol cigarette just became tooo much to handle. The next thing I knew, I was christening the front of the Buy The Way! (BLUSH!) Though once it was over... I felt amazing and ready to tackle the world once more. So we headed to the Nore Bang and sang our little hearts out until 5am.
Once our time was up... we all decided to head home. So we all stumbled our ways down the street... some to their cars (I know... but aparenlty drinking and driving isnt exactly illegal here since the cops won't ticket you for it... though I still wouldn't get in the vehicle with them... just because it ain't illegal.. doesnt make it any less wrong)... while others went to the cab station.
The reswt of the weekend I felt absolutely horrid... with a headache that just wouldn't go away... and an irribility that I just couldn't shake... aparently I am now an adult my friends have said... since I got my first hang over...
Though I completely drank WAY tooo much... the evening was absolutely amazing... good friends... great food.... great alcohol.... amazing Nore Bang singers.... all in all it was just perfect!
Thanks for the great night!