#kubs

A couple days ago I went on MT with the business faculty. MT stands for membership training. Don't ask me why, I've been grinding my gears over it too. At least I did know what it consists of, or so I thought. Every local student here knows about MT. You go to the outskirts of Seoul to some sort of hostel in the farmland you rent with your entire group, play a couple games to get to know each other, eat and drink together and overall have a good time. And so we did with about sixty people. 

As the night wore on more and more people got too drunk or tired, and went up to get to bed. We all slept together in a big room with a surprisingly soft floor. You grab you futon/mat thingy, a pillow, a blanket and claim your little corner of nights rest. At roughly 4 AM I gave in and found solace in my futon. Every so often I noticed people slipping by me. Nonetheless, I slept like a charm. This floor was more comfortable than the rack of springs I sleep on in my own room! 

When morning came and the rays of sunlight found the way to my eyes I checked around me to see who's still asleep. Aside from the French guy who kept on playing beer pong with soju (soju pong?), and the burly German who never recovered from his after dinner dip, the room was empty. I made my way downstairs in good faith that the others were downstairs having breakfast. Yet the dining hall was in a desolate state as well. At this point I had the idea I was the subject of a prank. But whilst scouring across the premises I didn't see a single soul aside from the owner feeding his dogs. Still, too stubborn to believe this wasn't a joke. The owner felt bad for me and in some broken english explained me that everyone indeed did leave. Luckily he was so kind to drive me and the other two guys to the nearest station. One of my most awkward car rides ever.

Once home, I told what happened to my Korean friends. What I didn't know is you're expected to leave at about 5 AM to catch the first train home. They just forgot to tell us :/

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The other night ago I was walking home to my apartment after a long day. It was a boring endless straight along a main street. But in the big cacophony of smells that reside in Seoul, I could scent the sweet aroma of vanilla, it smelled like the waffles of grandma (Yes I’m pretty hungry whilst writing this). There was a little stall next to the street, with a couple lights on, with a couple waiting in front. “Sweet crepes”. The couple got their stuffed crepe and it was my turn to order. The menu was fully in Korean so I pointed to the crepe the girl was holding: “I’ll take one of those too!” In hindsight I get why the couple shared theirs, this thing was packed! After making this perfect delicate french pancake, it got koreanized like I’ve never seen before. First a layer of whipped cream, then two scoops of chocolate ice cream, one piece of cheesecake… The man looked at me: “one more cheesecake from me, for you”. Two pieces it is. Still unfinished, cookie crumbs, nuts, Oreo cookies, more whipped cream, more cookie crumbs! Once folded up this baby was so big I could barely hold it in one hand, yet it cost me less than €5. With a big grin on my face I said thank you in Korean, made a small bow and went along my way. I’ll be honest, I’m a big eater but I did not finish that thing. 

Today I took my friends to the crepes place after I’ve been telling them so many times how great it is. This time I ordered a slightly more appropriate portion size for an after dinner dessert. The same man stood in the stall, he smiled and looked at me: “Ah I remember you!”

“I brought my friends for you!” And showed him my little gang of internationals to feed. After I ordered a crepe for both me and one of my friends, he presented me a customer loyalty card with two hands. Upon it not one stamp, not two stamps, but three, for the two I ordered today and the one I ordered the previous time. Now that people, is customer service.