My Korean Life #23: Last term at language school is on the horizon

Starting on Thursday, it will be the first day of my last term in language school. It all flew by very fast. Just a year ago I was beginning my new life as a full time language student in Level 2 and now I am about to start Level 6. I still have a few days of break left and I've kept quite busy even though going into the break I had very few plans.

One thing that I experienced for the first time was a wedding in Korea. My good friend from Level 3 tied the knot this past weekend and I attended the wedding ceremony. I had just read about what a Korean wedding was like so experiencing it was interesting. Before the ceremony you can visit the bride in a special room and take pictures with her. At the entrance to the wedding hall, both sets of parents and the groom stand out front to greet everyone. You also have the desk where you can give your congratulatory money (no physical gifts) and in return you receive a meal ticket.

The actual ceremony was different from what I'm used to in the USA. During the ceremony there were still people chit chatting while things were being read and people were also taking a bunch of pictures or on their cell phones. Friends of the groom (I think) sang a song and the groom joined in at the end. The couple bowed to both sets of parents and a few hugs and tears were also exchanged.

After the ceremony, they had picture time. First was the couple, then the family, and then all the friends. Also, the throwing of the bouquet is prearranged and staged. Only one girl (usually set to get married soon) stands behind the bride to catch the bouquet. If the picture isn't satisfactory the first time around, they reset and do it again, haha.

Finally comes the meal, they had food set out on the table before hand and as we sat down they brought out hot soup and rice. Other things available were fruit, meat, seafood, japchae, kimchi, beer, soju, and soft drinks. The couple also came around to each table to greet guests and thank them for coming.

After eating, you're done! No big reception with dancing and drinking and cake :/ Oh well.

Also, I recently met a fellow language student and did a little interview/chat with her, check it out below. We've planned to make more vlogs together so stay tuned to my YouTube channel for those:

www.youtube.com/user/brightness86

Hilton Garden Inn South Bend

Unfortunately, this most recent trip of mine was a whirlwind so I didn't get a chance to snap any decent pictures (or video for that matter) of the hotel room. As you may (or may not) know by now, I'm fairly loyal to Marriott brands but a) this was a block of hotel rooms for a friend's wedding and b) the hotel was attached to the reception venue.

I haven't really experienced many Hilton Garden Inns but this one was quite nice. The lobby and restaurant area were well lit with lots of natural light in front. The check-in counter was easy to locate and the elevators were about where you expected them to be (I walked right in and took a wild guess).
The breakfast available was decently priced ($9.99) and included a hot station where you could get made-to-order eggs, pancakes, or french toast. There were other hot items available as well as yogurt, cereal, breads, etc.

My friends and I were sharing a Queen room (2 Queen beds, desk, microwave, mini-fridge). It was nicely appointed, I liked the comforter. I do, however, have a couple of gripes about the room. Yes it was clean, the AC worked great, nice to have the fridge and microwave...BUT...you would think they would have fitted sheets that actually fit the mattresses. Both beds had fitted sheets that barely fit...in fact, in the middle of the night the one on my bed just pulled off. The whole corner of the mattress was exposed. One other little complaint was that the bathtub did not drain very quickly. It could not keep up with the shower head (which was great by the way).

I had a horribly early fight the day I left so I had the front desk arrange a taxi. This was all fine, the taxi was there on time but they had arranged for me and some other random guest to share without asking either of us...I was alright with this but I wish they had asked me before hand. It saved me about $10 but still...it was a weird ride to the airport.

Overall, my small gripes with the hotel wouldn't prevent me from trying it or another Hilton Garden Inn again. I guess I should be explicit in that I want my own taxi next time? Oh, and sheets that fit...

~