Day 170 -- Coffee Friends

I really like doing work in coffee shops. I don't know if it's the caffeine or the soft artsy-music or the we're-too-good-for-you patrons, but I feel like I'm more productive in that environment. Unfortunately, Nonsan has a grand total of three coffee shops. Two of these lack that environment and serve their drinks in super-classy plastic cups, which leaves me with Coffee Flower, conveniently located just a few minutes' walk from my apartment.

I've been there a handful times, but this was the first in a few months. It was empty besides the barista and me--just the way I like it. I order my caffe latte (because I love the cute designs they make with the milk, today I got a heart), spread out my Daegu University application, and settle in.

A few minutes later, a boy walks in. He's clearly friends with the barista and they chat for a while. I keep my head down because I've totally procrastinated this application... it's due tomorrow. Oops? Then suddenly there's a piece of cheesecake in front of me and I look up to see the guy sitting on the other side of my table. "It's for you," he says by way of explanation. We chat for a while. He's a hotel management major (read: needs to know English) and wants to practice English with me.

It's pretty common to be bribed with things in exchange for a chance to English practice with a native speaker. We traded numbers--hey, the barista is his brother and having an "in" with the ONLY coffee shop in Nonsan is not a bad idea--and we'll probably meet up at Coffee Flower again in the future.

In a related topic, this is EXACTLY why I have to go to the gym every day and run. This morning, I woke up planning to cook myself some egg whites and oatmeal for a nice, healthy breakfast. Instead, host mom swoops in and gives me pizza. Then I get unnecessary cheesecake bribes which I must accept because you *don't* refuse food gifts in Korea. ...good excuse to eat cheesecake, right? ㅠㅠ (sad face in Korean)