Too Good to be True

As flip flop season rolls in, the bright sunny days help keep my spirits up. Waking up to the sun shining through my too-transparent-to-be-effective blinds is always a wonderful start to the day. This is the best time of year, before the rains hit or the brutal heat scorches me to death, and open windows are still refreshing. This past weekend I indulged in a good number of things which truly make me happy: warm weather, good food, live music, arm wrestling, patio drinking, beach bumming, and board games. All with their own Korean twist and all wonderful….
So why did Monday have to bring rain?

Thank You

I’ve been in Korea for 6 weeks now. It’s been amazing, every day of it. I love the adventure, the intrigue, the excitement, and that I’m forced to push my limits everyday. I have met some wonderful people that I am so fortunate to have in my life now and who have helped make this experience more than I ever could have anticipated.
Truth is though; I miss my friends and family, a lot. I received some of the greatest, most heartfelt birthday wishes which completely reaffirmed how lucky I am and how wonderful you are... but the reality of being so far away makes it difficult… and I cried… for the first time since I’ve been in Korea. I feel so fortunate, and I value all the great people in my life. So thank you.
And know that I think about you and I miss you.
And know that Korea isn’t definite and I’ll see you again.... but for now, my time here isn’t through.
xo

Child Prodigy

His English name is Simon. He’s 12 Korean years old (that’s 11 everywhere else). He has been studying English for 5 years and has never studied in an English speaking country. I have a one-on-one class with him twice a week for speaking and writing. The things he understands and that we converse about in English completely astounds me. He's at a highschool level and he's only in about grade 5. It's completely impressive!

In this past Tuesday’s class, Simon was telling me about his upcoming trip to Japan. Since he would be there for my birthday, he asked what kind of thing I would like from Japan. After turning down his suggestion of a cheesecake from Osaka, I suggested that he steal me a baby. After a puzzled stare, in which he no doubt questioned the freak that was teaching him, he told me that he didn’t think it was a good idea, and a pencil sharpener would probably be more useful. What he did do though, was draw me this picture… I’m dressed up as a Japanese teacher, and he’s the student on the right. In the middle is my new Japanese baby that he “claims” he didn’t steal…. Cross your fingers for me!

Public Drunkenness

Drinking in Korea is not a shameful thing, it’s a social thing. It’s encouraged as a social activity and people do it, a lot. Public drunkenness is also in no way scorned..(that’s not to say that Andrea and I didn’t get a few odd stares as we pounded back vodka coolers on the subway the other day… but we’re foreigners, so that’s kind of a given). But seriously, nobody reprimands or bats a disapproving eye when men stumble down the street in a drunken stooper. A few weeks back I was on the subway in the evening (it was about 6pm) and a very drunk man in a business suit was passed out beside me. In fact, he was definitely passed out on me, and using my shoulder and right arm for support. Every so often he’d jerk himself up straight and waver back and forth in every other direction before he returned for my support. At one point his head fell down so far in front of him that it threw off his weight and pulled him off the seat. He toppled forward and landed on all fours on the subway floor. Then he crawled back onto the seat and back onto the safety of my shoulder. I felt like I was the only one who noticed, or cared, and maybe that’s because I was bearing most of his weight…Then last night, stumbling home at 4am, we ran across another sure sight to behold…a soju victim passed out on a chair out front of family mart. It seemed only necessary that we seize the photo opportunity before heading home to pass out ourselves, with only slightly more class.

Fun to Make, Fun to Eat

This could change our relationship, but it’s important to be honest: I have a thing for eating babies. I don’t quite know where, when or how it started...it’s a sick obsession…but if you’ve ever seen photos of me and my nieces, you’ll realize this is not a joke. And, on Wednesday night my dreams were realized and I did in fact consume a baby….many…fish eggs I believe (which may make me a bit of a hypocrite too). I can’t give many more details given that it was 3:30am, and I’d met some neighbourhood foreigners for too much beer and flavoured soju. I do remember a large pot, boiling on our table, and ambitiously searching for babies to satiate my drunken hunger pangs. Hurrah for wish fulfillment!

The Fine Art of Improvisation

I feel like my blog is becoming a little overrun with the “game” theme, but I can’t help it…. I love games… Competition plays a huge part, yes, but they’re fun, and entertaining and it’s sometimes the simple pleasures that make us most happy.. So I guess this enjoyment makes living in Korea a little bit easier…

Since my Korean skills are lacking, I am becoming a master at charades and improvisations. Getting what you need through pointing, acting, and role playing are all acceptable methods. The other day for example, Lindsay’s Korean boyfriend was coming to drop off something at my apartment and texted me for my address. This would be a tricky one. But I put my resources together.. a slip of paper with my address, my Korean English dictionary, and my cellphone and off I went. The first Korean I found was the cute lady who works in GS mart. Through a few hand gestures and demonstrations, she figured me out, and ambitiously typed my address in Korean into my phone, and off it was sent. Hun arrived a short time later with the goods. Crisis Averted, you may proceed to level 2.

Lynda-1, Korea-0

The Road Less Traveled

Continuing our “get the most out of Korea quest”, Lynn and I fought through the ill effects of Friday night’s drinking debauchery, and headed up Geumjeong Mountain.. (which in the 1700's was a fortress built to keep the Japanese out) to do some hiking. It was absolutely beautiful. We took a cable car up to the top of a mountain then hiked through some trails which offered a wonderful escape on a sunny day and some amazing views of the city. As sundown approached, we decided to head back down.. but being the ambitious duo that we are, we opted to hike instead of taking the cable car. As we began our descent we noticed some small daunting stone stairs off the side of the mountain which appeared to lead nowhere but straight down. It was curiosity initially that sent us down the first few steps, but the question of what may lay around the corner, and the intruige to find the source of some yodeling monk music echoing through the mountain that kept us going. One stone stair after another, we thought briefly about turning back, but pushed on for curiosities sake (that, and the thought of climbing up was enough to make me cry). We ventured downwards, hundreds and hundreds of winding shabby stone stairs after another. Along the way we stumbled across a Buddhist temple hidden away, and the source of the music which had piqued our interest. It was a completely overwhelming experience, mesmerized by the effort that would have went into creating each one of these steps. After about 50 minutes of descent, legs jello-like and quivering, we reunited with the sane-man’s path and exited the park. What a Rush! Thrilling, Satisfying, Tranquil, Beautiful. Not bad for hangover relief!

What's Personal Space?

Maneuvering the Korean way; it involves a little more elbow pokes and shoulder checking than I’m used to. Perhaps it’s because they’re so used to living in such a small space with so many people, but there’s absolutely no regard for anyone’s personal space. Shoving, pushing, checking, nudging, or any sort of physical force are also all accepted and free game. There’s no rhyme or reason to how they walk or where they’re going.. they just know where they want to be.. and there appears to be only one direct route to get there.. right through you. Just recently we invented a new game wherein we are all characters in a Korean video game. The objective is to get to point a from point b without touching another person. Even the easiest level (this is an almost empty underground walkway) was a huge challenge. We found ourselves having to throw our bodies out of the way, jump at the last minute, deek to the right and duck... always aware, always alert.. this game takes skill and precision… Are we immature and childish? Absolutely. Is this the funniest game I’ve ever played? Probably.

And so continues my video-game life.

Dancing to the Korean Beat

I’ve always said that I wished my life was a video game so that all the things I did in the day would have a cool little sound effect…and I think that if that dream is ever going to be realized, it will be in South Korea. There are no buzzers, rings or beeps in this country.. instead they have all been replaced by a melodic, electronic-sounding, tune. (think 90’s video games) Cell phone, subways chimes, my washer and dryer, and the bells at school all play a little ditty instead of ringing or beeping or buzzing. (the subway is particularly interesting.. it tweets when the next stop is a transfer, and at the beach they play seagull sounds to tell you it’s the Haeundae stop). The tunes are sorta cute, in an annoying sort of way…I loath the music that plays to tell my laundry is done, but I can't help but bust a small move in my eager efforts to turn it off. Now, if I can just get little beep tones in my footsteps, I’d be all set.

Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Rolly Polly Fish Heads

"In the morning
Laughing, happy
Fish Heads
In the evening
Floating in the soup"



I blame my father really, but I hate fish. Dead or alive, I don’t want to touch them, or eat them, or smell them… they gross me out. I’ve tried to find love, I really have, but it’s a mental thing mostly and there’s no room in my heart, my life, or my stomach for anything that once lived in the water… and then I moved to Korea. And Korea is about pushing the boundaries. So, against my wishes and apprehensions we went to the fish market yesterday. I was really just excited I wasn’t feeling the effects of the previous night because the outcome could have been a lot less glamorous. As it was, the market, the experience, the day, were completely amazing and a sure sight to behold. Once I got over the smell, and the fear that they jump out of their bowls, tanks, or basins and attack me, I had a great time. There were more squid, octopi, fish of every colour, size, and shape than you could ever imagine. All the pretty old ladies working had their full make up done, but were decked out in a rubber apron, gloves and boots, slopping the fish around and owning the place. Highlights were the bowl of fish heads which made us sing, and the octopus that escaped his bowl and awkwardly tried to maneuver on dry land – phenomenal. The photos are a good start, although you really need to be there to fully capture the complete experience. It was a memorable day and I’ll probably go back….but I still hate fish.