Money

So, over the last few weeks, I've noticed a lot of price differences here in So Ko than in America. I know, I know, of course things will cost more or less depending on resource availability, not to mention the exchange rate with the money and all... but here are a few things that make me giggle or make my jaw drop whenever I see them.

1. Food is, for the most part, pretty cheap over here. You can eat a massive meal at almost any Korean restaurant for under $10 American.

2. Toilet paper is expensive. Like, really expensive.

3. Socks, for some odd reason, are expensive as well. A three pack of socks (plain white for the sake of this post) runs between 7,000-9,000 won. Which is about $7 or $8 American. For three pair. But, oddly, if you buy a cute pair (ONE pair) from a street vendor in the shopping districts, it's cheaper. I don't know. So weird.

4. Movies (in theater) cost about the same here as in Georgia. But the facilities in Korea are nicer, and the theaters have MUCH better sound than in America.

5. Purses are WAY too expensive, even at discount stores. Like, obscenely expensive. I asked a man at a bag vendor how much he wanted for a particularly cute lavender leather bag, and he told me 98,000. Now, I'm not a connesieur of leather goods, but even I could tell this was just a cheaply made leather bag. I tried to haggle with the guy, but he wouldn't go lower than 60,000, which was still WAY over my price limit. I finally told him it was too expensive and walked away, more than a little ticked at the price.

6. Coca-Cola is cheaper here. I bought a can for 550 won the other day, which translates to about $0.50. Why do American vendors charge so much for it??

7. Because the people here are so conscientious about recycling and reusing, they carry their own shopping bags to the grocery store. I know, some of us in Georgia have caught on and do the same thing... But the people of So Ko are so into it that the stores actually charge you for a plastic bag if you don't have your own and you need one.

8. Make-up is really costly. Luckily, I haven't needed to buy any, but we've been to a few stores, and on the whole, its way more expensive here than in America.

9. Gas, as in every other major country in the world, is REALLY expensive. I know it is in America, but as of yesterday, gas here is (on average) 1,989 won a LITER. I'm not big on conversions, but there are four liters to a gallon... so... almost $8 a gallon? Choke on that, America.

10. Public transportation,thankfully, is cheap. It only cost me 2500 won... about $2.30 American... to travel two hours away to Seoul via subway.

More later.

-B

I want to go home.

-B

Ugh

Wow, I've been terrible about updating this. It's been two weeks since I posted anything, and sadly, I don't have much to offer even now. We've been out shopping a few times, but because Soo-Min is working as an intern all summer, and Soo-Bin has apparently decided she doesn't need to talk to me, I have nothing to do and no one to talk to. I've literally spent the past two days watching My Chemical Romance videos on Youtube and sleeping. Here are some more observations, though:

1. When travelling to a foreign country, it's always good to try to understand the cultural differences. We were at a mall in Seoul last weekend and I happen to overhear another "foreigner" (an American, much to my own embarrassment) whining about how rude Koreans were for bumping into her. I nearly said something rude myself. South Koreans live a hustle-and-bustle lifestyle that is conducive to jostling, shoving, and lack of "personal space", but only a hoity-toity American would have the nerve to consider this fast-paced culture "rude." Her ignorance irritated me almost as much as Soo-Min. I'm not saying you have to like being shoved around, but it would make you seem like less of a snob if you could at least understand why you're being bumped into.

2. Korean milk, though way too sweet to be enjoyed in a glass, makes really delicious ice-cream.

3. There is no way to cure homesickness.

4. When you do very little for days at a time, it's easy to lose track of what day it actually is. For instance, I thought today was Friday...all day. Soo-Min told me it was Saturday when I asked why she was home on a Friday. Needless to say, I felt pretty stupid.

5. A Rubik's cube, though difficult, is not impossible to solve. I should know... I've spent two days working on one, and have solved it a few times.

6. Forgetting the pin number to your debit card while visiting a foreign country is a BAD idea.

I miss a lot from the U.S. I expected to be having a lot more fun in So Ko. I try not to get too bummed out about being stuck indoors everyday. Part of me hopes something cool will happen regardless. But I've spent a week indoors, with no hope or indication of any plans to do something entertaining from Soo-Min and her family. I've tried walking about, to get to know the neighborhood, but the incessant rain and heat make walking a trial. I've been to E-Mart several times, simply to have a big, air-conditioned place to stretch my legs, but even that gets old. Soo-Min's parents are so kind... they take care of every physical need I have. But I get left out a lot due to the language barrier. To put it bluntly, it sucks to have no one to talk to. I had such great hopes for this summer, but suffering from homesickness and loneliness in a house full of people wasn't in my plans. It saddens me to think that in May, I was counting down the days until I left for So Ko, and now I find myself marking off the days until I can be back home among friends and family, with whom I can talk and laugh and just be around without feeling like a piece of furniture in the room.

I've tried to be understanding, noting that Soo-Min is working and Soo-Bin is much younger than me... but it's hard not to feel bitter when you're never addressed except to tell you when to eat. I just want to have a conversation with someone that isn't forced.

-B

Traditional Village!

We visited a traditional Korean village tonight... Like most things here, it was tucked away in the mountains, hiding in the valley between two rather steep monsters. I really liked this village. Apparently, some people actually do live in this village still, though it serves mostly to education tourists and as a resort for travelers.

Everything about it was charming and simple. The houses, whose roofs were either thatched or tiled based on income, were quaint and lovely. There is so much antiquity and tradition in So Ko that we just don't have in the US. So Ko is so very old by comparison, and has so much to offer in the way of artistic history.

I was able to learn all sorts of strange and wonderful things about what a "typical" traditional village consists of-- everything from how criminals are punished (tied face-down on a horizontal cross and beaten with wooden rods) to how women ironed clothes (pounded with wooden beaters on a flat stone) to some of the old games (like a hoop toss that resembled the game of Horseshoes).

Anyway, I took a ton of pictures and posted them on Facebook, so check them out. :)

-B

Oh, and just a side note... no matter how many times I change it, the time on my posts is never correct. Blogger can't seem to tell what time it actually is when I post something.

Seoul, City of Fashion!

We went into Seoul today... it was quite an adventure, both getting there and exploring the shopping centers.

We took the metro railway... the subway, though I feel funny calling it that, since we were above ground for about 90% of the journey. Anyway, the ticket from Cheonan to Seoul was only 3200 won (500 of which was a refundable deposit on the plastic ticket, which you return upon arriving at your desired destination), which is less than $3 American. Public transportation is so cheap, it's almost laughable. The trip was about an hour and a half, mostly because of the constant stopping.

People here are so used to living in such small quarters with one another that the idea of "personal space"is non-existent. You get bumped into, jostled, shoved, and pushed all the time. On the subway, in the station, on the street. My hand was clutching my purse the entire time, holding the top shut with nervous hands, praying no one would attempt to rob me, though none of the locals seem to have the same concern.

The first shopping center we entered was a mass of booths, piled high with everything from dresses and jeans to watches, jewelry, purses, shoes and luggage. Literally everything in the world of fashion, both knock-off and genuine... over six floors of nothing but clothes. Soo-Bin had her eye on dresses, so for a long while we shopped around for clothes for the Soo's. I really didn't mind. I was so taken by all of the clothes, that I was snapping photos and touching clothes, without noticing Soo-Min and her mom deciding on items.

We moved around through the city easily, running over busy cross-walks and hiding under eaves when the rain became too heavy to walk in. We met up with one of their mother's sisters for lunch. I cannot recall the woman's name, but she has an infectious laugh and an overall happy personality, so I like her despite the cultural difference between us.

Soo-Min tells me that after dinner, often Koreans like to have coffee or sweets of some kind, so when our lunch was over, we wove between cars and street vendors to a nice little coffee shop called "Ediya Coffee" and enjoyed a few more minutes of visiting with the aunt. I'm not big on coffee, but I had a delicious mint chocolate chip blended ice drink; well they chatted and sipped their coffee, I was sucking mine down, staring at the graffiti on the walls around our booth, even adding to it with a pen I swiped from the Korean Air flight back in June.

We spent the entire evening shopping; Soo-Min needed some heels for a job she'll be starting on Monday, and that took up a lot of the evening. By the time we were finished, their father, who was in Seoul on business, called and offered to pick us up. It was good to finally sit after so many hours on our feet.

-B

Weekend #2

I've been putting it off, either out of lack of motivation or sheer exhaustion, but I feel like I need to blog something before I forget anything.

First off, after realizing how much repetition and how many man hours I will waste, I'm not going to bother uploading pictures to Blogger. All my photos are on Facebook, and since I'm friends with all of you on Facebook, it will just be easier to view them there. Whew. Now that that's over...

Last weekend, we visited a Buddhist temple buried in the mountains that was absolutely marvelous. Though I don't share the faith of those who worship there, my awe was just as genuine as theirs when we hiked up the hills to the various little temple buildings. The first temple we visited (note that we went to two distinctly different Buddhist temples in two very different regions over the course of two days) was built on the edge of a cliff, over-looking what the Koreans call the Eastern Sea (the Pacific Ocean to us). Between the smell of the sea and the glorious haze and the sea breeze, it was an overwhelming experience.

The architecture was beautiful and despite the persistent rain, the whole visit was nothing short of incredible.

After leaving the first temple, we visited a hugely popular cave... Hwanseon, I recall. It was enormous. I've never been into a cave like it... divided into dozens of caverns and at least thirty stories high in the middle, it was incredible. I managed to make it almost all the way through without slipping... until we reached the end. I placed my foot awkwardly on a slippery step and fell on my butt, leaving a nice waffle-like impression on the seat of my white shorts and startling people at the back of the cave with my shriek of horror. The slip itself didn't scare me... it was the twenty foot drop into the raging river right below me that did. Thankfully, I was only slightly humiliated and we managed to make it the rest of the way out without incident.

We stopped in the mountains for the night, staying at a cute little resort. We made it in just before a typhoon hit. It's monsoon season here, and heavy rain has become a part of my everyday life, for the present at least.

The next day, we took our time getting up and leaving, since the rain had not slackened at all. When we finally did venture out, we stayed in the car for the better part of the afternoon. We did stop at a second Buddhist temple, just as beautiful as the first one, but in a higher area, and away from the sea. This temple was wealthier, as displayed by the multiple gold Buddha shrines scattered around its premises.

All in all, it was a great weekend... I learned a lot about Korean Buddhism and the splendor of the Eastern mountains.

-B

Things I Like

To make up for not having much to offer in my earlier post, I thought I would make a list of the things i like so far about So Ko:

1. The weather. It's amazing here. No humidity, and I think the temperature has been under 80 the entire week.

2. The proximity of things. You can literally walk just about anywhere without breaking a sweat.

3. The children. I have yet to see an ugly Korean baby.

4. Most of the food. Admittedly, some of the dishes I've had will go down on my "Never Eat Again...EVER" list, but some of the things I've had are really delicious.

5. The quality of food. I think things taste better here because they're fresher. We eat so many fruits and vegetables, all fresh. I haven't had any fast food since arriving, and the worst junk food I've had is creamy, delicious ice cream.

6. Eating with jeotgarak -- chopsticks. Honestly, it makes eating an adventure and a challenge. Conveniently, I was already pretty handy with these before I came here, but --barring a few incidents resulting in food landing on the table instead of my mouth-- I have to say I'm improving.

7. Surprising the people I meet by greeting them in Korean. I love the look of shock and the laughter of whoever I'm speaking to when I greet them or thank them in Korean. they don't expect it from the curvy white foreigner.

8. Window shopping. So Ko has so many little shops and specialty stores, with so many gift ideas and inexpensive trinkets. It's a pleasure just to look sometimes.

9. The bustle. I guess the small town girl in me likes the alien feel of the towering apartments crowded together and the vast number of people milling around below. I like to just stand out on the veranda and admire the buildings sometimes.

10. The fashion. Sometimes I giggle at the way people are dressed-- older people especially. We've turned fashion into some kind of monster in America... but here, if it fits and is comfortable, they wear it, regardless of if it "matches" or not.

11. The looks I get from little kids. I get stared at a lot here. I stand out, so it's understandable. I have noticed a trend in the people who stare though-- it's usually the elderly and children. I'm okay with it so far; no one has been malicious, so I see no harm in people gawking.

12. That awkward moment when I'm not sure if I should bow to someone or not. It's not really a bow so much as a slight inclination of the upper body in the recipient's general direction. I never know when it's appropriate to bow. I feel like a huge FAIL every time I try.

I'm sure I'll have more up later. =D

-B