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

Ennui

It's been a few days since my last post, and I have to apologize sincerely. Honestly, there has not been much to report on. The last few days have been slow. Soo-Min is gone on a retreat to Seoul, leaving me here with Soo-Bin the Quiet for company during the day. I love her dearly, but we don't speak much.

One bright spot was the spur of the moment trip to a beautiful lake in a neighboring city that her parents sprung on us last night (I tried to photograph some of the trip, but it was far too dark). The lake was peaceful and the walk around it to admire the lights was relaxing.

Soo-Min won't be returning until tomorrow night. She made plans for us to visit an art exhibit in Seoul on Friday, so hopefully I'll have some exciting anecdote from that trip this weekend.

-B

Minor Differences That Matter in a Big Way

The last two days have been at times exciting and boring. Yesterday started off slow; Soo-Min's parents went to their respective jobs, leaving us to ourselves. Around lunch time, Soo-Min told me we would go into Central City (literally the middle of Cheonan, their city).

We had to take a public bus into the city. Taking the shuttle around campus prepared me a little for the bus ride, but not entirely. I was the last person to board at our stop, and as soon as I had climbed the stairs and paid my fare (1200 won...a little less than a dollar), the driver took off, and I pitched forward so far I almost fell flat on my face. Once I settled into a seat, I stared out the window at the many buildings and cars. I'm still amazed at the ingenuity of these people, who fit so much into so little space. The buildings here shoot up into the air, and are plastered with billboards and advertisements. Cars are parallel parked so snugly that it's a wonder any one can get in or out of their space without hitting another vehicle.

On a side note:

One minor difference that matters in a big way here is traffic and the rules surrounding both drivers and pedestrians. In So Ko, there's no such thing as a rude driver... simply because they are all rude. Drivers weave in and out of lanes, going at break neck speeds, cutting each other off and swerving between lanes like it's second nature. People drive at 140 km (almost 90 mph) on the shoulder, cut other drivers off, make u-turns in the middle of the road, and block the flow of traffic in one direction to make a difficult turn. I was, and still am, appalled at the way they behave behind the wheel. Yet, despite all of this, I have not seen a single accident since arriving. The drivers of So Ko take it all in stride, yielding to others when necessary and never getting impatient or angry. The only time I've heard a car horn honk since being here is when a driver isn't paying attention at a traffic light and does not go when they switch to green.

When Soo-Min and I arrived in Central City yesterday afternoon, I was amazed at the massive amount of bustling men and women weaving around the sidewalks. We shouldered our way across a busy street and into a shopping mall that had more floors than I can recall. We had lunch at a cute little restaurant in the mall, at a table with a hot plate built into it. We walked around a bit in the mall, but most of the department stores were too pricey, so we headed out into the street again, bouncing between tiny shops and bakeries.

The sight and smell, not to mention the sound, of such a large group of people was overwhelming. I could feel myself developing a nasty headache merely from the volume of voices, and the strain to understand something, anything of what they were saying. After a while, I simply had to tune them out, because the hum of their language was dizzying. Don't get me wrong, the Korean language is lovely; it has a rhythm that I find pleasing, even if I don't understand it. But it's like listening to a guitar-- when someone strums it softly, playing specific chords, it's soothing and pleasant. But if you let an inexperienced child play with it, and they strike the chords hard and fast, it hurts your ears.

I was glad when we finally started to head back home; I loved the trip out, but I desperately needed a few moments of quiet.

As for today, we did nothing for most of the afternoon. Soo-Min's father went out early to play golf with his colleagues. Soo-Bin and her mother left early as well to study at the public library nearby. Soo-Min and I laid about in our pajamas until her parents returned.

I was surprised when Soo-Min told me we were going to visit her grandmother. We ended up driving all the way to west Seoul, almost two hours away. I'm not going to go into the details of the visit... nursing homes are not generally exciting or even happy places. I did have the pleasure of meeting two of Soo-Min's aunts, both of whom were happy, talkative women. in their early forties, as well as her grandmother, who despite her advanced age, is still a very pretty woman.

When the visit was over, we stopped off to eat at a very cool little restaurant. The food was... well, they gave us way too much, in my opinion. The two tables that we took up were loaded with food. The coolest part though, was that we cooked the meat ourselves, on little grills built into the center of the table. The whole experience was great.

But, now I'm pooped and need to call my parents. More later!

-B

A Good Laugh

We went for a walk tonight, to explore the area a little.... when the walk was winding down, Soo-Min's mother surprised us by taking us to a Baskin Robbins (yes, they have them here!). The following, according to Soo-Min, is the conversation between the two young men working behind the counter:

Guy One: Crap! I can't speak English! Can you?

Guy Two: Me neither! What do we do?

Soo-Min asks me what I want in English at this point.

Guy One: Oh, good...she speaks English!

When soo-Min told me, I laughed so hard. Poor guys genuinely seemed to panic. I thanked the first gentleman in Korean and shocked him further. I hope this happens again... It was hilarious.

-B

Early Observations

In the 24 hours that I've been here, I have already realized a number of ways in which So Ko differs from America. To kill some time and to avoid forgetting, here are some of my observations:

1. As a rule, it's better to eat and not ask questions. I enjoyed several large bites of what I thought was a tough noodle cooked in some yummy spices before Soo-Min informed me that it was squid. (Admittedly, it's still delicious and I will continue to eat it, but it's definitely not what I expected).

2. The floor, in a home, is a sacred place. While Soo-Min's family does own and make use of a couch, most of their sitting is done on the floor. Soo-Min's mother has multiple steam cleaners and vacuums to keep the floor sparkly. P.S. The floors can be heated during the winter. No central heating here.

3. Korean drivers, while reckless by american standards, are expert drivers. On our way into the apartment parking area yesterday, Soo-Min's father came within 4 inches of another moving vehicle without so much as a flinch. I was gripping the armrest of my seat and praying they wouldn't scrape each other.

4. No air conditioning here. And strangely, as it stands, it's not needed. The weather is GLORIOUS today. It can't be more than 65 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside right now. All the windows in the apartment are open and the breeze coming through feels awesome.

5. When eating, there are no individual plates. Everyone eats out of the collected plates and bowls at the center of the table. Talk about community! I like it. It actually helps you eat less, believe it or not. Just a few bites of one thing is enough.

6. Although they make adapters to let you use your appliances in foreign countries, companies that produce them don't realize the voltage matters. My hair dryer is useless to me this summer. It will turn on, but it would take me two hours to dry my hair at the speed it blows. Guess I'll have to make do. At least my straightener works.

I think that's all for now. There will definitely be more later though. :)

-B

Settled

I have officially made it to So Ko. It's a relief to be done moving and travelling for a while. I guess the best way to explain this journey over is to break it down by city.

Atlanta:

Made it to the gate fine, and was excited to talk to two young ladies from Albany, NY who were down visiting the Flannery O'Connor museum in Milledgeville. They had somehow managed to go through security with a basket full of peaches.

The plane I boarded (forty minutes late) was a tiny little regional jet. I have to say it was the bumpiest, tipsiest plane ride I have ever experienced. But I made it to the O'Hare airport relatively unharmed.

Chicago:

This is where the adventure begins. Because my first flight was so late arriving, I had to sprint to the next gate to make it to my connecting flight on time. Luckily, the signs in O'Hare are idiot proof, and I didn't get lost in my great rush to meet Soo-Min.

She was waiting for me at the gate. Once we finished all the hugging and "I'm so glad to see you"'s were exchanged, we got a bite to eat at a McDonald's in the terminal that charged exorbitant prices and got away with it.

Our flight was scheduled to board at 12:30 PM, leaving at 1:00. So we settled in to wait for a few minutes. 12:30 came and went. So did 1:30. And 2:30. We were finally told that due to complications out of their control, American Airlines would be putting us on a different jet, at a gate on the opposite side of the terminal.

So we grabbed our carry-on baggage and all but ran to the next gate. Now, bear in mind, we were on a pretty tight schedule, with just a couple of hours between arriving and departing from Narita, Japan.

So, we get to the new gate, and are forced to wait another hour and a half before we can even board the new jet. It's 4:00 PM by now, and we were supposed to have been IN THE AIR for almost 3 hours.

Boarding takes longer than usual (of course) and it's 5:00 on the dot when we finally lift off the runway.

There's not much to say about the twelve hour flight. They served a couple of meals, we watched movies, and we slept.

Narita:

Ah, Japan. It should go without saying that the four hour delay caused us to miss our connecting flight into So Ko. We scuttle into Narita airport around 7:30 PM (Tokyo time, of course). Apparently, the Narita airport closes at 7-ish because we were the only ones arriving and no one was departing.

Pro's to this situation: Going through customs was a breeze.

Con's to this situation: We missed our flight. Which means, naturally, we have to stay the night in Japan.

But, the great part is, since it's the airline's fault we missed our flight, we didn't have to pay a dime. They shuttled us to a pretty nice hotel, housed us, fed us twice, and shuttled us back. Soo-Min didn't like the inconvenience, and I felt bad for her parents, who had driven two hours to meet us only to discover when they arrived at the airport in Seoul that we weren't on board.

BUT... I enjoyed the delay. =D I feel a tad guilty about it, but it's probably the one and only time I would ever get to be in Japan, and I was relishing the experience, snapping pictures of everything from the "Welcome to Japan" sign in the airport to the bidet in our hotel room (For those of you who don't know, a bidet is a swanky toilet that shoots water at your posterior to cleanse you after a really nice poo).

Anyway, Our flight out of Narita was much better than our arrival. We were switched to Korean Air, a much MUCH nicer airline, with beautiful flight attendants and roomy seats. Our flight left ON TIME, and the pilot even managed to shave 20 minutes off of our flight time.

Seoul:

Coming through the Seoul (pronounced like "soul") airport was busy, to say the least, but not impossible. Soo-Min's father met us there in a company vehicle to bring us back to Cheonan (there "small" hometown).

The ride in was beautiful to me; I have an indiscriminate eye and everything is fresh and new. I was surprised to find that there are a great number of mountains here. And not the enormous, jagged peaks that scratch the sky. These were low mountains; they seemed to hug the land. At one point in the drive, we were skirting the coast, and the sea air was heavy with salt, but it was a fresh smell.

We stopped about half-way for food. This rest stop we were at was 1. Enormous and 2. Not like any rest stop I've been to. There was a cool food court with really inexpensive food. My meal was 4000 won, which is the equivalent of about 3 dollars American. It was way too much, and I felt guilty and embarrassed taking an almost-full bowl of noodles to the disposal line.

The rest of the drive was relaxing. I am sitting here in their apartment, enjoying the sounds of their neighborhood through an open window. It's a snug living space, but not uncomfortable, and Soo-Min's parents are very welcoming. She assures me that they can, in fact, speak English; apparently they are just incredibly shy about speaking to me directly.

Well, that's it for now, I think. The delay in Japan allowed me to get caught up on some sleep, so I'm not as jet-lagged as I probably should be. But I'm still tired and in desperate need of a shower. I promise to get some pictures up here, but it may be easier to just load them to Flickr and post a link. We'll see what I'm up to doing later tonight.

-B

Last Night in the USA

The title pretty much says it all... tonight is my last night in my own bed, here in the good old United States, until August. We'll see how much sleep I get between now and 5 AM. I think I've remembered everything, but with my luck, I will arrive in So Ko with a dozen things I need but forgot to pack.

Cannot wait to begin my international adventure! By this time tomorrow, I should be on the other side of the globe!

-B

Pack Cat

Pack Cat, a photo by bxriot on Flickr.

Skittles the Cat helping me pack the suitcase. I offered to take her along and she left without a word. I feel so rejected.

On the bright side, I have successfully packed and managed to keep my suitcase under fifty pounds, thanks to my mom and a couple of vacuum bags.

Two days left until I set off!!

Wally the Short-Necked Giraffe

Wally, a photo by bxriot on Flickr.

Wally, relaxing in my soon-to-be full suitcase! First official picture for the summer. More to follow!

Getting It All Together

Now Reading: Emma by Jane Austen

I've spent the last few days gathering all the things I need for my trip. Passed the afternoon with Mom bargain shopping for a purse, and ran into a high school friend that I haven't seen since graduation. I was sad to realize I may not see him again for some time either. :(

I've narrowed down my list of "To Buys" to a mere two items, one of which is optional. I feel so accomplished-- but now there is a pile of grocery bags bursting with items to be packed taking up the top of my dresser.

It's exciting to think that by this time one week from now, I'll be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, hopefully getting a little rest or learning some basic Korean phrases! I'm sonervous and excited!!

-B

Yay!

Now Reading: Emma by Jane Austen

I found a suitcase! SO glad that search is over... Dear old Nana had one I can use. Now, off to stock up on power converters and clothes!

Additional Notes:

It is REALLY hard to find power converters for South Korea. I think I found one for literally EVERY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD... but none for So Ko. My sources tell me it might be better (and easier) to just get one when I arrive there. So... I guess I'm waiting.

-B