Tourist info: make a left at the next crosswalk

Current mood: somber ( as a result of Tony's heavy pours of house red wine) , current interest: people who wear socks with sandals.

I once said that " I would hate to be a Korean mother on sock laundry day", and I meant it. I know that I had an issue with people who wore socks with sandals before ...and then I moved to Korea. One thing that I have noticed here is that people not only wear socks with their sandals, but they also wear them with their dresses, skirts, tuxedo's, and their birthday suits.

As you can imagine, "flip-flops" are not popular here. For many reason's, I assume, but one that I know for sure is that you can't wear socks with them. As you can also imagine ( or maybe you can't) socks are extremely cheap here as well. In fact, socks can be found on every corner, of every street, in every GU ( Korean neighborhood). There have been several times that I have left work; on my way to the gym ad thought " oh no, I forgot my socks!". Well not to worry because all that l I had to do was turn around to find various socks of all shapes, and colors ( notice I didn't say sizes), for a mere 25 cents. Also, with the amount of elderly Koreans working out in the streets, sidewalks and local parks ( at all hours of the day) and a bag full of cheap socks, I am hardly left with few excuses not to go.

This leads me to "indoor sock use". Once inside any public Korean facility you must have shoes on your feet, unless you walk into a private area. With in this area you must take off your shoes. For some this means bare feet but in Korea it is the ultimate offense. Even when the blistering Seoul sun is beating down on your back, you are expected to keep your sinful feet covered at all times. The main concern is when the bare feet touch the floor. Oh they hate it! The looks that I receive as I take off my sandals and then walk to the Korean table to dine with my friends is priceless!. With each sound that the pitter patter of my scandalously naked feet make on the wooden Korean floor;I can feel their eyes piercing into my ankles. I can see their faces making a grotesquely concerned look as I linger, standing, and wait a long time to sit with my legs crossed and remove my shameful feet from their wooden shrine.

One place where I thought for sure I was safe was the ladies locker room at the gym. You wear street shoes to the gym entry way,then remove them to step on the private gym floor ( with socked feet of course) . You may,however, wear a "slipper" which is the Korean version of the ADIDAS sport sandal' if there is no sock with in reaching distance. These sandals are usually available at most places for those whom are inconsiderate to leave their socks at home. You then walk to your locker and take our your gym sneakers. These shoes must never touch the public or "street" floor".

After working out you then remove your gym shoes in front of the locker room. Once inside the locker room ( of course everyone is wearing socks because sock and sneakers are the perfect couple) you then begin to undress and prepare for a shower. Now forget what you are thinking boys, this shower scene is something out of "Carrie" circa 1974 minus the menstruation and plus on the " untamed private territories" side.

All of the ladies take 2 towels at the front desk; one to dry their bodies with post shower, and one to place under your feet for your journey to the shower and away from the shower. This process consists of the ladies dropping their drawers, placing the towel under their feet and scooting , naked, all the way to the shower on their towel, one precious motion at a time.
This process is ,of course, repeated after showering has commenced. One scoots from the shower to their locker on said towel; careful not to touch their naked feet to the floor.

This conversation came up with a friend of mine while I was visiting her who has lived in Indonesia for 16 years,. Her Korean friend noticed that she wasn't wearing any socks and shouted " Oh, please, your feet! You will not be able to have children if you bare feet touch the cold floor!" To which my friend replied " I have already had children, I don't plan to have any more."
This would seem to solve the problem of the naked foot phobia in Korea. But then her friend fired back, "well then you will have bad menstrual cramps."

All I can think now is ...what happens to the men.

English Teachers Gone Wild

So here we are...2 terms under my belt and 6 and a half months of living in Seoul. Thus far I have encountered :Numerous calls to immigration concerning one shitty boss, the great plague of 2008, one apartment change, one week of " dreaded" Yellow Dust from China, various weekend trips around the land of the morning calm,one stock market crash( heard around the world),
the ( yet still continuing) plunge of the South Korean Won, Barak-me Omadeus, one week in Thailand,a near death hiking experience, and of course various fundraising/volunteer activities.

All of this would NOT be complete ,however, with out the weekends spent in Seoul with my "Seoul Mates". I once made a comment to someone whom seemed to be looking for more excitement in their lives that " English teachers are the best to party with". Generally when you think of school teachers, they are the kind ,quiet type. They wear mismatched shoes and they reek of moth balls. Well not here in Korea. We come from all over the world in search of spreading the good word of English. Once our good duties in front of the white board have commenced we reconvene in various areas of the city. We do things like bowling:

We go shopping, we go hiking, we meet for drinks, we have dinner, and of course we teach.

The best part about all of this is that once in a while some of us are awarded....Holidays! During these precious times we are permitted to leave the country and take very short plane rides to some of the most beautiful places in the world. Most recently I had the opportunity to visit Thailand. A majority of my time was spent on Phi Phi island. Phi Phi is located on the West coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. One week here and you will be plagued with sleepless nights filled with dreams about going back and never leaving. I also at one point considered quitting my job and going back there to live incognito as a taxi boat driver, but that is another story. One of the best parts of the island was the low tide at 5 am that permitted us to walk home to our private beach along the sea floor. I met amazing people from all corners of the world and made new friends. I saw beautiful things, disturbing things, and laughed until I cried. All in all it is pretty safe to say that Thailand is a magical place and I will be returning soon. Hopefully my trip in July to Bali, Indonesia will prove to be equally exciting.

Sometimes when the weather is cold and there isn't much to do, we visit ancient palaces throughout the city. These places are much much older than their surrounding architecture and have survived the growth of the city and the 25 million people that have surrounded it. They stand tall and beautiful with the modern horizon falling just behind;quite an interesting contrast.

We also host fundraisers to collect used clothing for North Korean refugees.



And of course at the end of the day, like creatures out of their natural habitat tend to do, we make friends.



As of recently I have been introduced to a small little taste of home just north of Seoul. An army base called Camp Casey that holds American stores ( including Taco Bell), American movie theaters,and my personal favorite American soldiers. These new experiences have only added to my intrigue of this foreign country . I cant wait to continue to learn more about what it is like to see it through the eyes of someone who isn't here by choice; but still loves it as much as I do.

With all of these things to consider about my life here in Seoul ( as well as the current state of the US economy); one might think; " Why should I go back anytime soon?" As more and more time passes the life that I left behind seems so far away, and my promise to my friends and family to return after one year also seems like it was made years ago. I went from working an 8 to 5 job in my hometown, comfortably enjoying a life of happy hours and gallery crawls ;wondering if this was how I would spend the rest of my life. Now I have a menagerie of options. I can stay as long as a I like in a welcoming country where I will always be respectfully accommodated as a teacher, or take a few months off and travel various parts of Asia and the surrounding world. Maybe I will move on to another country where my experiences here in Korea will make me a desired candidate for a position within their borders. Sometimes ,though, we meet people during our travels that make us want to stand still for just a little longer, and enjoy the time in their company. The people that you are lucky enough to get close to while being so far from home, essentially replace your family and friends that you once were close to, and you will remember them forever. It has been brought to my attention that I fear things that move in full circles and prefer to keep moving in indefinite straight lines. Maybe it is time for this late 20 something to commit to one more year in Korea and plant my feet in a definite position towards the future. Maybe I will just be comfortable and content with the decisions that I have made; not always seeking the greener grass on the other side.

"Knowing what you've got, knowing what you need, knowing what you can do without-thats inventory control"

"Kimchi saved Korea from the avian bird flu"

There are a few things that I am quite fond of.One of them is to put sugar( preferable brown or natural cane) on the top of my cappuccino when it is freshly made.What occurs next is a simple act of science, in which the sugar melts and forms a creme brulee style layer of caramelized goodness on top of the velvety foam.With the spoon I then remove one small section of the foam , ingest, and then proceed to drink the espresso and milk that live below through the small foam less section.
A pleasure such as this is expecially enjoyed after an over priced, tiny meal of lamb curry, garlic naan, and basmati rice. After I decided to splurge on the mango lassi( because you HAVE to have the mango lassi) the grand total was 27,000 won
( about $25). When I think about all of the cheap Indian food that I have consumed back in the US, and I then consider my current geographic location in reference to India I become even more disturbed by this. My biggest shock, more so than the price, was when an Indian waiter explained to me " no,the curry does not come with basmati rice, you must purchase it separately."
I have to wonder how this man can sleep at night, knowing that he does not serve his dishes with rice but rather makes his patrons pay extra. All that I can think is " what the hell am I going to do with a crock of lamb curry and no rice?" Well the one place in the world where he could get away with it, would be Korea. So who am I to take that away from him.

This got me thinking about all of the bragging that I did to my girlfriends just before leaving. I would taunt Jess over sushi at The Fish Market about all of the cheap raw fish I would be eating once arriving in Korea. I said I would have it for every meal for dollars a day. I couldn't wait to get cheap manicures and massages. Instead what I have found is that if it isn't Korean, its expensive. Pad Thai is considered a special "foreigner food" that can only be found in the foreigner friendly section of Seoul(costing at around $12). Sushi, while more commonly found throughout the city is still only slightly cheaper than Pittsburgh(about $10 for a lunch bento box).While traditional Korean food, found every 3 feet,can be purchased for around $2-$5 or larger "family style BBQ" portions for around $10.

So when my friend Keyonna said that she was coming to Korea for 3 weeks and wanted to know what kind of spending money to bring I said " well you can survive here on $4 a day if you play your cards right." Which you can, but get a craving for something different, anything different and you will pay for it. Keyonna then told me about the brief article that she had read in which a Korean man living in Seoul was asked about what kind food he liked to eat and he said " um..I am Korean, I eat Korean food."

I have been sick since the 1st of December so I have been staying in on my time off and reading, a lot. Once of the books that I recently read was about the Korean War. One thing that I found most fascinating was that when the line was drawn and the North was separated from the South there was more than just a difference in common interests that were forced apart. When they were one peninsula, North Korea was used for industry while South Korea was used for agriculture.So when the line was drawn, the South was left with a few pitchforks and a post war mess to clean up. Now for those of you who are thinking " yeah sure sounds typical of every countries historical rise to the top", It's important to keep in mind that this was in 1953.A time when American housewives were baking pies in their new Whirlpool ovens, and kids where watching "Leave it to Beaver" after school.

What followed next was a series of government/military coups, and then finally some help from friends. It wasn't until the late 70's early 80's that South Korea was finally able to industrially support themselves. Glancing at the entrances to many a store front in Seoul you will see " since 1992", "Since 1995", or maybe an occasional " since 1987). South Korea was able to pay back its borrowed monies ten years before the due date in 2000, and Seoul is now one of the most expensive cities to live in; in the world. The Chonggechon river near city hall.

Seoul is a beautiful place, full of surprises. It is a large and fast paced city that makes you earn its respect- not unlike NYC. Although I haven't quite gotten used to the "old Korea" meets "new Korea" clashes that I have run into here.
Picture yourself shopping in Gangnam( the posh fashion district in Seoul). Gangnam is full of designer stores, designer restaurants, and designer clubs.

You go into the "well known" designer store and after picking up a few items ask to use the restroom before trying anything on. "No problem" the retail rep responds
" just make a left outside the front door, and other left into the alley.You can use the public restroom available there. The public restroom turns out to be a squatter toilet.

This one is friendly compared to some that I have experienced.
The smell is unbearable, there is no toilet paper, and no where to hang your coat. Not to worry though! The store will hold your merchandise for you until you return.After all, they are Calvin Klein!

Its Chris-a-mas time in Seoul

As I was walking home from work Friday night at 9:30 pm, one hour later than normal due to my increased work load, I stopped to look at this tree. It appears to be an evergreen tree covered in ornaments outside of a 24 hour Korean BBQ. Upon closer inspection I discovered that it was,in fact, Charlie Browns Christmas tree. But what the hell is it doing here? Then it hit me, its Christmas time in Korea.

When one becomes so disconnected from all things Western it is quite easy to be caught off guard when such a clear reminder of home springs up in your neighborhood.Only 25 percent of South Korea is Christian, 25 percent Buddhist, and the other 50 percent is "nothing" according to my friend Mr. Google. Although the only reminder that you have that Christianity exists in this country is the glowing red crosses on the tops of certain buildings that you can see with the right view, and the occasional mention of Jesus from one of my students. There are ,of course, Christmas commercials from Lotte ( the Macy's of Korea), but thats just mere consumerist promotion. Where are the icicle lights and the Nativity scenes? Where are the trees in the windows with families drinking egg nog, decorating them in stringed pop corn? What about the carolers and the train at Monroeville Mall?

I stood in front of this restaurant and this tree for about 8 minutes thinking about all of these things when SPLAT! Out of the front door comes 3 drunken, stumbling Korean business men who knock over the tree,but do not stop to pick it up, instead step over it and keep going on down the street. Yelling loudly in Korean- arms around each others shoulders.

This weekend it was -7 degrees in Seoul. My Grandfather warned me that it gets cold in this country, I should have listened. I plan to spend this winter staying in my apartment and keeping as warm as possible, skiing, reading, and drinking a lot of red wine. Not necessarily in that order.

The first half of my winter agenda will be made possible by the fact that I finally moved out of my apartment above the 7 lane highway, not including his friend the 4 lane over pass.


My studio apartment is now twice the size, far removed from the main road, and resembles a home rather than an office. I sleep full nights and the sun only shines in if I want it to.I also have a small "porch" area with many windows for fresh air ( in the summer time of course). One thing that has really been bothering me ,though ,is the luke warm showers. In the heat of the summer I had no qualms because I rarely turned the shower hot water on fully, however in these cold, cold time I would give up my first born for a shower so steamy that the paint peels from the wall. For those of you who aren't in the know about the general Korean hot water situation, hot water MUST be turned off and on. It is part of the national recycling laws here that include conserving energy. Also since hot water is used to heat the floors, you only turn it on when needed, ie, before bed and before a shower. One time I turned on the hot water 4 hours before my shower was to commence and it was still only a few shades shy of being down right cold. This has happened to me in both apartments, and I have even found from my coworker that his shower situation is the same. Is it me? Do I just like my water to be murderously hot? Do the Koreans prefer their showers to be cold? One of the great mysteries to add to the list, I suppose. Although this cant go on for long, at some point in my time here in Korea, everything will be as it should. It will probably occur when I am sunning on the beaches of Thailand.

One of the things that I do here besides spreading the good word of English to small children is; spreading the good word of English to adults. Friend of friends whom do a lot of traveling and also own a cafe in a western-frequented posh Apuejong, Seoul have asked me to visit them on Saturday afternoons to help them fine tune their ESL. ALthough I am being paid it hardly feels like work. I am smothered in muffins, cappuccino's and free accessories. ( one of my students works in the fashion industry and send samples my way)



Afterwards we all sit down to a home cooked meal, that usually varies from my Korean favorites to my favorites from home. We talk about our week, and I ask questions about Korean history. Sometimes have heated conversations about the Japanese negligence to apologize for the past, and the real reason why the Americans have been stationed here for 30 years. All of the years that I spent studying American history pale in comparison to what the Koreans know about theirs. You could spend hours listening to one person discuss old Korea, new Korea and compare and contrast their nation to other Asian nations, while I cant even tell you the capital of Minnesota. I don't say this to downplay my own intelligence, American geography has never been an interest of mine, but listening to someone speak so passionately about the place that they come from can really leave an impression on you. As a matter of fact you come to find that the foreign( non-American) POV can be quite interesting when discussing matters that Americans think they know and understand. Take for example the bombing of Japan during WWII, pretty cut and dry right? Whenever there is a class, a documentary or a book released in America it always tells the story of how the Japanese refused to surrender so the Americans HAD to drop not one but two bombs to end the war. It was to prevent thousands of American soldiers from dying, and it helped to keep the Japanese from occupying the US. Well just yesterday I watched a documentary on this same event, except catered toward the Asian POV, and I can assure that it was quite different.

As an educated woman in this world I understand that those that write the books always use a persuasive technique to sway the reader. Although I am also enjoying seeing, and learning about the same Histories that I grew up learning about, but only through the eyes of the rest of the world and not those of MY forefathers.


And so my real experiences in Korea begin. Not at the bottom of a bottle of Soju or at the hottest new club in Hongdae, but through the time spent and the conversations had with the people of this country. Through the eyes of the North Korean refugees that have joined my tutoring class on Sundays, and through the many charades that I use to communicate with Mrs Kim; the Pastors wife that helps me with the children at the church- who does not speak ANY English but has many beautiful things to say.

व्हेन इ थिंक ऑफ़ यू इ vomit

So for some reason when ever I type in a title for my blog while using a PC bong ( computer cafe) the title starts out in English and then tranforms to what I beleive is Hindi. In the past I have wasted a good 15-20 minutes trying to figure out how to fix it to no obvious avail because the computer itself speaks Korean। SO I have decided to just go with it. So I feel that this Blog is going to be rather personal ,rather than informational about my time here in this very very foreign land, because well thats what I feel like typing.Afterall the title of this Blog IS " Random Babblings of an American in Korea". So I feel as though I should babble a bit more.

It has recenly occured to me that I am one of those dark and troubled souls who only finds comfort in their own solitude and merely wishes to pass through life unoticed.

Sounds dreadfully emo doesnt it? Right about now you are thinking," Oh god, shut up and turn down the Dashboard Confessional." Although the thing is, is that I recognize all of these stereotypes and I agree with them, hell I might even be willing to admit that I meet some of them. This ,of course,is in the sense that I dont seem to care much how it seems or what it means to anyone other than myself. AM I self-righteous? Am I a ,dare I say, FAKER? Or do I really need to " be a lawyer, and get a boyfriend who's like a bastard, then have a couple of kids with mental problems, and wait ....for...menopause."?

I have come to the conclusion that if you arent self righteous then you are denying yourself the simple pleasure of how you truly wish to spend your time. How many times have you said to yourself that you didnt want to be in a particular place, but seem to appear there time and time again? How often do you vow to become more organized, more involved,and more aware? In the span of the infinite universe and all that is Holy, it seems to me that these simple gestures that one performs in daily life should be a "no brainer". It seems, though, that for most these chores in the ebb and flow of life are the most difficult to master,and I am left wondering..........am I really a self righteous fuck who thinks that they know it all? Or ,maybe I just know enough;enough to know that I know what I like.And I can truly say that I control my time, my space, my thoughts,and my desires.Do you know who controls yours?

A good friend once said to me..." you have to write your own book ,Chrisite, and let them write theirs."

This is probably the best advice that I have ever gotten.

Except of course the time that someone told me that it is NOT ok to drink and drive...that was good advice as well.

가러사티

Shadiyah and I in Jeonju ( home of bibimbap a popular Korean food) and apparently hotdog soup is as well but thats another story.


The inside of the Hanook Folk Village in Jeonju


Jeonju "Hell's Angels"



So It has been quite some time since I have posted anything, however I have been quite busy.

Well let just see, I signed up for, attended and then quit my Korean Language course. I now work Monday - Friday. I teach English on a volunteer basis to children who can not afford it on Sundays from 3-5 and I also teach a private lesson on a NON volunteer basis on Saturdays.Of course this is also with out mentioning the time allotted in between for the usual English teacher chaos and insanity that seems to appear out of thin air. Like English teachers celebrating Halloween in a country that does not celebrate Halloween:





And of course because Halloween costumes are limited in a country that does not celebrate Halloween, one can understand the need to be creative. Hence the "T-Money" card above which is the card that we load money onto for the subway system here in Seoul and of course my " Kim-Bop Skirt" which really is the Kim minus the bob ( Kim means seaweed and bop means rice). I just couldn't come up with a way to get the rice to look fashionable, but I sure did make a high class seaweed skirt:



So as for the rest of my time here in Korea; well I have also been doing a lot of settling in. It is amazing how someone can go so far from home, to such a different place, yet find themselves right back in their old routines. There is really no use in fighting it, I believe that it is just human nature. Sure I do things like climb mountains and find old temples at their peaks, and go to Korean bath houses where I scrub myself with exfoliating cloths naked in front of 50 Koreans. But I also eat breakfast, listen to the news, drink coffee while reading a book in the park, and drink wine while watching movies or Sex and the City with my neighbor and new best friend Shadiyah. I don't go out during the week ( usually) and I explore Korea or go to a hot new club in Hongdae or Gangnam on the weekends.

I believe that the initial "shock" of the move, the culture, and the time zone has finally worn off and I am finding my place in Asia and what a great place it has turned out to be.

Of course one can always stop to appreciate when a little piece of home pops up in a "Kraze Burger" in Itaewon:


I just found out that my best friend who was engaged before I left is now having a baby. So congrats to Mel and Nick! I wish that I could be there to see you get as big as a house! These are the things that I miss at the end of the day, but I know that they will always be there for me when I get home.

And that gets me thinking about one of the things that I have had to consider as an older teacher living here in Seoul. Most of the teachers that I have met range from:just graduated college to 24 years old and a few oldies like me at 26-29.
Most of them have traveled long term before,some haven't, but we all seem to have one commonality, and that is lets make the best of our time here and have as much fun as we can. Although at the end of the day someone who is 26 , about to be 27 in 5 months has to seriously think about their future outside of just having a good time. Which is exactly why I came here right? To clear my mind, open my options and try to see the bigger picture of life; a life that doesn't depend on 1 week vacations to Florida and Ocean City Maryland. A life that isn't subjected to the terms and conditions of the American dream; a degree, a car, a house, a husband, a dog, and finally a baby. I decided a long time ago that this isn't the life that I want to lead. These things do not make me happy. I do not seek god because I do not fill my head with concerns about existence and post death details. I do not have unanswered questions and I do not have concerns about the meaning of it all. Therefore I sleep beautifully knowing full well that a little mystery is good for a person and sometimes its good to just accept the strangeness of life and all that it has to offer. At the same time I do not feel as though I should follow the lead of majority on other aspects of my life. I have never been one for doing what others want or expect of me, so why start now?

So as for being 26 years old and living in Seoul Korea as an English teacher amoung a large group of young people who may have come here to postpone the realworld, while I am trying to escape it? Well I think that its the best idea that I have had yet. And I will tell you something else.....Samuel L. Jackson spoke to me at the peak of Mount Suraksan today, and he said " so where do you think that you are? in Mother F*cking Ko-rea?"




............and I said why yes, Samuel,I am in Korea and I love every minute of it.


Me at Everland ( Korea's Disneyworld)

I am an "Englishee Teecha"

Yes thats right folks..that is my official job title. There are also a few other things I go by around here. " Beautiful Yellow and Br own Hair Teecha" just plain " TEECHA!" and my favorite, "No Wedding Teecha?"( which in 8 year old Korean terms means: you are an old woman and you no marry? " Why Teecha, Why?" Honestly ,you want to get upset but then you realize that this 8 year old has been in school longer today than you have been awake,( and he still has 4 more hours to go,plus another 3 hours of homework) and you begin to feel much better about yourself.

So I have noticed that in my last 3 blogs I have mentioned at least once that everyone here is in a hurry...so no more mention of that, because honestly I am over it. Now I am starting to get settled and truly become an inhabitant of this country and to be honest it never fails to amaze me.

Lets start first with the CCTV. Does everyone know what CCTV is? OK well it is a "hidden" camera in the ceiling of EVERY ROOM IN South Korea and someone , in most cases no one really knows who , but someone watches every move that you make. Oh and it includes audio as well. At my school it is in the classrooms and the Head Instructor's job is to watch your CCTV's everyday and make sure that you are doing everything that you are supposed to do.That includes sticking to the strict time and class structure that CDI trains you on. But in a perfect world with 10 screaming 6-8 year olds, can you really complete the Dialogue exercise in 6 minutes?

Today we had an early meeting that included myself, the 2 other foreign teachers, the Head Instructor, the Director and the Owner/Manager. Can anyone guess what we did for the entire 2.5 hours??? Thats right we watched our CCTV's! Then we exchanged comments. Although I cant complain because I did get a free lunch out of it.


So on a lighter note I went to the Korean Folk Village today which is the only Korean thing that I have "done" here besides eat Kimchee and drink Soju.



That is a traditional rice field. Notice the scarecrow..very nice. Dont you just want to hang your laundry out to dry when you see this photo?


This is traditional Korean "sleeping quarters". This is also where the traditional Korean weddings are held but we were a bit late for that.



EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

Thats yours truly on the shortest boat ride ever, in the amusement park with in the folk village. You are not going to believe this but I rode the pirate ship there" my fellow kennywood fold from back home know what that is" and I was hoping for a candy apple...but I had to settle for chicken on a stick instead.



This is self explanatory I hope. It was absolutely beautiful! You had to take off your shoes before going in..and once inside you just stand there...and feel instantly at peace. This was also a Korean "nap" hotspot.One of many in the Korean Folk Village.

All in all...I am really just taking it all in and enjoying the constant paradigms that I stumble into. Its as though the county is still trying to catch up with the "consumer revolution" that swept this country 60 years ago, and it makes for good dinnertime conversation.



things to remember:
SOCKS!!!( more to come next blog)
Drunk Korean men on scooters blasting 50 cent "lollipop"
Soju is liquid xanax
You are supposed to drink coffee after every meal
"black black Barakobama"