Well, here I am! Finally all settled into my new apartment, which I LOVE by the way. It is a studio with hard wood floor, very modern kitchen area, with modern appliances, bed, TV, and desk. The bathroom though, is something that I am not used to as a newbie to Asia. There is a sink ( which I have a few friends who don't even have that) and a toilet..but the shower isn't a "shower" at all. It is a removable shower head that sticks out from the wall, and is just slightly to the left but above the toilet. SO basically your entire bathroom is your shower, but it does come with a certain sense of freedom. You know the way that brushing your teeth in the shower feels so much better than it ever can confined to your sink alone? Well if feels like that. Although I have allot of great things to say about my experience so far..I have a few things things to get off my chest ( travelers bad luck mainly).
After flying for 48 hours to get here, I rested..bought myself a converter and plugged in my computer only to have the motherboard crash right before my eyes. ( hence why I am typing this a PC cafe- of which there is one on every block on Seoul, some blocks have more than one) Then I was hit with the worst jet lag, followed by a cold/cough that lasted for 2 weeks..mixed in with bed bug bites ( or mosquito bites as the doctor called them but I have never seen mosquito's bite in perfect lines of 3 and 4) then last but not least a wicked rash on both of my legs that wont go away. Although the best part about being sick here in Korea, is that you can get ANY RX drug that you need here for ANY ailment over the counter.
Including.....birth control. On our Saturday pilgrimage to Itaewon( where I received my best tattoo yet)Shadiyah and I were able to purchase birth control, over the counter, for $7 simply by asking for it.
Shadiyah " Do you have birth control"
Korean Pharmacist ( with head nodding yes) " contraceptive?"
Shadiyah ( while looking at Wesley and I) " If she comes back with condoms Ill die"
Koren Pharmacist ( hands Shadiyah 2 different kinds of boxes) " this one 7,000 won- this one 10,000 won."
and so we each walked out with a pack of birth control pills for one month.
So about the tattoo...it is a Japanese cherry blossom that I have wanted for an incredibly long time, and I figured Asia would be the best place to get it. Although the attitude here toward tattoos and people with them are not welcoming at all. I already get stares quite frequently just because I am a westerner, but when I am wearing a tank that shows my tattoos ( especially my new one which is quite big) Koreans stop dead in their tracks and point and stare. I am pretty sure that when one of my students came up to me at the Home Mart..her mother looked at me grabbed her and pulled her away. ( but I am really just pretending that it didn't happen)
You also have to be on your toes here 24/7. Everyone is in a hurry hurry hurry! There is also no "western" notion of holding the door open for the person behind your or single file line. You know how in the states if someone cuts in front of you, a fight usually breaks loose? Well here, it is just a way of life. It started when I was boarding the plane to Beijing, and it has become only more apparent with daily life.
~Did I mention that my first week here I almost had to ride the subway one stop passed mine because a wave of 30 or so koreans bum rushed the subway as soon as the doors opened and only the strong willed and tiny Koreans whom could duck under people were able to get off? I was so astonished ( of course at never having seen such a thing occur not even in New York City) that I gently pushed my way through like a polite foreigner until this very drunk,very sweaty Korean man helped push me off. and I mean litterally pushed me. I felt like cattle....but afterwards I just laughed. You just cant get that kind of excitement anywhere else in the world..that my friends is Korea.
The other "Asian" thing that I found most fascinating( but IN a truly wonderful way) is that Asia truly is ASIAN, 100%. There is nothing Latin, Greek,European or even American about it. They have their own way of doing things, they always have and they like it that way. Everything that we know as "Westerners" somehow relates back to greece, latin and for Americans it is Western and Eastern Europe, while South and central American have the Spanish to thank, etc etc...anway way what I am trying to say here is about the only " influnce" you will find in Korea is Japanese and that is only because they were occupied by Japan for so long but it is still minimal.
You become aware of the non-desire to influence or be influenced one day while you are serving yourself water from the watercooler, at the $1 kimbob place after work, and you just smile.That is the other thing about this country, it is litterally cheaper to eat out here than it is to eat in.
I have made quite alot of friends from all over the world..and I must say that I am excited about what the future holds. I start korean language classes in October, there are already plans in the works to go to Japan, and Bangkok just to name a few and I feel truly blessed to be able to live this life. I am one of the few westerners here who have never traveled before, for 90% of them it is a lifestyle, and this is just another entry on their facebook " where have I been in the world" application. But for me it is the beginning and I hope that along the way I dont lose sight of my plans..and I keep moving.
and ps...as soon as my motherboard gets here..there will be pics
Phrases to remember:
" drunken old korean men swerving in and out of people on their scooters on the sidewalk and almost falling over -at 4 am."
" now; you cant get that anywhere else in the world" but actaully mean it...
"wow the frozen yogurt acutally tastes like FROZEN YOGURT"
" The line 2 subway reaks of morning after soju near the gangnam station"
"Old Korean ladies in VERY VERy large visors"
" story on"
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