What Is This Feeling? (July 30)

• Found out a lame thing about one of my favorite stores in Pohang today – you can’t try on any of the very cheap shirts/skirts/dresses, but you also can’t return them! You can’t have it both ways, Korea! In addition, I have decided that I can do most things alone but I still dislike shopping without a second opinion. It’s too hard to decide on my own! Plus, there’s extra pressure when stores have parameters like the aforementioned store.
• I came to Gumi tonight to hang out with Rachel before she leaves. We’ll be close-ish back in the States but it still might be a long time before we see each other again. We had naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) and Cafe Bene gelato, then went searching for unusual chocolates and candy to bring back home and are now enjoying some good movies. It's totally indicative of our personalities and relationship and is a good way to say, “See you soon”.
• Focusing on being excited to go home has helped me forget that going home means that I’m leaving the place and people I love here :( This realization came to me on the bus tonight and I was feeling very panicky. I don’t like it :/ Up until now, my feelings have been relatively neutral – bad days/wanting to see people at home evenly balanced with good days/ loving it here. And in the case of the latter, I could suppress the sadness of my impending departure date. Not anymore...

Players Everywhere (July 26)

• Sad to leave today but I couldn’t have asked for a better trip to Busan and I will see Monique and Richard this weekend, as well as when I get back to the US.
• Got home and immediately showered (without even turning the hot water on) – it was 35 C (that’s 97 F, with the heat index at 102) outside and hot enough in my apartment that when I turned the air on, it almost felt too cold at 29 C (85 F).
• Went to Café PHC for another great night of performances, this time by the Pohang Players. Each member of the group performed a monologue and they were all fantastic. I particularly loved listening to the Scottish girl do hers in a thick Scottish accent. So beautiful and mysterious. Plus, we got another AMAZING meal: chicken sandwiches on homemade focaccia, and chicken salads with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was more than I normally pay for dinner but IT IS SOOOO GOOD. Can’t help it!
• Did some shopping downtown afterwards and then headed to the new McDonald’s at Bukbu to meet Ingrid, Nida and Karlena. We basically had ice cream and just sat at the beach and talked for about 2 hours. And then we saved a little money by walking from the beach back downtown. It seems so long to me, but it wasn’t a bad walk with good company, which we had. On the way home, Ingrid’s and my taxi driver took us the wrong way, but I don’t think he was trying to jip us, he seemed legitimately confused about what we said. And he was really nice and actually spoke good enough English for me to have a conversation with him on my leg of the journey home. It was nice because I’ve been feeling guilty lately about the lack of conversation I can hold with taxi drivers – I can answer their questions but can’t respond and I feel conceited :/ so this was good.

Trick of Mind (July 25)

• Aaaaaaand it was even hotter today! Heat advisory even, because the nights are still really hot and not helping to cool anything down :/ So we shopped in Nampo a little and then met some friends to go to the Trick Eye Museum. It was so cool! First, it was air-conditioned. BUT aside from that, the museum was fun! You could pose with all the trick art and the pictures turned out really great (all photos courtesy of Monique):

 

• And then we had smoothies and pizza (and it wasn't too bad) and saw the Dark Knight (for me, again). It was great – again :)

Seaside Rendevous (July 24)

• Today was beach day – and thank goodness, because it was just as hot as yesterday. Monique is a wonderful hostess/planner and has tons of great stuff planned for us to do. This afternoon’s adventures included a ferry ride around the coast to see some miniature islands and relaxation time on the beach. Monique napped, Donna read/napped and I floated on the water. I rented a tube and just rode the waves for a while. It was nice, and I like being in the salt water, even though it tastes funny and leaches the moisture from your body. After 6 we had to return our umbrellas, chairs, towels and tube, so Monique and I went in search of chicken. We found some that was yummy, crunchy and greasy – and coupled with our Coronas, it was a great beach meal.

• Afterwards, we planned to go shopping around Nampo-dong but took a detour to find the Busan Cinema Center instead. With some help from some very gracious Koreans, we made it to the giant outdoor projection theater. It was pretty cool :)

• THEN we went to Nampo-dong to see Busan’s Tower – it was a lot of walking and Donna ended up waiting at the bottom for us :/ It WAS a little bit of a hike but the view at the top was pretty great. You can see the whole city. And there was a nice old lady up there who, I imagined, was reminiscing about her late husband, as this tower is fashioned after the romantic Seoul Tower.

 

 

• We missed Richard (he was working hard on his online class) but the silliness back at the apartment, induced by late-night snacking and a very hot day, made up for it.

 

 

View Master (July 23)

• Busan today! I haven’t been before and was/am really excited to spend time here and with Monique and Richard (my wonderful hosts). It was bloody (Jeanette is influencing me!) hot though! OMG! (This is gross) I definitely sweated through my shirt, in almost every way, and onto any part of my backpack that was touching me. I also felt like a percussionist...my bag was so heavy it felt like a drum. (Though I’d be a bad one if I were carrying it on my back.) Monique, her mom and I did a lot of extra walking too – the museum we walked to turned out to be closed and we couldn’t find Art Box for the life of us. We took a nice break in the middle at an adorable coffee shop, taking pictures and enjoying the service smoothie we received. But we eventually just went to dinner early and took advantage of the aircon and cold beer that was available to us, while waiting for everyone else to arrive.
• Dinner was yummy (and I got to meet Monique’s mentor teacher, her MT’s nephews, and her co-teachers) but afterwards was the best...we went to Gwangalli beach, which was beautiful, and then up to the roof of their friend’s apartment building! The view was fantastic and it was a great way to cool down and just chat. Plus, I have now drank twice on a rooftop, which has never been a goal of mine, but is a pretty cool thing to say I’ve done :)

• In addition to seeing Richard and Monique, it’s really fun to spend time with Monique’s mom, Donna. She is a teacher in Tacoma, WA, so it’s great to compare ideas and information about teaching and traveling. And it’s nice to have an adult around that speaks English – even though she’s not paying for my stuff or anything, I kind of feel like she’s watching out for me :) 

Our Thoughts Are Prayers (July 20)

• Abby and I met Paul in Mundeok today to get cupcakes at a place that Paul claimed was amazing. We walked up to it - and it was a hair salon. Some time between last week (when Paul went last) and today, it changed it's service from cupcakes to hair-cutting. Um, what? Oh Korea.
• I had the most amazing sandwich tonight - a Chicken Breast Focaccia Sandwich to be exact. The name doesn't do it justice. For someone who hasn't had a real American sandwich in almost 6 months, this was heaven. But not just that - it was so fantastic. Everything was homemade, the tomatoes were great, the sauce was yummy, the bread was slathered in olive oil or butter or something and the chicken was perfect. AMAZING.
• Tonight I met a guy from South Africa and after we finished talking and I was saying, "Nice to meet you" he leaned in for a hug and said, "I'm from South Africa and we hug everyone." I loved it! Can't wait to visit because I love hugs.
• Sometimes I can't believe that I don't know more alcoholics. Do all people my age drink as much as the people I know do? Did other generations do this in their 20s? Goodness.
• Pastor Richie approached me with a fabulous opportunity tonight. It was basically an answered prayer, so quotes for today:

"All good things to those who wait."

"Much effort, much prosperity."

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

• Finally, prayers of comfort for the people and families of people involved in the Dark Knight shooting. I can't believe that happened - literally, my brain can't comprehend it. They were going to a movie. A movie I saw on Thursday. A movie the world has been excited about. A MOVIE for Christ's sake. Not a rally or a protest or anything. Seriously, what is happening :(

It Is Finished (July 19)

• I finally made it to my last day of school! I can't believe it but I'm so grateful to be done. Our students were so crazy. We had a party for them but still had to break up several fights and 7 children cried (5 of them boys). I was so glad when they left my classroom. It was not a good feeling on the last day (especially when almost everyone else I know is sad and/or crying about leaving their students) but knowing I don't have to go back to teaching them is nice. One day, I will again have students that I never want to leave.
• At dinner, we got a hot soup and I was baffled why we were eating hot food when it is 95 degrees and humid out. Winter informed me that it is the belief/practice of Asian natural medicine to eat hot food when it is hot so your body breaks into a sweat and starts to cool more quickly. Huh. Never thought about it that way before. I told her that, in America, we avoid hot food in the summer because it's awful to cook when it's hot and cool stuff is more refreshing. We were both amazed by the other's customs.
• After dinner, I went to Daegu to watch Dark Knight Rises. Long story short, I arrived an hour after it started - luckily, it was so amazing that, by the end, I didn't feel like I'd missed anything. Yay!
• When I finally got home, I switched on my TV and found none other than an old episode of Touched By An Angel on one of the Christian channels. Whaaaaaat???

Positive Vibes

• I've been quite angry, bitter, stressed, frustrated and sad lately and I know that some of those feelings aren't going to change any time soon. I know of a couple big things that would alleviate a lot of my worry but, while I'm waiting for those to show up, I'm going to try to make myself a little happier. Tonight, I stepped out of my apartment to go to HomePlus and it was spitting. When I came out of HomePlus a little while later, it was pouring, and continued to for the duration of my wait for the bus, the bus ride and my walk home from the stop. I was pretty soggy by the time I came close to my apartment, but instead of turning onto my street, I turned toward the school. I walked righ to the middle of the soccer field and stood there, letting the rain just fall. It eventually made me smile to think how ridiculous I looked and, indeed, how slightly crazy I must be. Then I saw lightening in the distance and decided to head inside.
• A little while later, I heard banging on my wall. And the unmistakable sound of a drill. Yes, the neighbors next door are doing some kind of reno project. At 10 pm. Instead of being angry, I tried something new and slightly foreign to me - I walked over and offered them water. There were 5 men and one woman in the tiny kitchen and, though none of them took me up on my offer, they were smiling.

Andrew Variations (July 17)

• Wow, only 2 days left at school! Can't say that I'll miss it too much and I'm quite sure I won't get teary-eyed when I leave. However, I WwILL miss seeing and working with Winter, some of the things my kids do (like the trouble-makers who still say "Hello Teacher!" as they enter class and "Goodbye Teacher!" as they leave class, no matter what happened that day or the day before), the lunches, Hye Sun and Office Guy, and the continuity of going to work every afternoon. Ah well. Change is good, right? For the first time, I might actually be embracing that concept.
• Dinner with Sai, Winter, Liz, Jeannie, Sarah and Brittany. I am so so grateful that I still have a lot of time to see my friends before leaving.
• Spiderman, take 2, with Liz tonight! Just as good as the first time around. I'll leave yo uwith this little gem as I head off to bed:

AND he's grounded <3

Milky Cereal

• Today turned out relatively poorly but there were a few good things: Winter is amazing; I kind of fixed my iTunes, which was good because it was making me freak out a bit; cereal for dinner; lots of movies.
• Scratch that...I JUST GOT A JOB INTERVIEW!!! THAT is my good thing for today :)

Peace Like A River (July 15)

Timing didn’t work out for us to do mud activities today, but it was okay since we did such awesome stuff yesterday. Sai, Christian, Liz, Jeanette and I lounged around in our room until we had to check out and then basically wandered around Boryeong until our scheduled departure. It was also cool to see the tide difference along the beach throughout the day. AND I ran into a guy wearing a Michigan Marching Band t-shirt! He was representing a world peace organization and wanted me to sign his petition – but I was totally distracted by his shirt! And told him I’d sign the petition if he’d take a picture with me. Turns out he wasn’t from Michigan and didn’t know anyone in the MMB, he just liked the shirt (even though it was just plain block letters embroidered). Oh well.
I really hope I get a chance to get Korean honey pancakes again before I leave. I had them at a rest stop a couple weeks ago and tried to get some today but the lady did not have any, even though her sign said she did. Rude.
We stayed in Daegu for dinner and went to a restaurant that serves some pretty good American food – including REAL breakfast food! It was pretty fabulous, especially since I had been craving some this weekend :)
This weekend seemed to be some kind of threshold, between being in Korea and getting ready to leave Korea. I can’t believe I only have 3 weeks left – WHAT??? HOW did that happen?

Mud On My Boots (July 14)

• Today was Mud Festival day!!! As part of the Adventure Korea group, we got the privilege to go to the Mud Beach. It was a mud pit of massive proportions! At least a kilometer off the coast was all mud. It was so cool and felt just as great as the Wesley Woods mudpit. Oh except for the crabs. I, luckily, didn’t step on one but oooh that would NOT have felt good.

• After getting beyond dirty, we showered off and were bussed back to the main festival area. There was a line for the mud events, you had to pay to get in and we weren’t too interested in getting dirty again...so, we went swimming in the ocean! It was so fun! Plus it was raining – how often does one get to do THAT? :)
• Later, while hanging out in the room next to ours, Sai and I discovered that some of the pillows provided for us at our seedy motel are made of straws! Not straw. Cut up pieces of straws.
• It's amazing to me how many great people I meet here. And equally amazing how many of them I may never see again :(
• Christian was determined to beat me in the game of Speed. I’m not sure he fully realized how many games Erin and I played during the summers off from middle school. We ended up playing 24 I believe.

Pimp of the Nation (July 13)

• Tonight was our POE Farewell dinner. It was fun to see everyone in one place, but I was late and people were already eating and drama caused friends to be spread out so it wasn’t ideal, unfortunately. And the big seafood buffet in Pohang is way better. But, Winter gave a fabulous speech :) And I got some great pictures with friends. Including one of Joey! Woo.
• Afterwards, we hung out in Daegu (yay I finally got to do that!), went to several drinking places and had a good time. And Jeanette and I escorted Christian home, the highlight being the following conversation:

Emily: (seeing a police car approaching) Quick! Act like a pimp!

Christian: (nearly unconscious and being fully supported by Jeannie and I) Ohhhh yeah.

Neon Tiger (July 12)

• Tonight, I ate a Big Mac for what I believe is the first time. It was pretty good, though I don't really like the Big Mac sauce...
• Also, I had my very own Hazelnut McFlurry and it was AMAZING. And also - dipping my fries in it was fantastic! I now understand the Frosty+fries phenomenon.
• I bought an entirely neon outfit for the Mud Festival this weekend. I am very excited to wear that puppy, even though it will only be neon for a little while.
• Although I did not sleep, I accomplished a TON tonight and I've very proud of myself :)

Disney Medley (July 10)

• I got to use the school's camcorder for my video project today. It was so cool! The picture was clear, the videos were stable - I'm excited to use it for the rest of the project! And I kind of want one...
• Had dinner/ice cream with Sai, Jeanette, Joe, Liz and Chris and Brittany. I love seeing my friends in the middle of the week :) It makes teaching my Crazies so much more endurable. (P.S. The hazelnut shake at McDonald's is amazing!)
• Listened to an incredible Disney playlist while working on stuff tonight. It was like watching the best parts of all my favorite movies. Perfect :)

Crank Dat Spiderman (July 9)

• I told my 6th graders today that Teacher Ji Hyeon’s and my last day will be next Thursday. Woo Seok cheered. Da Bin and Ah Yeong were neutral. But Dae Han, my favorite, was truly shocked. And he left class in a very sad mood, complaining of a headache from the air conditioner – but seriously, is that even a thing? I will actually miss him. And it was the first sensation of sadness regarding leaving my school that I’ve gotten :(
• Winter and I had dinner on the 6th floor of HomePlus. It wasn’t superb but Winter got her favorite food :) And I found one of the little places up there serves smoothies for 1500-2500K! They are labeled juice but the way she blends the ice and fruit makes it all smoothie-like. And, since it’s just ice and fruit, it’s good for you!
• Ingrid and I met back at HomePlus for a movie date. And, oh Lord, we saw a Korean girl mixing Western and Korean fashion in all the wrong ways - a totally revealing top (dipping down so far I could see her bra) and incredibly short shorts. Not the way to create your own look, girl. Anyways...first, Ingrid and I went back to the new smoothie place and then headed upstairs to the theater. We used a combination of a coupon and my Happy Money gift certificate to buy the tickets - which means I actually made 2000K! Haha. Then we bought yummy yummy popcorn...Korean theaters (or, at least CGV) serve KETTLE CORN!!! It was so yummy. And we managed to make it last for at least an hour into the movie! Nice-uh. As for the movie itself. OH. MY GOD. The Amazing Spiderman was truly amazing. The music was beautiful, the special effects were great, the storyline was gripping (I totally almost cried twice), the secondary characters were wonderful (Sally Field and Martin Sheen :)) and the chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone is ridiculously fantastic. It was absolutely as good as The Avengers - if RDJ weren't in it, Spiderman would win. Ingrid and I were totally ridiculous throughout the movie – we talked, laughed, yelped, gasped, messed our hair because of the strange positions we found ourselves in after particularly riveting parts - and most likely annoyed ALL the Koreans in the theater :) Oh but it was soooooo worth it. And I have decided that if I can't have Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone can. I guess I can be nice like that.

Baby, Baby, Please Don't Cry (July 8)

• I met Mario's daughter, Samantha, today. She is a beautiful, wide-eyed 3-month-old and was so calm while I held her. Ingrid was like, "Do you want a baby?!" I was like, "Haha, NO. I just like cuddling with them." :)

• Time at the beach :) I love living by the ocean.

• I had an evening nap and then talked with Dad, on my Skype and his cell phone (Skype is so cool). Didn't get as much done today as I wanted but, I'll just work extra hard tomorrow.

Music Together (July 7)

• Ashley and Abby hosted a beach party in Wolpo today, as a late Fourth of July celebration. We got to experience some of Abby's yummy cooking and the relaxing getaway of Wolpo beach. Ingrid, Nida and I are totally going to Ashley's apartment for a mini-vacation when she's in Thailand ;)
• Nida and I were talking on the ride home and we realized that we have a very similar taste in music! I think, especially with the explosion of ipods and MP3 players, that it's really rare to find someone who enjoys most of the same artists that you do. So it was really exciting! Oh except for when she disowned me when she found my 90s boy bands playlist...but Ingrid high-fived me for it, so it was okay.
• Nida also taught me some Afrikaans. I don't remember it but it was fun to learn :)
• I love riding the bus with Ingrid because she always waves before/as the bus pulls away (her stop is before mine).

Altered Perspective One (July 6)

• Korea has many islands but the biggest is Jeju. It has a city on it and is it's own province. Because of that, TaLK also places scholars out there. When I first heard that, I kind of wished I had been sent there, as it is referred to as "Korea's Hawaii". Since that initial thought though, I have definitely changed my mind (though I do still want to visit some day). Very few of the scholars on the island leave it during their stay, because you have to fly and then bus to wherever you want to go. Yikes! In case you just tuned in, I leave Pohang nearly every weekend (now go back and read my adventures ;)). This week, a few of them came to the farewell party and are now in Pohang for Ashley's barbeque. But they don't know anything about traveling haha. I'm not trying to be mean, its just true. Two girls brought rolling suitcases. Yes, it's 4 days. And yes, that's how I packed before Korea. But a suitcase is so much work! One girl didn't bring anything to do (book, ipod, puzzle, etc.) because she didn't think the bus rides would be that long. The other girl asked if there was a process for checking in and getting on the bus - they've never taken the intercity buses. I'm honestly not making fun of them. I just really didn't realize how much I have learned about traveling. And how much I'm glad/how lucky I am that I wasn't placed on Jeju. And how much I love the mainland. Wow, perspective is cool.
• The bus trips here are so beautiful, because you basically can't leave any city and get to another in Korea without going through the mountains. Today, after all the rain we've had, everything was green, and the sun was starting to peak through the clouds, it was especially breath-taking.

Expo 2000 (July 5)

• The last few buses I've taken (including today's to Gwangju) have told me "We hope you had a pleasant trip and wish you luck on all your future endeavors" at the end. Well, thanks nice bus lady voice!
• We got to go to the Expo as part of the National TaLK Farewell Party! I’m very glad because it means I didn't have to plan my own trip :)
• My favorite pavilion was Sweden. They focused on giving facts about Sweden and it pretty much sounds like the best place to live and I want to move there! 

 

• I also loved Switzerland’s exhibit. It definitely held the truest to the theme of the Expo (water/ocean preservation), simply but uniquely. And they had ice there that is older than Korea itself!

• The pavilions were manned by people from that country (awesome job, right?). It was cool talking to them - I learned that Romania is really beautiful and that Angola has 16 official languages! Plus, even though all the non-Korean workers appeared to speak Korean, English and their native language, they seemed really excited to speak to us. It was really cute. And a few greeted me using my name, because I was wearing my TALK nametag - I actually really like when people do this :) (it happens a lot at home, when I wear my guard or TBS jackets).
• When we were in the Angola pavilion, there was an adorable baby (maybe 12-15 months old) hanging out in his stroller. I made eye contact with him and was trying to make him smile/laugh and he reached for and grabbed my hand! It was so cute :)
• After dinner, we wandered back to the main concourse and saw a huge crowd of people. After listening to the Koreans around me, I realized it was 2PM, the Kpop group! Cool! We went downstairs to try and get close but there were too many crazy screaming girls (one even knocked my camera out of my hand as she was running towards them!). Though Matt, Sarah, Tin and I tried to push through, we could not care that much so we settled for the fact that we made it about 20 yards away from them and moved on.
• I very much enjoyed spending time with Monique/Richard (can't wait to visit them in Busan and then Toronto). And I think it’s cool that I’m still meeting new people and getting to know the new friends I made on the POE trip.

Miss Fourth of July

• Happy 4th of July!
• Preparing for my 4th of July lesson made me really miss home and summer! I'll be there soon enough though :) Carrying out my lesson almost made me cry. Well, actually, it was the students who almost made me cry and it was before we started talking about the holiday. Ah well. Only 9 more days with them. My 6th graders seemed genuinely interested in the info I gave them ("Migook [America] and Yeonggook [England] fight...Migook win!") and all the students enjoyed the mini-apple pie treats I handed out.

• After school, I headed downtown and ended up making a new Korean friend! I was looking at a shoe store and she asked me "Do you live in Pohang?" I was shocked she was just talking to me and then it registered how good her English was! We talked a little bit - I had to get over my shock and act like a normal person - and then she said, "Can we be friends?" Seriously, that happened. I said sure! After exchanging numbers, I warned her that I was leaving in August but she said, "That's still enough time, right?" I said yes :) It was so cute! I'm excited to meet up with her soon.
• I met Ashley after that and we went to this kimbap restuarant near the busstop downtown. As we were tasting our Korean skills (the menu was totally in Korean), we saw a bug flying around, with a string attached to it! We thought that was strange - until one of the restaurant workers caught the string and dragged the dragonfly back to it's post...they literally had a dragonfly on a leash!!! I kind of thought it was to catch mosquitos, but it also served as entertainment for the workers...the woman who caught it put it near/into an ajusshi's ear and was holding onto it for kicks and giggles. It was really funny, completely surprising/ridiculous and totally Korea.
• Ash and I ate smores tonight to celebrate the 4th! Dad sent me the supplies and it arrived on Monday. I was just going to heat them in the microwave - and then we realized we could roast them on the stove with chopsticks! So we did :)

See You Later, Alligator (July 3)

• Happy Birthday to my Grandma Bell, who would have been 78 today. And to my beautiful kitty, Girl (and her brother, Boy), who would have been 12 today.
• Winter and I cured a stupid day at school by eating frozen yogurt in my air conditioning before going to HomePlus :)
• Before I got on the bus to Gyeongju, I bought a Coke from the stand in the terminal. I asked how much it was in Korean and the lady answered me in Korean - and then chuckled at my confused look. Even though I know how to ask how much something is, I only have a vague understanding of the number system,  so I'm usually lost when the shopkeeper answers me. Since this woman was kindly laughing at me, I asked her to repeat it a few more times, to show her I was trying to learn it. She happily obliged - her smile was so sweet :) 900 = gu baek (구백)
• I met Hwan, Joe, Jeanette and Sai for dinner at Beef Before Flowers, as a mini send-off for Hwan, who leaves Thursday. We followed it up with coffee at Noriter (my new favorite cafe in GJ) and just enjoyed each other's company and conversation. It's hard to believe it's time to start saying goodbye to friends. Even though I said goodbye to Amos and Cordelle last week, seeing Hwan one last time tonight made me start to realize how sad these last few weeks will be. Although I'm happy to be going home, I will miss my new friends-who-are-family dearly. It will be a huge task, adjusting to life without them. I refuse to accept that this is "goodbye" though - simply, "see you later".

I Be Shopping (July 2)

• I was shopping for shoes tonight (my poor $3 sandals from Claire's bit the dust in Insadong yesterday :/) and experienced what it was like to try to shop when you know nothing will fit you. My US size 9, Korea size 255, feet are outside of the norm here. Only just (many stores have up to 250), but definitely in the "we could order that for you" range. So I was left with the option of purchasing shoes that were slightly too small (not a huge deal, since they are sandals) - the next problem was that they were either too expensive or not what I wanted! Oy! Needless to say, I didn't buy any . BUT the experience itself was the interesting part. I've never had a problem with buying clothes. Okay, I do have a little problem finding pants that are the right length. But this isn't embarrassing for me, just annoying. Tonight, I was embarrassed as I went into stores and even left some apologizing (or wanting to) for not making a purchase. Apologizing! Because THEY didn't have my size! I realized this is what many overweight people must feel like at home. And what all normal-weight foreigners feel in Korea. It was really discouraging, frustrating and annoying. I don't have any monumental statement to say regarding fashion or body image; I just know it didn't make me want to shop anymore and I'm grateful I don't have to feel this way all the time.

Bus Blues (July 1)

• Happy July!
• Rachel and I got to see Sehee all day! We started off with a yummy brunch, which Sehee claims is the best in Seoul, and afterwards went shopping in Insadong. We went into the spiral mall that Insadong is famous for and found some of the best indy-made jewelry, accessories and stuff for the home. I wanted to buy it all for myself! But I resisted and mainly bought gifts. We also got interviewed for something! Haha the perks of being very white. Conclusion from today: I love Insadong – I think it’s my favorite part of Seoul.
• After dropping Rachel off at the train station, I missed my bus even with Sehee and I running through the subway station :( Oh well. Once I got a refund (yay) and bought a new ticket, I boarded the correct bus...and had my least favorite seat. Next to a girl who blew hot air on the window and drew a heart in it to her boyfriend outside. That literally happened. I had to hold back the barf. Luckily there was a seat open in the middle and I moved there after it was clear that that person had also missed their bus. Phew. I slept for a while, until the rest stop, and was looking forward to reading for the remainder of my journey...but the driver didn’t turn the little reading lights on! Yikes! So I texted Sehee and asked how to say “Please turn the lights on” in Korean. She typed it in Korean, I checked with her to make sure I had the right Romanization, I practiced to myself and then I went up to ask him...and he understood me! Woohoo!

No One Mourns the 위키드 (June 30)

• Today’s highlight: Rachel and I saw Wicked!!!!!!!!!!! We have wanted to see it together since March and today was the day! We found the theater perfectly fine, got our tickets and had a seat. We were at the back of the 2nd tier balcony in the theater but it didn’t matter. The performance was amazing, possibly better than the other casts I’ve seen. The actress playing Elphaba did some fabulous variations on her singing parts, but they definitely fit. And the girl who played Glinda was amazing. She added so many little quirks and personality things and the audience just loved her. Plus, I got to enjoy my favorite part as far as costumes go – the Emerald City dresses :) And there were screens with Korean subtitles on either side of the stage for all the Koreans who go to see English musicals. They were funny to read – at one point there were little cartoon hearts around the characters! And I have no idea why. It was so much fun and completely worth it. I have now seen it 3 times in 3 different countries!

 

• After Wicked, we met up with Grace, the exchange student who stayed with the Paynes during our senior year of high school. When I knew here at Mattawan, I didn’t even realize she was Korean! We are friends on Facebook so when she said she was coming home to Seoul during her summer vacation from grad school, we made an appointment to get dinner! It was really cool. She’s so sweet, friendly and funny – I don’t think I got to know her well enough in high school to realize those things. And her English is great! It was cool to hear about her life in Texas (where she goes to school) and, to boot, we had a really yummy Italian dinner that include pasta in bread bowls and truffles! Nom nom nom.

 

• We had to say goodbye to Grace after dinner, so then Rachel and I headed up to Namsan Tower in the hopes that we would be able to ride up to the top of the tower, which neither of us has done yet. However, it was REALLY foggy and, though the tower looked really cool in the fog, the ticket seller advised us not to waste our money and go up tonight. Darn.