Lost in Translation

I've mentioned E-mart before - the Korean equivalent of Wal-Mart - and I promise that someday I'll post pics and description, especially of the long aisle of rice cookers and the extensive food court. But today, I have to relate my effort to find a curling iron.

Picture it - a country of short, straight, dark-haired people. One might think that, therefore, they would be interested in purchasing a coiled heating element to help hair go from straight to curly. Sadly, you would think wrong, as I did ALL DAY on Friday. E-mart was the last stop in an effort to find a new curling iron for me. $60 later, I'm leaving with what appears to be what I need, that conveniently comes packaged with shampoo/conditioner to help STRAIGHTEN one's hair. Still, I thought I'd give it a whirl. [Sadly, I arrived home to find out it was not a curling iron, but a hair dryer with some interesting attachments. It works, but I'm still on the hunt!]

As we try to leave E-mart, I'm quickly accosted by a lovely looking Korean woman who appears to want to give me coupons and a discount card. I've spent enough money at E-mart, and totally intend to spend more in the future, so I'm thinking "Sure, why not!" Its not until the woman hands me an application and asks for my passport # and government ID that I start to wonder...what in the world am I signing up for?!?

Thankfully, after running off with my Gov ID and no explanation that I could understand (seriously, she WAS trying hard, but at one point she sounded like she was speaking !kung and was ending sentences with her tongue sticking out at me!), she returned with a hand-gestured explanation of "Don't call me, I'll call you" and one 10% off coupon.

I'll consider myself lucky if a new credit card does NOT arrive in the mail!

Pictures of America

I have seen a number of movies set in Chicago lately – they just happen to be on the American TV stations – along with a ton of other films that seem to highlight vistas of different states: Crazy Heart and 127 Hours and the American West. Capote and the Great Plains. And always, always New York...

Every time I see them, I look out my own window and am instantly reminded that I'm thousands of miles away. Its weird, because I don't consciously feel different or very far away or, alternatively, very close to any of these places, or even home (wherever that is these days) until I actually look out the window.

My good friend, Maria, wrote me the other day and told me she thinks Facebook is unfair because she can look at my page and feel like she can still call me and I'll come right over for some kind of adventure, crazy or mundane. Then she remembers that she can't.

This living abroad thing is packed with adventure and newness and immersion in the “different” and “foreign” - except that over here I'm the “foreign”...but I'm coming to realize that, no matter how fun or enlightening, this little sojourn may also remind me of how much I love my own country.  

One Night in Busan

On the KTX

Busan after 3am - a lonely street, but this random
 just HAD to step into my pic!

As part of the Asia/New Life Experience, I hopped a fast train to Busan last night with Michell.  We were looking for her friends at some bar, but we couldn't find them and we couldn't find the bar so we wandered a bit, made some new friends, and generally had a great time. Here are the pics!

New friends!

It might look good, but I warn you, its
a VERY bad idea at 4am (and most
likely any time)

Busan street vendors near the beach!

The Korean Krud

Michell has diagnosed me with the Korean Krud - a respiratory something or other that US servicemen and civilians find themselves afflicted with. It sounds worse than it is - at least right now, its simply a heaviness in my chest that feels like it will become a cough eventually. Yuck.

I can't imagine how I contracted such a thing [please read dripping with sarcasm] - I mean, between the diesel engines, the no-sidewalk policy forcing people to walk next to running cars, the 500-year-stench of ancient sewer, yellow sand, and just soooo many people all living on top of each other, HOW could one ever get sick??!!!

It is not slowing me down, however: Busan AND possibly Osan this weekend!!

Things I Love About Korea...part 2

I'm in my new digs, and I have many amenities, including one of my absolute favorites - the HEATED TOILET SEAT!!! And oh yes, I totes have one in the guest room!!! This is a staple in all "luxury" Korean households...which is good, since they do not heat their bathrooms. [You can only imagine my face when my realtor told me that one!    ?!?]

Who wants to come visit now, huh?!?

PS.Liz, this is a remote control for the toilet. It is attached, however, so I guess its technically a control, and not so much remote;) 

Why Don't You Learn Korean?!?

First bad experience with an actual Korean occurred this weekend, and I felt like I was in New York (or backwoods Texas). But I guess its an indication that there are some immigration/ill feelings toward the military/influx of non-Koreans here, too.

Michell and I are in the Korean version of Walmart - one of them, actually, as they have two! We were in HomePlus; the other is eMart...more to post on those experiences later:) - and were having a wonderful demonstration of different rice/seed candies by this lovely little Korean man who couldn't stop giving us free samples! It was awesome. I asked the man what time the store closed, as we heard yet another ominous announcement in Korean (and it WAS 10:30p), and he looked at me confused, shook his head, pulled out his phone and showed me the time. I thanked him, and Chell and I just walked away.

And then it happened: some 30/40-something Korean man, who was not involved in our conversation with the sweets-guy at all, shouts kind of over his shoulder, "Why don't you learn Korean??" Chell and I looked at each other, then looked at him, stunned. I said, "Excuse me?" and he actually repeated himself, then went off on how Korea is not an English-speaking country. Chell's reply: "Really?!" My indignant retort: "I AM, but I've only been here for 2 weeks." Then he started to shrink away, but I was not done! I mean, I still needed to know what time the store closed, right? So I persisted in asking him the closing time, and you know what he told me? 10:30p. No, that was clearly not the right answer, as the store was still open and bustling. So then, I'm sorry to say, I got a little mean. I slowed my speech and got louder, like you would with a slow person, and asked him again, "No, what TIME do the DOORS CLOSE and all the people have to LEAVE???" He was then clearly embarrassed. He explained, sheepishly, that HomePlus is a 24-hour store.

Then I thanked him in German.

Grandma would be proud!

And let's face it, so would mom and dad:) First meal in my new home: pasta!

Felt good to cook!! Felt retarded (seriously) to not know how to work the stove and not be able to read the buttons! AND I chose to make pasta in my new wok pan, which is the only pan I currently have.

Countdown to the rest of my stuff arriving: 4 weeks!  Oi!

Girls' Nite Out

It's my first night out with girls in Daegu, and it wasn't too late, and it wasn't too crazy, but I do want to share an interesting tid-bit...

Public drunkenness, while legal and socially acceptable in Korea, can get a little too much even for some die hards. Apparently, this woman was a little too belligerant for her cabbie - he just left her, and his car, outside the local police station!!! And oh, yes, we couldn't resist grabbing the photo op (she did try to hide from us, but she came around eventually...sort of:) )

Mila, Elise, Chell, and some poor drunken sot-ess who just really "want to go home" 

KTX Round Trip

Riding the KTX, like I said before, is easy. I am sitting here comfortably in my seat aboard the 16:40 to Dongdaegu, as clearly stated by the large screen TV hanging from the ceiling. The train is clean, it runs ridiculously consistently on time (would we expect anything less from an Asian train system??), and it is easy to navigate – I'm talking both the train and the train stations I've experienced so far. This is such a relief.

Back in September, my big brother, sis-in-law and I had quite a different experience in Rome. The Romans, God love 'em (but Sandi, to this day, does not!:) ), can be silly and rude. Rome Station is crowded, smelling of pasta, meatballs, and French non-deoderant. It's dirty and, I'm not going to lie, a little scary. The signs are not in English - of course...who would expect them to be?? - but they never scroll to English, and the end points are not always the best known cities in Italy...especially when traveling South! Jim, Sandi and I must have stood on the outskirts of about 3 different tracks that day, wondering which train was ours. We even tried out our feminine wiles (well, not Jim:) ) on some burly Roman engineers, batting our eyes and asking in our best Ita-glish “Is this the right track to Paola??” And of course, we couldn't go simply by the schedule, because Italian trains are notoriously late!! People stared, we got a little panicky, and finally ended up guessing the right track correctly, but then we had a hell of time deciphering which car/seats were ours:) And that was all in the Latin alphabet with some knowledge of the language.

So you can only imagine my inner dread (not that I'd let that on to my parents!) when I considered having to do all that in a character alphabet, alone, and completely illiterate and mute, so-to-speak. But I have found the absolute opposite of everything Roman to be true here in Korea – praise baby Jesus! So never fear, all you lovely people who wish to come visit me:) Most posted signs are in Hongul AND English (and Chinese, if you're so talented); all cars are clearly marked with the number, and all seats are numbered and delineated aisle or window; the engineers guide the train to the proper, marked/numbered spot on the platform in the station every time; There are station managers who do speak English ready to help, and even regular passengers who don't even speak your language will take you by the hand and lead you to your track if you are lost; other passengers are orderly, line up at the car, and wait for departing passengers to disembark AND the cleaning crew to come through and tidy up before they board in orderly fashion. All stops are announced loudly enough to wake anyone who's dozed, but not offensively, again in both Korean and English. In short, it is a tourist's dream.

Things run a lot on trust, here, too – the beauty of a shame culture, I suppose? For example, anyone can walk into Seoul station and down on the platforms, but they “trust” (and this is written in Hongul and English at the entrance to the train tracks) that everyone who boards the train has a ticket. They do not check or collect tickets, however – I took mine out to display it on the way here and the steward looked at me funny, as did the passenger beside me:) And do I need to tell you about the snack carts??? YES! They are chock full of all kinds of cooked, sugared, sweet and savory goodies (Koreans love their candy!!), as well as coffee, tea and adult beverages. In short, it is a very enjoyable ride:)

So as I clickety-clack out of Seoul, my fellow passengers are reading books, playing video games, checking their email, writing on their computers, and even (already, 10 minutes in!) sleeping. Its quiet, no one is talking loudly on the phone, there is no music blaring, there is no trash on the floor. The TV is now playing news, but it is silent with captions. AND, I could totally post this little diatribe if only I read Hongul to log in, because of course there is wireless internet on the train!! (Must get on those language lessons!!!)

I think I could get used to all this;)  

First Time on the KTX...won't be the Last!!!

If Obama wants to bring high speed rail across the US, I'm telling you, SUPPORT IT! It is fantastic. I spent a little less than 2 hours on a comfy, quiet train traveling a distance that would normally take 5.5 hours (7 in the snow!) from Daegu to Seoul. UBER enjoyable. Can't wait to do it again:) 

Not Exactly a Love-Hate Relationship...Part 1

Things I already love about Korea:

1. The daily news sports broadcast almost always contains a video game
2. TV times are advertised as “9p BK/HK, 8p Seoul” instead of ET/CT
3. Most signs are cartoons – even Danger ones!

4. 

   construction signs on base

   Packaging/marketing is convoluted and very literal “Strawberry milk is soft, delicious, and made for your best well-being”

5.      

   view from Camp Walker - that's Mount Unsan

   The mountains are sooo close
6. People are generally friendly and helpful – especially to someone who looks lost:)
   7. For a big city, Daegu is quiet – I haven't heard too much traffic, firetrucks, sirens, etc.

view from my apartment! after 2-3 inches of snow...I'll post a better one soon

Things I don't so much love:

1. The Wellspring Plan is tough around here! - One of the things that's been toughest is trying to eat my normal very low fat diet. They just don't seem all that concerned about fat content around here! I have had to make a quick study of the characters for fat and calories!! 지방이 and 칼로리 respectively. What's more, the nutrition labels are slightly different, so its not as easy as memorizing placement. I spent an entire day completely dismayed because what I thought was fat content was actually carbs – I thought everything had at least 10g of fat!!! So this will be a work in progress, and that means shopping at the Commissary primarily until I get into a good routine.
2. Korea Time - This is rather a bigoted term around here, so I wouldn't use it in my every day; but there is definitely a difference between my fast-paced life from Chicago and the speed of every day life here in Korea. And I am in southern South Korea at that; the stereotype of the south being slower definitely stands in this country too!!   
   
   
   

   The "not so much love" is def shorter, and I have a feeling it'll continue to be:)    

Some recent pics

Where I've been living the past 2 weeks - checking out TOMORROW!!! 

I can't take too many pics of where I work, but I'm putting this one on for Mom - and because you need to see a little of the mountains I wake up to every day!








And just a quaint little slice of life I witnessed on my bus ride to Camp Walker this afternoon...trendy boys in their school uniforms in the Korean equivalent of Starbucks - but it also has burgers and fries. Oh, Asia...

More on life and happenings later! 

Playing Catch-up

Ok, so I'm at a friend's house doing all my internets activities in one evening, because I don't yet have computer access at work AND the internet in my hotel room isn't working!!! ARGH!!! these situations should be fixed this week, and I move into my new place on Friday, so I hope to be up and running with all sorts of technology, including my own wireless network, soon soon. This translates to more regular contact (no worries Mom and Dad:) ).

For now, here's what I've been up to this week!

First sunrise in the Land of Morning Calm    31.Jan.2011

Yep, I'm totally missing a day here – skipped right over most of Sunday on my flight! But this Monday sunrise was worth it!

So, I'm kind of sitting around this morning, hating that I don't have internet right now (something wrong with the internets port, I believe/hope...will be sending this as soon as I'm up and on again!), loving that I can watch the Australian Open final live:) I don't actually have anything scheduled for today except a 4p meeting to debrief me on benefits, I think. I was kind of spacey and out of it when I first met my supervisor last night...so I remember 4p, but not anything about what I'll be doing at that time:) I am hoping to get to a drug store for a nail kit, the PX for a cell phone, and outdoors at some point to find whatever bird is making that crazy sound all morning! Its driving Furgie nuts...and I swear its part parrot.

I have already made my first friend – Michell (I have the best luck with women of that name!). She picked me up from the airport and has promised to take me around to her favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants, clubs, day and night spots, and just generally be my guide until I get my feet wet! She is retired Army, but currently Civilian, and has lived in Korea for the past 8 years. She's going to be a fantastic resource, on several levels.

And she's open and honest, which is already proving invaluable. I am clearly not what they expected:) You see, the superior who hired me is completely different from the office I work for, and these people have only ever had internet contact with me. So they've never heard my small voice, never seen my petite little frame, and Michell just started laughing when telling me that they didn't know who to look for, but she was expecting someone “a little ...well, a lot older...like 50s”. I'm not gonna lie, she bandied about numbers for me like 21 and, yes, 12. It was all in good fun, and hilarious. She also had me laughing about Dr. Lord's (my supervisor) eyes when he saw me – said he was kind of stunned and bug-eyed – he's in his 50s and clearly was looking for someone more similar to his age. Ha ha! I guess my CV really kicks ass:)

I did expect this. I mean, I already didn't get one job in part due to my “youthful appearance”, and have encountered push-back in some professional areas because of it. Their not knowing what to expect is totally valid. I'll just say that I'm glad I can laugh about it...and I hope it lasts through my 50s! :)

Ok, Am off to go do something productive!

A Place of My Own     1.Feb.2011

One of the startling revelations of yesterday was that I am not allowed to live on base! I will be hiring a realtor (Michell has one highly recommended) and have about 3 weeks to find something good. I can take longer, but I hope I don't need to. I kind of feel like calling House Hunters International for a featurette:) That would be fun!

So I'm going to try to explore a lot of neighborhoods in the next three weeks, to get my bearings and figure out the absolute poshest, hippest, vibrating, completely accessible and right-in-the-middle-of- everything one that will be incredible and where I'll love to host visitors! Don't worry, I'll get a guest room. I'll take you along with me as I explore. Man, I really need a cell phone for impromptu pics!! :)

Apartment Found! 3 Feb 2011

No pics yet – still no phone, and I totally forgot to lug around my big camera, but I have secured a place of my own here in daegu! All that's left is for an Army inspection and lease signing, then I'll get the codes for the building and the apartment, and can move in asap!

Ok, so let me explain that last paragraph a bit, because this process is SOOO different from anything I've ever known, and even what I was prepared for before getting here. I knew I would receive a housing stipend while living here. What I did not know was that there are specific realtors who already know how much you make due to your GS level (basically, civilian rank), and have a list of places and owners you qualify for. There are specific buildings and owners who contract regularly with government employees, and others that do not. Basically, all places are condos.

All places are, also, LUXURIOUS!!! When I sat down with my realtor – Sunny at Kool Place Realty – she said I qualified for a 4 bedroom/2 bath place. I was looking for urban, high rise complex, within walking distance to Camp Henry and my office, with some easy access to a running trail, shopping, restaurants, etc. The first night – well, honestly, the only night we went looking – we saw 2 places, and I completely fell in love with the very first one. Nearly 2000 sq ft (or 50 peyong, as they measure here), it is beautiful: almost new (only one previous renter), has a front porch that extends the length of the front of the condo, a larger living room, a modern kitchen with a crazy fridge that I don't know how to operate yet, a dining area, laundry room complete with two washers (one for light loads, one for large ones), dryer, drying racks, and recycling center (they are uber big on that here!), 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, and excessive closet space. Hardwood floors throughout, wallpapered (they are also very big on that here – every wall is either tile or wallpaper, no bare ones), even a small porch perfect for Furgie's “business” box. It is WAY more than I ever expected, and I am giddy – oh yes, giddy – about nesting in it!!!

ALL utilities are included, even the satellite dish and cable box I need to get American TV stations (so I can watch 30 Rock on friday mornings, and the Today Show at 9p every day). Even better, the Army allows you to “rent” furniture – and by “rent” I mean completely free – long-term so I don't have to spend a fortune outfitting a place I'll only live in for 2 years. BONUS! I am a 5 minute walk to work, my dry cleaners will deliver my clothes to me, I have several markets nearby, and one good grocery store, and the river – where there are tons of runners and little old Korean walkers and aerobicizers – is right across the street from my backyard. I am just amazed at how well the Army takes care of even its civilian “soldiers”.

Can you tell I'm excited?! I know I'll be saying this a lot, but COME VISIT, as I now can put you up in style!!!

Pictures to come!!!

Lunar New Year   4 Feb 2011

Happy New Year – the Year of the Rabbit! Unhappy, however, for anyone without a kitchen who wants to eat, as this country has shut down for three days. Michell and I have been driving around trying to be productive and adventurous and sightsee, but it has been difficult.

We were able to have delicious brunch (yes, Dad, you can get American-style eggs here!)

I bought my first bootleg DVD (def more to come - I will be watching The King's Speech from the comfort of my own home:) ...and, hey, I'm already contributing to the Korean economy!)

Visited the Medicinal Herb Neighborhood - and made some friends!

Ate "Traditional Korean Delicacy" (i.e., bibimbap) and SOJU!! (I love it!)

AND, I was able to take a few pics of downtown nightlife, however, just before picking up Italian (which was very, very tasty and, of course, spicy!).

Ok, that's all for now! Superbowl tomorrow...6am!