Korea: The Land of the Morning Calm
A few random things along the way...
*When I first got here, and even now, I have been told how brave I am. People are always asking "Did you come with a friend/boyfriend/husband/mother/sister?" or "Did you know anyone here before you came?" Yay for being brave (even though I was freaking out before coming here!) I didn't know anyone here and sometimes I don't even know how I did this but I'm glad I did!
*I told myself I would stay away from any western chains (with the exception of Starbucks). So far, so good (except for when the church Christmas party was catered by Outback). I don't really miss any western chains but every once in a while, I could go for some Chik-Fil-A sweet tea and waffle fries.
I plan to have McDonald's at least once but only because they deliver McD's here on motorcycles and I want to have it delivered:)
*On the topic of foods, I can't really find any Honduran food here or any Latin American food, for that matter. The only Latin American food I've had is Mexican and it doesn't even come close to real, good Mexican food. I cooked, well tried to cook, a Honduran meal the other day which requires beans and I finally found beans the other day and it cost about $8.00 for half a pound!
I have heard of a Spanish place though and it's supposed to be really good so I'll have to try it out. I love tapas!
*I've had pizza here a few times and it's really good. Some of the toppings that are common here are sweet potatoes and corn.
*People here, specifically the ladies, love their dogs. I've posted in the past about how everyone here, especially the ladies, are always dressed up. Well, their little poodles are not left behind. It's Paris Hilton times 10,000. I once even saw a little poodle wearing pink heels! This dog belongs to a co-worker. Check out the shoes.
All of the dogs are cute but none of them compare to the cutest dog back in the US, Jack!
*Koreans are so friendly. Even though Seoul is a fast-paced city, the people are still nice and hospitable. I've had people offer their seats for me in the subway, hold my bags on the bus and translate for me. My Korean is very limited (I'm ashamed!) and the people here are always apologizing for not speaking more English...in their own country! I always tell them that I'm sorry for not speaking more Korean. They have never been rude or mean because of my lack of Korean or because I butcher the little bit of Korean that I know!
*Who knew Skype was so great? Skype has been a great way to keep in touch with my family and friends. When I'm feeling homesick, I can just call and see their faces! This also goes for the app, Fring, which lets me call people on their smart phones. Get this app, people!
Conference Skype call with Heather and Annie (3 different countries!)
*Grocery shopping is an adventure here, too. As I've mentioned before, many large grocery stores are housed in the bottom floor of major department stores. The food samples are good!
Mmm...check out all the kimchi
*I'm basically disconnected from American pop culture since I don't really watch TV here. What's this about NKOTB and BSB?
*Thanks to a few friends, I've started listening to K-Pop (and actually, you can't avoid it as it plays in every store here!). K-pop, according to Wikipedia, is a musical genre consisting of electronic, hip hop, pop, rock , and R & B music originating in South Korea. In addition to music, K-pop has grown into a popular subculture among teenagers and young adults throughout Asia which has resulted in widespread interest in the fashion and style of top Korean idol groups and singers. I don't understand a word but it's still pretty catchy and I've even downloaded some songs. All about cultural immersion, right?:)
Watch this for 2NE1's song "Can't Nobody".
An article in CNN about Korea's pop culture and its influence:
*The couples here like to dress like each other (matching jackets, matching shoes, etc) and I've never seen so many guys carrying their wives'/girlfriends' purses! :)
* Face masks: many people here, and in other Asian countries, wear face masks to avoid germs and pollution. My little students wear them to school when they are sick. Some of them have really cute designs like Hello Kitty, cartoons, smiley faces, etc. When I first got here, I thought there was some sort of disease going around but now I'm pretty used to seeing them. I've even seen puppies wearing them!
*North Korea: in my experience in the past few months here, Koreans are concerned about North Korea but not fearful (as many people back home). With the recent attacks, I asked some of my Korean coworkers and friends their opinions about the recent attacks. What I found is that most of them are used to living with it and do not tend to worry too much about it. The attack in November was a bit frightening but I'm not really worried. This said though, please continue to pray for the relationship of North and South Korea.
I'm sure I'll have more randoms in the future.
Happy New Year!
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