Seoulite

    When Christmas decorations start popping up around Orlando my mom starts to sing "It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas" as we drive around town. I've been humming along here now, but now the words are more like "It's beginning to feel a lot like hoooooomeeeee!"

    The smallest things give me the greatest pleasure, and feeling at home here has come about in a series of small victories. Knowing which side of the metro the doors will open up on, being able to give other Westerners directions around Seoul, running into people I know on the streets, having a favorite Korean juice at the shop around the corner, swiping my metro card like the other Seoulites, buying fruit from street vendors, knowing simple phrases like "thank you", recognizing the shopkeepers and my neighbors around my area, learning the Korean alphabet (even if I don't understand a word of what I'm reading)...

    I have settled into my routine here, and for the most part feel comfortable. However, I still have my moments where I am a bumbling fool. I am also continually amazed at how my life is unfolding after college, and in Korea. I am not only finding new things out about Seoul, but new things about myself. (I'll skip the s[e]oul searching puns.) I think I've always been very independent, but now I think I'm my own version of mature and independent. I'm still the girl who forgets about her bills until they are past due, but now I've at least got a filing system for them. Hah. It's such a change of pace going from having no one depending on you, to having 18 bright shining faces looking up to you day after day.

    The little tykes trickle in every morning between 9 and 9:30 and I always greet them, "Good morning! It's so nice to see you today! How are you?" they always respond, "I am fine, thank you. And you?" Sometimes I get the occasional prankster who says, "I am ANGRY." or "I am a MONSTER!" But 99% of the time I get the standard response. Sonya says it has just been drilled into the Koreans from birth practically. In fact, she said that one time her friend went to the states and was in a bad car accident. While he was being rushed to the hospital the medic said, "How are you, sir??" and he gasped, "I am fine, thank you. And you?" (He is really fine now, don't worry.)

    One of my new favorite things to do is to read the t-shirts the Korean people wear. They have zero clue what they say, which is what makes them so funny. Sometimes they make no sense, like  "University Eggplant LOVE Zero!" but sometimes they say things such as, "Do you have any large teddy bears? My niece is very ill and I would like to buy her one." Hmmm. They are usually very funny .. sometimes offensive.

    A fun expedition on Sunday was going to the holy land, aka Costco. Costco is the place to be on Sundays, and it was very crowded, so I made Erin push me around in the cart. :) We went from free sample to free sample, and filled our cart with glorious American products. Tide with downey, cheddar cheese, trail mix ... We were a spectacle -- two blondes giddy with excitement, one pushing the other in the cart. Most people laughed and smiled, with the occasional version of, "Hello big baby!" but we did get a a few dirty looks/gestures (finger shaking, etc). I know this is their country, and I am always respectful of their customs, but this was not offensive, this was silly. I forgive them for eating dried squid, they can forgive me for riding around in a shopping cart. :)

    So, even though I may know which side the metro doors are going to open up on, I still don't have it all together. But that's ok. It's half the fun!

     All in all Korea is treating me well. I am happy being in my routine, and equally happy being surprised at every new turn. Such a great conundrum. Hope all of you are doing well. I think about you guys all the time, and wish you all the best in your adventures. Please send me some updates soon!

Lots of love,
Sarah