I was in Seoul last Saturday because Geoff had to attend some teacher's conference. My time in Seoul was mainly spent shopping for western food and English books. Seoul is a strange city. I still am not at all sure what exactly to do when I'm there and oddly, the Koreans and foreigners I've asked haven't had many answers either. Mostly people tell me to go shopping. They mean for clothing, but for me, shopping can only ever mean food and books. So that's what I did.
As far as food goes, I bought myself oatmeal, which I've been craving for months. I also got frozen guacamole for Chris, who I used to refer to as my Friendly Canadian Coworker, but who has more recently become my ostensibly older, overbearing Canadian Coworker. For my junk food enthusiast Geoff, I got a couple jars of Nutella, Flamin' Hot Cheetos and real limes.
I was particularly proud of securing the limes, which Geoff is crazy about and which are virtually non existent and when existent illegal in Korea. I had to go to a black market grocery store for the limes and Cheetos.
There are a lot of these markets because Seoul houses a couple of United States army bases. The army brings in tons of food illegally without needing to declare anything at customs and then they sell all of it at substantial mark ups. Allegedly there is even a Taco Bell on one of the Army bases, but this could just be a mad rumor whispered among the foreign teachers. God knows why though, because there are plenty of decent Mexican restaurants in Seoul.
At the black market store, I paid 5,000 won for the Cheetos and 4,500 won for three limes. So basically ten dollars for chips and citrus fruit. Paying these kinds of prices for food put me slightly out of sorts and made me wince a little every time I remembered. But when in Seoul...
I also bought myself a ton of English books. I've recently decided that this doesn't have to be such a guilty investment. At first, I felt stupid about buying books here because they are expensive and because I'll have to get rid of them when. But I've started giving some of the girlier ones to the Elli teacher (she is loving The Bridge of Madison County) and I figure I can give them away to foreigners when I leave. So that's alright.
In Seoul, I managed to find a used copy of Little Women and To Kill a Mockingbird. I've read both books before, but I've been craving that kind of twice read book. The kind of book you read back when you were a child, one that sort of softens the hard days with it's sweet familiarity. Like chicken soup noodle, which I also found in Seoul, but didn't buy as it was 3,000 a can (around three dollars).
Little Women is proving to be one of the best investments I could probably make in Korea. It is so damn heartwarming. Those little women are probably the best little women I've ever heard of. My god. They gave up their goddamn Christmas breakfast to an impoverished family. And not just any impoverished family. A GERMAN impoverished family. Now that's humanity.
All they do is goodness. I wish I was that good. And that's nice. It's nice to be spending time wishing to be good rather than just constantly wishing harm or drudgery on people who have mistreated me. So that's good.
I have a nice life at the moment. Autumn came at last and felt very convincing, slightly windy, suddenly cold in a way that reminds you what cold is after a choking summer. There are nice leaves on the ground and they crunch pleasantly when stepped on. There are even some rain clouds. I like that too. Nothing is better in life than storm clouds outside, a nearby hot drink and a good book.
I even like to go to work in a slight rain because I have a very fetching new umbrella that my recently departed friend Jacqui gave me. The phrase "recently departed" makes it sound like Jacqui has died. But for the record, Jacqui is not dead, but only in Russia. Which many people might argue is a lot like being dead in terms of temperature. But that's just offensive, so let's not give that thought much more time. Except to say that in terms of being a serf, I think you probably couldn't have had it worse than being a Russian serf. That was a shat upon group of people.
I get to work around 1:45 pm and then spend my day with hollering, somewhat inane Korean children of varying ages and sizes. My work day ends at 9:10 pm. Then I have a nice bus ride home. The bus drivers here are certifiably insane. I do not understand why a bus driver would speed or over take cars or cut people off. Bus drivers have no where to be. They are at work once they are on their bus. I have no idea what their hurry is. But it's great.
I read my Little Women and look out the window when we go through Goemuptap, the big rotary between Ok Dong and everything else in Ulsan. I like to look out the window when we pass Isaac's, my favorite toast shop. I don't really know why. I just like to make sure it's still there. And so far, it has been.
A toast shop is a toasted sandwich shop. It's a very fashionable thing right now in Korea. You get toast and a fruit juice. The toasts usually all have some kind of sauce and egg. I love Isaac's sauce, it's a little sweet but very slightly so.
I don't like egg on my toast. My favorite toast is ham and cheese and no egg. I know how to ask for it in perfect, very polite Korean. I feel magical every time I say my sole perfect Korean phrase. Once I get the toast, I don't feel as magical. I feel rather like a prowling hungry beast. I eat the toast pretty damn fast.
The gentleman who works at Isaac's likes to quiz me on my Korean. There are two counting systems in Korean, one for money and one for amounts. He will get me to count to ten in each system and correct me or critique my pronunciation. I love it. He is completely not intimidated by me, as a big, tall, white Waygook (foreigner). Most Koreans are extremely shy about speaking their language with a foreigner. This guy isn't. He is very strict.
I like Autumn. It's like the good kind of break up. One that really needed to happen and that you don't feel too guilty about because the guy you were with wasn't good enough for you and eventually proved to be kind of a dick. That's what Autumn is. Autumn is the relief of parting ways with Summer.
