Top Fives

I move to Daejeon tomorrow so thought I'd sum up my three weeks in Seoul with a series of top five lists:

Top 5 teeshirts:
(there are an abundance of horrible teeshirts... many are just funny English and others it is very clear the wearers have no idea what their clothes say)
1. Kiss me, I'm Latina (I have not seen a single Latino in Korea)
2. I'm afrain of Amecicans
3. I like long-hair anorexic emo boys
4. I'm not terrorist, please don't arrest me
5. World's best dad (worn by a teenage girl)


Top 5 things that make me say "oh, those smart Koreans:"
1. There is very limited parking in Seoul, so people double park and leave their cars in neutral... if you need to get your car out, you literally push the cars that are in your way aside
2. ATM machines won't give you your money until you take your card and your receipt (no having your money or account numbers stolen)... also, ATM machines print all your account activity directly into a book so you don't have to spend lots of time balancing your checkbook!
3. Outside every big store they have umbrella bags in multiple sizes so when it rains you don't track in a ton of water. So convenient!
4. They have these crazy exercise machines built in to every park (my favorite is this pendulum one where you just lean back and forth... here the philosophy is if your body is moving, it is exercise). Work out for free!
5. They are very big on recycling/conserving in Korea... they make you pay to get a bag when you go to the store, they give you cash back for returning your beverage cups, trashcans are hard to come by and always located beside recycling bins


Top 5 crazy reactions to my Caucasianness:
1. Groups of young people asking to take their picture with us
2. A mom dragging her toddler up to Sarah and I and asking us to shake her son's hand
3. Mobs of elementary school children following us in a museum and introducing themselves by name
4. People of all ages starting conversations with us in passing... "Hello, how are you?" "Where are you from?" "Where are you going?" "Welcome to Korea!" "You live here?"
5. An old woman standing about 5 inches away just staring at me and following my every move (maintaining the super close proximity) as I washed my hands and dried them in a bathroom


Top 5 touristy adventures in Seoul:
1. The DMZ tour-- just an all-around fascinating experience
2. Shopping in Insa-Dong (the "traditional" shopping area of town-- lots of fans, tea-sets, Korean art, etc... I did some of my decorating shopping here) and going to a traditional tea-house there
3. Seoul city bus tour-- Sarah and I took it twice (once our first day and again the day before she left... crazy how much we learned about the city in between those two trips). It dropped us cool places like Seoul tower and some of the palaces
4. BBQ with Sarah's family- the food was delicious and Sarah's aunt, uncle, and cousins were so fun to be around... I loved our broken English/Korean/mimed conversations
5. Korean War Memorial-- while depressing, I really liked the war memorial. It filled me in on a lot of the history that I did not know


Top 5 hardest things to get used to:
1. People everywhere! There are 14 million people living in Seoul (40% of all Koreans are here... there is no space anywhere! Even the middle of the night every park, alley, store, space is filled)
2. Motorcycles on the sidewalk-- traffic laws are very different here and basically motorcycles don't seem to have to follow any of them... they can drive against traffic, through busy sidewalks, anything paved; game on)
3. Kimchee with everything (I enjoy it, but Koreans REALLY like it)
4. Coffee being so freaking expensive (it is about $4-5 for just a regular coffee)... I now have motivation to lose my caffeine addiction
5. People running into me-- the American concept of personal space does not apply here... I've been completely body-slammed by both an old woman and a Buddhist monk! Stand your ground and push forward or you'll be waiting a long time. Even leaving church people viciously shove their way through doors and will slam into you if you get in their way.


Top 5 things I miss already:
1. American toilets (girls get to squat in holes and frequently have to bring their own toilet paper)
2. Showers that are enclosed and separate from the rest of the bathroom (and I miss a bathtub already too!)
3. Bigger cups (in order to drink enough water I have to get up like 5 times a meal and refill-- you get your own water in most restaurants)
4. Signs in roman characters (I'm REALLY slow at reading Hongul)
5.A lack of humidity-- Korea is hot. Plain and simple, weather can be miserable here sometimes.


Top 5 things on my mind with my new move:
1. Meeting everyone-- I know that the people I meet are going to be a huge part of my experience here. I can't wait to see what everyone is like!
2. Teaching-- I've studied a lot, let's hope I can put it all into practice!
3. Getting settled in-- I was lucky enough to see my apartment, but SO excited to get settled in. I've been living out of suitcases now for three weeks!
4. My lack of Korean-- I hope I learn more and learn it fast. I feel like I'm making very slow progress (but progress nonetheless!)
5. Switching times-- while I have been in Korea for three weeks, I have been keeping Sarah's schedule (she begins working about the time that I will end working). So many days we don't get up till 11 and don't sleep until 2 something. I'm going to have to shift my sleep and eating about 4 hours to adjust to TCIS life.

Anyhow, I know that was a long series of lists. I'll update again once I get settled in my new home. I love the messages I've been getting. Keep 'em coming!