Homeplus and blisters
Aha! This internet cafe is MUCH closer to my place... but the other one is across the river, which makes for a pretty walk, especially at night, so I may still use the other sometimes. Tonight, however, my dogs are tired.
Today I woke up at 4am (blech) and then was finally able to fall back to sleep until 6:45 and that was it. I got up and watched some crazy Korean game show while eating my balance bar breakfast (didn't get much at the market yesterday) and then showered, got dressed and fiddled with stuff around my place until 9, when I decided to set out on my mission for
1. A public phone
2. Phonecards
3. A grocery store
4. A store carrying homegoods
For #4, Kate and Wendy teach next to a place called "Homeplus" and through my active listening skills I was able to file away the directions to it from my house. So I took off in the direction of this Homeplus with my vegetable cheese cracker friends and a bottle of water in my purse. About 3 blocks from my apartment, I realized that newish shoes had been a bad choice. But, stubborn me didn't want to turn around to change, so I pushed on. Half an hour later, I thought it was quite possible that my shoes were filling with blood and amputation would be the only remedy for the intense pain and damage I'd caused my feet. I ducked into a little convenience store to give them a rest from walking and to find something cold to drink. This is worthy of note for two reasons: First, because it was there that I found the most delicious pineapple juice in little bottles. It had real pieces of pineapple in it, and there was as much chewing as drinking. I also bought some apple juice that turned out much less delightfully. Secondly, when I walked in, I greeted the woman at the counter with a succint bow and a quiet "Annyong haseyo" (hello). When I brought my two drinks to the counter, she told me the total in Korean, and I had to shake my head and shrug. She looked so surprised that I didn't know Korean! Woo hoo - my accent is passable!
After leaving the store, I was riding high with my pineapple juice and passable accent. But that only lasted a couple blocks, and then I was contemplating taking my shoes off and walking barefoot the rest of the way. The only thing that stopped me was the thought of having to put them back on when I got to the Homeplus. To spare you my misery, I'll just say that this went on for 15 more minutes before I finally caught sight of the GIANT building with "HOMEPLUS" printed in big red letters. I went inside, and was greeted by a foreigner's dream - food, cosmetics, home supplies, clothes and shoes (ick and ick though) all in one place!! First problem - The carts were attached to one another by some sort of lock system which I couldn't figure out. Finally, a worker came over and showed me that a coin (100 won, about .45) needed to be placed in a slot, which was then inserted into the lock. This popped a little key out of the cart, freeing it from the rest. Later I discovered that when you replace the key in order to leave your cart at the store, the slot pops back out with your coin.
Once I had my cart (with all 4 wheels swiveling), I headed for the produce section. It was there that I found my first of many funny Engrishes. I wanted greens with which to make a salad, and there was a perfect small package of assorted lettuce-type greens. On the bag, the only english word was "Vagetables." After I had my own little laugh I decided they definitely were going in the cart. Hobbling through the enormous store, I found far more than I had money for, and had to economize. There are such interesting things here! First, I LOVE asian pears. Here, these are the size of small soccer balls. I bought one, and it will easily last me a few days. I also managed to find whole wheat bread, pepper jack cheese (from Australia, not so good - their cows must not be happy ;)), broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes, vegetable ramen (again with the pictures), Barilla pasta, Kraft parmesean cheese, more of the good pineapple juice, nice wine glasses, Dove conditioner in a bag from which you are expected to refill your old bottle, something I hope is laundry detergent (the only English on there says "Yellow" next to a bouquet of yellow flowers), wasabi, soy sauce, a dish drainer, hangers, butter on an un-refridgerated shelf, wild/mixed grain rice, mandarin oranges, and canned corn. I had a bit of a hold-up at the checkout because apparently I was supposed to get a barcode sticker for my broccoli and tomatoes, which was the only produce that wasn't prepackaged (Koreans LOVE packaging!). I still don't know how I should have done that - someone else came and got it for me. There's a lesson for next time!
Getting home from the Homeplus was almost as much of an adventure as getting there. As I came out with my two enormous bags, a taxi pulled up and parked. I waited to see if someone else had called it, but when no one approached it, I did. The man nodded when I gestured to the backseat and I piled in with my monstrous bags (and no help from him, which was weird). I had brought my boss' business card, which has the address of my school in Korean and English, and was planning on walking home from the school. I handed this to him, and he nodded and then chattered away in Korean, with me shaking my head the whole time. Finally he said, "Samsongdong?" And I know that this is the section of town where my school is, so I said "Ne (yes), ne, Samsongdong" and he seemed satisfied and drove off. He took a slightly different way than I had come, so I wasn't able to help him when he pulled over and asked where to go next. He took the card from me and took it to other drivers on the road, and people walking by and didn't seem to have any luck. Finally he pulled out his cell phone and dialed my director's number, but I guess there was no answer. For 30 minutes we went a block driving, then pulled over for 10 minutes to ask people, call the director (he finally handed me his phone and instructed me to call, but she didn't pick up then either) and punch things into his GPS system, which evidently didn't know where my school was either. Finally, I was able to get my bearings and looked at Kate's taxi-talk cheat sheet for the word for "left." Even after I insisted that I lived to the left, he took awhile before deciding that he might as well listen to me. Another left and we were there. Phew! The whole thing cost me $8, but I gave him a $10 and let him keep the change.
Even with that minor frustration, my raw heels, and my 16 mosquito bites (I WILL find the last one...) - I am having a fantastic time. From my work with GDI, I know that culture shock has stages, the first of which is euphoria. I know that this is temporary, but I'm certainly going to enjoy it while it's here. I've walked miles in the last two days, and been braver than I thought I could be. So far, this is just the challenge that I wanted. And I haven't even started work yet! I did stop by today, and met another teacher in my department. I think her name was Grace. She's Korean and very nice - her English is great, too, which helps. She gave me a loaf of bread from her boyfriend the baker. She said it has chestnuts in it, and I'm curious to try it. Glad I bought butter today! OH - and I got my stove working. I followed the gas line to the wall and found a valve that I had to open. After that it was smooth sailing. My stove also has what appears to be a toaster oven, but is called a "smokeless grill" built into it, so I'll make the toast in there tomorrow morning.
Earlier, as I was flipping Korean channels (I don't get any English channels) I caught a runway show for a mink coat company. My favorite part was the music they were blaring as the models strutted: "Summertime, and the livin's easy..." Hahaha. Summertime... in a mink coat? I also saw a show that was being interpreted in sign language by a little guy in a bubble in the corner of the screen. Some of the signs look similar, but I didn't understand it, so it must not be the same. It's also difficult to watch his mouth moving with Korean words, and try to decipher American signs, if they're there.
Tonight is the bingo night at Tombstone, and I'll be meeting Kate at Homeplus and walking over with her.
I think that brings us up to date... hope all's well Stateside!
xoxo
Today I woke up at 4am (blech) and then was finally able to fall back to sleep until 6:45 and that was it. I got up and watched some crazy Korean game show while eating my balance bar breakfast (didn't get much at the market yesterday) and then showered, got dressed and fiddled with stuff around my place until 9, when I decided to set out on my mission for
1. A public phone
2. Phonecards
3. A grocery store
4. A store carrying homegoods
For #4, Kate and Wendy teach next to a place called "Homeplus" and through my active listening skills I was able to file away the directions to it from my house. So I took off in the direction of this Homeplus with my vegetable cheese cracker friends and a bottle of water in my purse. About 3 blocks from my apartment, I realized that newish shoes had been a bad choice. But, stubborn me didn't want to turn around to change, so I pushed on. Half an hour later, I thought it was quite possible that my shoes were filling with blood and amputation would be the only remedy for the intense pain and damage I'd caused my feet. I ducked into a little convenience store to give them a rest from walking and to find something cold to drink. This is worthy of note for two reasons: First, because it was there that I found the most delicious pineapple juice in little bottles. It had real pieces of pineapple in it, and there was as much chewing as drinking. I also bought some apple juice that turned out much less delightfully. Secondly, when I walked in, I greeted the woman at the counter with a succint bow and a quiet "Annyong haseyo" (hello). When I brought my two drinks to the counter, she told me the total in Korean, and I had to shake my head and shrug. She looked so surprised that I didn't know Korean! Woo hoo - my accent is passable!
After leaving the store, I was riding high with my pineapple juice and passable accent. But that only lasted a couple blocks, and then I was contemplating taking my shoes off and walking barefoot the rest of the way. The only thing that stopped me was the thought of having to put them back on when I got to the Homeplus. To spare you my misery, I'll just say that this went on for 15 more minutes before I finally caught sight of the GIANT building with "HOMEPLUS" printed in big red letters. I went inside, and was greeted by a foreigner's dream - food, cosmetics, home supplies, clothes and shoes (ick and ick though) all in one place!! First problem - The carts were attached to one another by some sort of lock system which I couldn't figure out. Finally, a worker came over and showed me that a coin (100 won, about .45) needed to be placed in a slot, which was then inserted into the lock. This popped a little key out of the cart, freeing it from the rest. Later I discovered that when you replace the key in order to leave your cart at the store, the slot pops back out with your coin.
Once I had my cart (with all 4 wheels swiveling), I headed for the produce section. It was there that I found my first of many funny Engrishes. I wanted greens with which to make a salad, and there was a perfect small package of assorted lettuce-type greens. On the bag, the only english word was "Vagetables." After I had my own little laugh I decided they definitely were going in the cart. Hobbling through the enormous store, I found far more than I had money for, and had to economize. There are such interesting things here! First, I LOVE asian pears. Here, these are the size of small soccer balls. I bought one, and it will easily last me a few days. I also managed to find whole wheat bread, pepper jack cheese (from Australia, not so good - their cows must not be happy ;)), broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes, vegetable ramen (again with the pictures), Barilla pasta, Kraft parmesean cheese, more of the good pineapple juice, nice wine glasses, Dove conditioner in a bag from which you are expected to refill your old bottle, something I hope is laundry detergent (the only English on there says "Yellow" next to a bouquet of yellow flowers), wasabi, soy sauce, a dish drainer, hangers, butter on an un-refridgerated shelf, wild/mixed grain rice, mandarin oranges, and canned corn. I had a bit of a hold-up at the checkout because apparently I was supposed to get a barcode sticker for my broccoli and tomatoes, which was the only produce that wasn't prepackaged (Koreans LOVE packaging!). I still don't know how I should have done that - someone else came and got it for me. There's a lesson for next time!
Getting home from the Homeplus was almost as much of an adventure as getting there. As I came out with my two enormous bags, a taxi pulled up and parked. I waited to see if someone else had called it, but when no one approached it, I did. The man nodded when I gestured to the backseat and I piled in with my monstrous bags (and no help from him, which was weird). I had brought my boss' business card, which has the address of my school in Korean and English, and was planning on walking home from the school. I handed this to him, and he nodded and then chattered away in Korean, with me shaking my head the whole time. Finally he said, "Samsongdong?" And I know that this is the section of town where my school is, so I said "Ne (yes), ne, Samsongdong" and he seemed satisfied and drove off. He took a slightly different way than I had come, so I wasn't able to help him when he pulled over and asked where to go next. He took the card from me and took it to other drivers on the road, and people walking by and didn't seem to have any luck. Finally he pulled out his cell phone and dialed my director's number, but I guess there was no answer. For 30 minutes we went a block driving, then pulled over for 10 minutes to ask people, call the director (he finally handed me his phone and instructed me to call, but she didn't pick up then either) and punch things into his GPS system, which evidently didn't know where my school was either. Finally, I was able to get my bearings and looked at Kate's taxi-talk cheat sheet for the word for "left." Even after I insisted that I lived to the left, he took awhile before deciding that he might as well listen to me. Another left and we were there. Phew! The whole thing cost me $8, but I gave him a $10 and let him keep the change.
Even with that minor frustration, my raw heels, and my 16 mosquito bites (I WILL find the last one...) - I am having a fantastic time. From my work with GDI, I know that culture shock has stages, the first of which is euphoria. I know that this is temporary, but I'm certainly going to enjoy it while it's here. I've walked miles in the last two days, and been braver than I thought I could be. So far, this is just the challenge that I wanted. And I haven't even started work yet! I did stop by today, and met another teacher in my department. I think her name was Grace. She's Korean and very nice - her English is great, too, which helps. She gave me a loaf of bread from her boyfriend the baker. She said it has chestnuts in it, and I'm curious to try it. Glad I bought butter today! OH - and I got my stove working. I followed the gas line to the wall and found a valve that I had to open. After that it was smooth sailing. My stove also has what appears to be a toaster oven, but is called a "smokeless grill" built into it, so I'll make the toast in there tomorrow morning.
Earlier, as I was flipping Korean channels (I don't get any English channels) I caught a runway show for a mink coat company. My favorite part was the music they were blaring as the models strutted: "Summertime, and the livin's easy..." Hahaha. Summertime... in a mink coat? I also saw a show that was being interpreted in sign language by a little guy in a bubble in the corner of the screen. Some of the signs look similar, but I didn't understand it, so it must not be the same. It's also difficult to watch his mouth moving with Korean words, and try to decipher American signs, if they're there.
Tonight is the bingo night at Tombstone, and I'll be meeting Kate at Homeplus and walking over with her.
I think that brings us up to date... hope all's well Stateside!
xoxo
posted by pixelpulp at 4:59 AM
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