Journal 3 – We are Korea’s own little Petting Zoo

Hello everyone. I trust you are doing well. I know it’s been a while since my last journal. I’ll be honest, this might be more frequent as this experience isn’t the same as it was when I was in Japan. I’m not saying I’m not enjoying myself because I definitely am. I think the Asian “Aw” novelty has kind of warn off. People have asked me, how this experience compares to life in Japan and it’s actually taken a while for me to answer that question. There are so many similarities as well as so many differences. The scenery is very similar. There’s the same small and narrow streets, the flashy lights, the huge crowd of people, and of course the foreign words that I’m unable to read. The inside of restaurants and bars in Korea don’t have that narrow claustrophobic look that Japan has. They tend to be much bigger. I’ve noticed there are so many street vendors in Korea selling fruits, vegetables, certain snack foods as well as clothes. All for cheap prices but bargaining isn’t frowned upon. The food is very good in both places, however completely different. Korea’s food is much spicier, but very good. It’s not uncommon for me to go to a restaurant and have a great meal for under $5. I’d be lucky to get a sandwich for $5 in Japan.

Now, as for alcohol … beer sucks in Korea. I haven’t come across one type that I’ve enjoyed. We have a patio where all the foreigners like to hang out (when it’s nice out). It’s actually outside a corner store, which are pretty much everywhere. Often when I want a beer, I avoid the Korean beer and, no joke, grab the Japanese types they have. It’s either that or Budweiser. The most popular alcoholic preference in Korea is soju, the local firewater and is equivalent to vodka. It’s often drunk straight and it’s an acquired taste in which I have not yet acquired. I’ve already come across a little incident that involved soju and a fight with a gravel road. The night started off wonderful. It was our staff party where we went to a traditional Korean barbeque. The restaurant provides you with the raw meet and you cook it yourself on a grill in the middle of the table. There was lots of food, beer and of course soju. Well, after a few rounds … oh and by the way I’m not making any excuses, but it’s customary to drink here. People who don’t drink in Korea are often considered untrustworthy. Alcohol allows you to say what you feel. If you don’t want to drink, it means you’re holding something back … actually by the end of my night, holding things back was literally not an issue (haha). Anyway, moving on … which is what we did. We moved on to a noraebang (karaoke room) where more alcohol was provided including cheap whiskey and you guessed it, soju. I have to admit, the instigator was actually our director who ironically didn’t drink as much that night. So, naturally I got to my “point” and I decided to go outside to get some air. Well, the earth was certainly moving very fast for this boy and this resulted in a hard fall to the ground. A few scrapes and bruises later, I decided to go home. I actually tried to sneak away, but that didn’t work. Fortunately that ended up being in my favor as my director paid my cab ride home. Actually the whole night was on them. So soju is not really on my list of preferences. It’s an every-once-in-a-while thing.

Let’s talk about the people. They’re definitely friendly and kind, not as reserved or shy as Japanese. However, the men tend to be a little more aggressive and I’m getting the impression some are a little jealous of us foreigners. I don’t get that same warm, fuzzy feeling from some of them that I do from Japanese people. Don’t get me wrong; I have come across a lot of people, men and women, who have been very friendly. I do feel the cab drivers are more of the aggressive kind, which I guess they need to be … you would understand after seeing Koreans drive. It is very common for Koreans to stop, stare and have little conversations while pointing and laughing. I’m certain a lot of those little conversations are dares to each other to come up and say “hello” to us. When it comes to their English, they are definitely very shy. The kids, like Japanese kids, have that same touchy-feely affection … they seem to be enthralled with our hair: head and arms. As I mentioned in the title, we do seem to be Korea’s little petting zoo. I think I told you about the guy I met in Seoul who took me around and bought me dinner just so he could practice his English. There was actually another person who I met while I was hiking with some friends. This guy also wants to practice his English (which I’m hoping will financially be beneficial for me) … He’s offered to help me out with anything I need while I’m here. I’m thinking I might take advantage of this. It’ll be nice hanging out with a local.

Just to finalize everything, I’m realizing that because the Asian novelty has warn off, my first month here has been a little rough because I felt that nothing has really impressed me, but I am starting to realize now that I’m settling in that there are lots of other things that I’ll be looking forward to including the fall colors, cherry blossom season, not to forget the different festivals that occur throughout the year. There will be lots of differences compared to Japan. So, I’m going to close here considering I’m at a coffee shop now (just to get out of the apartment) and my battery is starting to die, guess I’ve been here longer than I thought. Anyway, I hope you’re all doing well and I’d love to hear from you sometime. Just to let you know, I’m most likely going to post these journals on another blog, but I’ll let you know when it’s complete. For now just look at this link.

Take care everyone.