In your eyes

Korea is well known for its trendiness in fashion. Whatever is new and popular elsewhere in the world, odds are it’s already caught on here. This gives me an interesting opportunity to dabble in an area that has never really interested me until now.

In this post, I’ll focus on the three biggest trends in eyes, and my experiences with them.

1. Fake glasses. I have excellent vision, but always envied people with glasses. My big sister had them since middle school, and of course I wanted to be just like her. In movies, the “big reveal” was when a girl took off her glasses to show, hey!, she was pretty all along (She’s All That?). Of course I’m now aware that that’s an overused movie trope, but I didn’t at the time.

Anyway, it came rushing back to me when I saw the overabundance of fake glasses on the streets of Korea. In a ton of different styles, some with plain glass and others with no glass at all, and usually less than 10,000 won ($10). At first, I gravitated towards the giant frames, as that’s what’s most trendy here right now, but they didn’t look right on my face.

Doesn't mean I didn't buy any! I've got thick rainbow frames with no lens (which my students LOVE), but I was still searching for ones that fit my face a bit better. I later came across two more and now I wear them often enough that my students think they’re real. That's right, I have three pairs of fake glasses. That I actually wear. In public. Come at me bro.

2. Contact lenses. Before I moved to Korea, I’d only seen colored contact lenses worn by cosplayers. Here, it’s normal to alter your eye color as often as your hair color (another thing regularly changed). Within colored contacts, there are a few choices. You can get natural colors that stay over your existing iris, looking no different than anyone else’s natural eye shape. You can get circle lenses, which are larger colored lenses that widen your iris by a few millimeters, giving them impression of larger eyes without getting the surgery*. Lastly, you can also get either of those options in any variety of colors. And I mean any variety. Purple, yellow, pink, black, white, or red, to name a few that are color only. Then you can get into patterns. I’ve seen some with tiny flowers printed on the side!

These are usually quite cheap too, and there are stores on every major street. As I said in another blog, I’ve always wanted green eyes, so I figured now’s the time! I went into a store with a couple of friends, hoping they’d help me pick out some good ones. The amount of options were a bit overwhelming, but we finally settled on one pair of natural green, and one pair of smaller brown circle lenses (I think the large circle lenses are super creepy personally. These just fit on the outside of my iris).

The green ones were 40,000 won, and the brown ones were 25,000 won ($65 together). They provided cases, contact solution, and eyedrops with the purchase. It took me entirely too long to get them on the first time, but when I did, I loved the green ones and am still getting used to the brown ones. Because they’re still a hassle for me to put on, I don’t wear them very often. For now, they’ll be saved for special occasions.

3. Eyelash extensions. This is something popular in the US too, but I’m honestly not sure where it started. Women have been using fake eyelashes for a long time, but eyelash extensions are a semi-permanent solution rather than needing to put them on and take them off every day. In this process, individual lashes (made from plastic or mink, depending on preference and price) are adhered to the base of your existing lashes. The amount and thickness of the lashes applied is up to you. If you want eyelashes that could create a windstorm, a full set is going to cost you significantly more than an ‘enhanced natural look’ half set.

Looking online, most salons that do this in the US charge at least $200 for even a half set, whereas a half set will cost you about 50,000won in Korea. Lasting between 4-8 weeks, it requires you to ‘refill’ the lashes when they fall out. I’m still debating if this is something I want to do myself, and I’ve heard lots of arguments both for and against. The most appealing reason is that the half set is still natural looking, and I wouldn’t need to use any eye makeup for my day to day. At night, I can dress it up, but let’s be real. I don’t need to dress up for pizza and Netflix. The most obvious downside is cost. To maintain the look, I’d need to refill the lashes every 6 weeks or so, which means paying at least $50 every six weeks. As someone who lives between the rock and hard place that are convenience and budget, this is the biggest obstacle for me.

So what do you think? Would you get any of these? Leave a comment!

안녕!

*yes, there is an operation that will widen your eyes, and yes it’s very popular here. However, I don’t have any personal experience, or know anyone that I’d feel comfortable asking about it, so you’ll have to do your own research for that one!

10 Things to do Before Leaving Korea

Now that my time in Korea is coming to a close, I've been thinking about which things to prioritize. For this list, I've been asked by a friend to share my personal 10 things to do before I leave.

[These are in no particular order]

1. Go to SpaLand in Busan. Jjimjilbangs are one of those strictly Asian things (I'd say Korean, but the Japanese onsen is very similar). Getting naked and scrubbing and soaking til you're utterly relaxed is one of my favorite things to do, and the best place for it is SpaLand.

2. Eat everything. Jjimdalk, bibimbap, samgyeopsal, hoddoek, japchae, mandu, bossam (and those are just my favorites). This could easily be a whole separate list, but I've talked enough about my love for Korean food. I plan to eat nothing but Korean food for the next 6 weeks.

3. Go ice skating/roller skating. Something I can also do at home, but in Korea it's relatively cheap and therefore easy to convince my friends to join. The fact that my favorite skating rink is next to a beautiful historical bridge certainly doesn't hurt!

4. Go to noraebang. Ah, noraebang: the experience of singing til you're hoarse and looking like an idiot in front of your friends. Drunken or sober, it's a great night of fun that I will feel so very empty without.

5. Buy cosmetics and skincare. For myself, or as gifts for friends and family, it's going to be hard to leave the diverse set of cosmetics stores and products. I'm absolutely sending some scrubs and creams ahead via post.

6. Get color contacts. Why not? I think I'd look great with green eyes. Given how popular they are, they're definitely cheaper than I could get them in the US.

7. Look longingly at hanbok shops. As beautiful as they are, I can't quite convince myself to buy one. The cost for a high quality hanbok outweighs the rare occasions I'd be able to wear it. I can, however, stare through the shop windows and mentally design my own.

8. Take a million pictures with my students. Well duh.

9. Visit a board game cafe. Such a great idea, and I really hope it catches on (or maybe it has already? It's been two years, what do I know?) in the US. Getting together with a group of friends and playing any of the dozens of games available always spells out a great evening. Games that demand hours of intense strategy and concentration, or 5 minutes of Jenga, a good time is had by all.

10. Learn how to cook. This one is contingent on my ability to sweet-talk my coteachers to teach me. We've discussed it for the last two years, but now that the clock is ticking, it's time to make my move. Some ingredients will be difficult to find, but I'm hoping that learning the basics will help me to find appropriate substitutes when available. Japchae and jjimdalk are at the top of my list!


And there you have it! Is there anything I missed? Want more info? Leave a comment or send me a message!

Til next time!
안녕!

Exercising and Weight Loss in Korea

Howdy y'all!

I'm delirious with homesickness and can't find it in me to delete that line. Sigh.

To distract myself, I'm going to write about fitness and health in Korea, as well as throw out my own personal goals for the next 4 months in an attempt to establish any kind of accountability for my actions.

First off, let me say that body image in Korea will not be discussed at length here. That's a whole other subject, and one that has been beaten to death on a billion other blogs. The only thing I'll say is that it really sucks being a 'fat' foreigner (I put fat in quotes because many of my skinny foreigner friends are considered fat here. I must be a ham planet. But I digress).

Eating healthy might seem like an easy thing to do. Bread is minimal, portions are much smaller than in the United States, and the national dish of pickled cabbage is served with every meal. However, meat plays a huge part of the diets here, particularly fatty pieces of pork (삼겹살), marinated pork/beef (갈비) and the ever-popular chicken and beer combo (치맥). Not to mention the influx of all things Western. There's a McDonalds, Burger King, or Dunkin Donuts on every corner, and Italian and pizza restaurants popping up left and right.

"But Kate, just don't go out! Cook more, eat in!" Well, imaginary reader, it's often cheaper to eat out than to stay in and cook. Vegetables here are more expensive (the ones that aren't sweet potatoes or cabbage significantly so), and many aren't available at all. You can usually only buy in bulk, so risk half of your items going bad before being able to get to it. Protip: split with friends! Fruits are also difficult to find, especially familiar ones. Korean grapes are a mess to eat, and I personally hate them (thick skins and seeds, yuck). The only oranges are the tiny tangerines, watermelon and apples only come during their respective seasons, and I don't think I've seen a raspberry in 2 years. In short, everything that I'd count on to diet is either too expensive or inaccessible.

In addition, many of the methods I'd use to cook are taken from me. There are no ovens here, which was always my go-to for cooking meals that would last me a week. Buying one is an investment where you need to compare cost against the length of your stay and how likely you're able to resell it. Same goes for any cookware beyond the standard frying pan and small pot that you start with. Familiar ingredients will be hard to find and expensive even if you can find them (looking at you breadcrumbs). Perhaps if I knew that I'd be staying in Korea for an extended period of time, I could see myself adapting more to the style of cooking beyond that of what I'd done before at home. But as it is, it's something I struggle with.

Which brings us to exercise. It is astonishing how physically fit Koreans are. Hiking is definitely the 'in' sport around Korea, and it's normal to see a large percentage of people walking around in top-of-the-line, brand name hiking gear. Whether that's because they're going to use it that day or they just want to show it off remains a mystery. There are small exercise parks everywhere, long walking paths being paved (especially in my area, away from the city), and bike lanes designated on the sidewalks. Free exercise is not hard to find, but if you're looking for something indoors, get out your wallet. Gym membership prices here are through the roof compared to those at home. The cheapest I've ever found is 80,000won per month (about $80), and I've seen them go up to 120,000won. I've done trial days at several different gyms, at all price increments, and found that they're very similar: a lot of treadmills, 1 or 2 elliptical machines, some space for weightlifting, and any number of other weight machines (heck if I'm gonna list them all here) scattered around. Higher price means more treadmills and more machines, neither of which I prefer, so I went for the cheaper option. There is an option for a personal trainer, but that's lost on me. The woman I speak to at my gym spends most of her time telling me I am 'too much' and 'diet' (yeah, I got that, thanks) rather than being helpful by teaching me exercises. If your Korean is better than mine, maybe you'll have more success!

---if you just wanted information about Korea, you should probably leave now---

Now comes the part that makes me nervous. But I want this blog to be equal parts informative and personal, so I'm sticking with it. Unless I delete this part tomorrow. We'll see.

I'm leaving Korea in February, which is 128 days away from the time of posting. My goal is to lose 15kg before then, which is about 1kg/week, well within a healthy range. I've been working on establishing a weigh-lifting and cardio circuit that suits me, and am watching my calories more closely (easily the more difficult of the two given the problems listed above). I'm also skating regularly on the weekends, which is my stress relief as much as exercise.

I should say that all this was brought on by my friend (whose blog you can read here), who has gone through the most amazing and inspiring progress while I've been away. I'm so proud of her and so impressed that I felt increasingly terrible about my own inability to lose any of the weight I've been packing on all my life. Instead of rubbing it in my face of how awesome she is, she took the time to help me figure out which exercises I felt comfortable with, how to find a steady progression without straining or injuring myself, and introduced me to a bunch of articles, videos, and online communities that can help me maintain focus.

So far it's working! I've made some weight loss progress, but the biggest change is how I feel. I sleep better at night, have significantly cut down on snacking, and have more energy in my classes. Hopefully this is a system I can keep up with and maintain even after I reach my goal once I get home.

On that note, what kind of exercise do you prefer? Any motivational tips to share?
안녕!

Korea's Top 10

It's been nearly a year here in Korea, so I feel (somewhat) qualified to make a 'best of' list. These are items that aren't specific to me (meaning no bragging about my awesome students), but can be experienced by everyone coming to Korea.

10. Fashion/makeup

Korea is rapidly becoming a fashion capital of the world. Here in Daegu, which is apparently the fashion capital of the fashion capital, women are dressed impeccably at all hours (myself excluded). Even my co-teachers, who you'd think would adopt a slightly grunge-look after dealing with screaming and fighting children all day, almost always look as if they'd just arrived from a frickin photo shoot. I'm totally not jealous. Totally.  That said, women put a lot, and I mean a lot of money and time into their appearances. Because of this, it's impossible to walk 5 feet in any direction and not run into a clothing boutique or a makeup store. Heck, even just a makeup store. I've lost count of the number of brand name stores (one day I'll write a whole post detailing the most recommended and my favorite items from each), but luckily this provides an excellent realm of gift shopping! I literally would run out of friends before I ran out of gift options for them. That was not meant to be as self-deprecating as it sounds. 

9. 찜질방 (Jimjilbang)

While public nudity isn't really my speed, even I have to admit the efficiency of a Korean-style public bathhouse. They're divided by gender in the changing and bathing areas, and often open into a mixed gender, clothed area with steam rooms and saunas. Jimjilbangs are incredibly common, although they vary greatly in size and design. There are very simple ones with one hot tub and one sauna, or ones that have more steam rooms than you have moisture in your body. Many of them allow an overnight stay for a very small fee, which make them even more appealing to travelers on a budget. My personal favorite is Spa Land in Busan, an enormous inside and outside facility attached to the largest department store in the world. At only 12,000 won (~$12), it's worth the experience. Just close your eyes for the first 15 minutes or so.

8. Market shopping

Open air markets are not a new thing, especially when I recall that in every single country I've visited, I've found at least one. The people running the shops (generally middle-later aged women), are incredibly nice and helpful at picking out items for me. Not only that, but I can find nearly anything at Seomun market here in Daegu, and Dongdaemun is a frickin godsend to any shopaholics. My sister and I went shopping at 1 in the morning, and walked away with quite a few good deals. I'd like to think it's my amazing haggling skills, but I acknowledge that it's more likely that they wanted the weird foreigners to leave them the hell alone.

7. kpop

I started listening to Korean pop music about a year before I came here, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't slightly influence my decision. These upbeat songs are just so damn catchy! Beyond it helping make a connection with my students, I genuinely enjoy kpop in my free time. Anyone looking to bravely venture into the crazy brightly colored and bizarre world, here are some of my favorite groups (Big Bang, SHINee, f(x), U-Kiss) and individual songs (Tarzan- WonderBoyz, Poison - Secret, Sweet Dream - MFBTY).

6. 팥빙수 (Patbingsu)

This is a dessert/snack item that's very popular during the summer. Bingsu is shaved ice, and while there are many varieties of toppings, my favorite is red bean (pronounced like pot, if you're curious). Red bean is VERY common in desserts and is definitely not for everyone, although I enjoy it myself. The coffee shop down the street has my favorite patbingsu, and the ingredients are as follows: shaved ice, condensed milk, red bean, granola, cornflakes, and a bit of whipped cream. It's magnificent on a hot day when you want nothing more than to take an ice bath, which is apparently inappropriate in public.

5. Eating style

Surprisingly, most Koreans don't care what they look like when they eat. The object of most meals seem to be to get the most amount of food in your mouth in one bite. Considering the amount of time and effort everyone puts into their appearance, I was shocked when I saw dolled up 20 somethings shoveling ramyeon into their mouths at an alarming rate. IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY. One of my favorite Korean foods is 쌈, when you make a lettuce wrap with pork, rice, some sauce, and whatever else you want to toss in there, and shove it in your mouth. ...And now I'm hungry.

4. 냉면 (Naengmyeon)

Another delicious summer food is this noodle-soup-thing. It's light and refreshing and smidge acidic and absolutely fantastic. The wheat noodles are served in a cold broth (sometimes with actual ice chunks still in it), with half a hardboiled egg, some pear or radish shavings, and a spoonful of gochujang (hot pepper paste that you cannot escape here). On the side you'll be given spicy mustard and vinegar to add for tailoring to your palate. I add a bit more vinegar than most, and skip the gochujang completely, although I am known to toss in a bit of mustard if I'm feeling daring. I'm usually not. But I already wrote something about that. Keep up, will you?

3. Cuteness everywhere!

Did you think that panda hat/scarf/mitten contraption was just for kids? False. Although many people take it too far (which is called aegyo), it encourages the childish fun that I've always enjoyed. So what if I want to wear a giant blue scarf that takes up half my face? Spend half an hour making ridiculous faces in a photo booth? How about thick rimmed rainbow hipster glasses, without the glass? Check all of the above!

2. 노래방 (Noraebang)

Whether you're a fan of alcohol induced craziness, or your neighbors deserve a break from listening to you sing in the shower, noraebang is for you! It's a cheap (depending on where you go) night out with friends that provides instant entertainment for as long as you keep up the energy. The singing rooms are private and mostly soundproofed, so it's the perfect place to let loose and sing the Mariah Carey notes that you had only attempted at that Christmas party that one time. They're easy to spot on the streets (just look for the flashing neon signs. Odds are, it's a noraebang), and have drink and food menus to encourage customers to stay for hours. Protip: have a no camera rule inside the room. No one needs to see or hear that.

And finally....

1. 호떡 (Hoddeok)

This amazing goodness tops my list partly because it's winter right now, and it's everywhere. The closest equivalent in the US would be fried dough, except hoddeok has brown sugar and sesame or sunflower seeds melted together in the middle (think a pancake stuffed with the sugar and seed mix, then deep fried to delicious perfection). It's a very common street food, and can be found on nearly every corner as the weather gets colder. If for some reason you can't find one, hoddeok mix is easy to find at Emart or Homeplus, and tastes almost as good as the real thing. But because most stands charge 1,000won for one, it's so cheap that it gives the impression that I'm losing money by not buying one. Or four. Or twenty.

So there you have it, Katherine Teacher's list of the best Korea has to offer (as experienced in 10 months). Anyone that lives/lived in Korea, do I have any glaring omissions? If you're a future visitor, any questions about specific numbers? Leave a comment!

Regardless, 2013 has been quite an adventure, and it's gearing up for round 2 in 2014. Stay tuned!

안녕!

Not-quite-home for the holidays

Holidays have always been a big deal for me. Game night parties with my friends, making Christmas cookies with my family, buying more presents than I can usually afford... things I didn't really consider when making my decision to move around the world. When fall approached, with the season of cheer looming in the distance, I started getting nervous about how I would handle the holidays by myself.

What I've been surprised by is how much I don't feel alone. I've got friends here that are close enough to be my makeshift family, co workers who are incredibly intuitive and supportive when I need it, and my family and friends back home are only an internet connection away.

Also. 'Tis the season for arts and crafts!

My kids absolutely loved these stand-alone turkeys. Highly recommended!

2 weeks of Christmas songs and projects? Yes please!

Thanksgiving was an ordeal, but only because I brought it upon myself. I was so excited to share my holiday traditions with my coteachers, who had never had a Western Thanksgiving meal, that I offered to cook the whole thing. Nevermind that the only really cooking I'd done before that was helping my mom in the kitchen

Everything went off without a hitch, to my own disbelief. I slightly burned one batch of sweet potato casserole, but all three dinners were a huge success. My coteachers loved the food, constantly asking me for recipes and offering me their homes and kitchens anytime I had the 'want to cook'. Their kids didn't like the food as much, but they enjoyed helping (read: watching) me cook in between chasing each other around the house.

Have you ever tried eating GBC with chopsticks??

My potluck dinner was fantastic. I am constantly amazed and self-conscious about the amount of time and effort that people put into a great evening for their friends. Given that most of my 'girls nights' consist of pizza, movies, and nail painting, having an elaborate set up with games and prizes for the winners blew me away.

Sorry ladies, I tried to get a good food shot!

Dinner at my house also went well, despite a few last minute call-outs. I was nervous about so many people being in my apartment at the same time, but about half the guests were late, and some of the early birds had to go, it worked out nicely into two 'waves' of people. Everyone had as much food as they could eat, and we played games until I kicked everyone out (because I'm an old lady with an early bedtime).

Pretty good if I do say so myself

Christmas is shaping up similarly, with plans with friends Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, and a Skype date with the family Christmas night. Despite having to be at work the day before and the day after, I'm glad that I have enough of a community of friends here that I don't feel so alone.

Complete with presents from the family!

It can be easy to isolate yourself here. Wake up, go to school, go home, go to bed, repeat. If that's all you want your time here to be, then it's going to be miserable. I've been lucky to establish great friendships here, and I can acknowledge that I am tenacious in holding onto those friendships. Heck, I'm tempted to follow a couple of people back to California when they leave in February...

Anyway, I have an interesting post lined up for next week, and then a 2013 wrap up to finish out the year. Stay tuned!

안녕! 


PS- It just occurred to me what an outdated phrase 'stay tuned' is. Will the next generation even know why we say that?

PPS- Am I the only one that says that now?

What'll you give me?

I have just learned something new about Korea. The reasons behind it are still unclear to me, as are the logistics, but nonetheless, this is common practice here. 

I'm talking about parents getting money for their children.

My coteacher, one of the sweetest people I have ever met (side note), is pregnant with her second child. We were talking about credit cards a few weeks ago, and she was showing me how many she has. When she got to a particular card, she said that was the government money for her daughter. Confused, I asked her to explain, and this is what she told me:

In Suseong gu, a 'county' of Daegu, she receives 500,000 won (~500$) from the government after her first trimester (her doctor fills out a form and submits it, then a prepaid card is sent to her home). Once the child is born, she will  receive 50,000 won every month until the child is 2 years old. 

But wait, there's more.

If she has a third child, she receives 500,000 won during pregnancy (again), but this time, after birth it's  200,000 won/month for 18 months. 

The 500,000 won during pregnancy is a federal regulation, so that amount is the same anywhere in Korea. What changes is the post-birth payments. Every county of every city is different; some are more, some are less. In Seoul, they payments are much higher due to a higher cost of living, and I can only imagine that the reverse is true in rural farming towns. 

I have no verified answers as to why this happens, but I can speculate to my heart's content (yay internet!). I've come up with two theories: 

1) This is the Korean government's way of encouraging population growth (hypothetical specific reasons stretch from national pride to diabolical world takeover. I'm leaning towards the former). If financial reasons are a major factor in a choice not to have more than one child, perhaps parents will see this as a means to compensate. 

2) The government simply wants to ensure that all Korean children receive a good upbringing. Malnutrition and lack of adequate housing are characteristic of underdeveloped countries, and maybe Korea wants to eliminate any chance of the same happening to their children. After all, future leaders and scientists and teachers are born every day. It's in their best interest to protect those minds and foster them in a stable environment. 

Keeping in mind that I have no idea of the full impact of this process on the Korean economy, on a small scale it seems like a great idea. The fundamental fact is this: parents are better able to care for their children. The amount isn't so great that you'd have a kid just to take advantage of a paycheck, as I fear would happen in many other countries (cough *America* cough).

Anyway, I'm interested to know what you think! Post a comment with your theory behind this practice, or whether or not it should be adopted elsewhere.

안녕!

Bye!

I'm a model, if you know what I mean

June 6th is Memorial Day here, when schools are cancelled. Some lucky bastards people also got Friday off and had a nice 4 day weekend. I was not one of those. Still, having a mid-week day off was a great way to relax and get things done. Of course, my extreme procrastination prevents me from getting things done, but it was relaxing nonetheless.

Some friends and I went to Suseong Lake, a man-made body of water in a pretty nice area of town. Although there were many people there enjoying the day, it was still very peaceful. We brought some snacks and settled down for a make-shift picnic to catch up. After about an hour of chit-chatting, we were approached by 2 Korean men with nice looking cameras. I had seen them walking around the lake, taking photos, and slowly working their way in our direction. They asked if they could take our picture.

To which we responded by looking at each other nervously, but ended up saying "Uh... sure?"

So we grouped together and smiled for a photo. And another. And another. Then a few more from the second guy. Then one of our group got out her camera and asked them to get one for us (smart thinking!). We were so busy with taking photos that I didn't see the crowd starting to gather. Next thing I know, there are 3 or 4 more photographers (men and women) snapping away at us sitting there.

At one point, Imani said something along the lines of "I'm pretty sure this is the kinda thing my dad warned me about." Of course we all laughed nervously, but were definitely thinking the same thing. It was hard to say no when we were already posed together, and more importantly, everyone was so friendly.

Never have I felt so uncomfortable, awkward, and yet somehow obliged to them for taking our pictures. I said thank you when they left! Such a weird feeling!

When the crowd left us alone, we settled on the consensus that they were a photography group, taking pictures at the lake, and just couldn't miss the shot of a gaggle of waygooks in the wild.

So yeah. Who knows where those pictures will really end up. Keep a lookout.

Deodorant: Things Korea does differently #2

Before coming to Korea, I did quite a bit of research on what I should bring. On everyone's list was deodorant, so I brought plenty of my own considering that I sweat like it's my job. I figure if I ran out, I can just look really hard and find some Korean brand instead.

Once a week I have Korean lessons with my main co-teacher, Monica (or JungAh, I switch between her Korean and English names). We were chatting about my trip to Seoraksan, and how hot it was. I mentioned that I was glad I remembered my deodorant, or the bus ride would have been worse for everyone. When I got a blank look, I repeated myself, which I rarely have to do with Monica.

She has never heard of deodorant. Or anti-perspirant. I don't mean in a metaphorical or sarcastic sense either, like how Rick Astley has never heard of a dance move beyond the 2 step. She literally did not know what I was talking about. I had to explain in detail how it's a gel or powder or sometimes spray that you apply to your armpits to keep them from sweating and stinking. I think I could have been explaining how a bill becomes a law for the amount of recognition on her face.

How does this happen? Do Koreans really not sweat? It was 90 degrees last week and I felt like I was melting. When Mijin told me that I can expect much worse come July and August, I nearly cried. It's going to be a long summer of feeling disgusting and gross. Hooray.

안녕!

Anyeong!

Bye!

Things Korea does differently #1

Scenario: You live in Daegu, or Seoul, or any city with a ton of people in a small space. It's likely that you live in an apartment building, and even more likely that your apartment is a high rise. Let's say you live on the 20th floor.

What happens if you need a new sofa? Or a bed?

Are you going to have your friends carry furniture up 20 flights of stairs and expect to reward them with pizza and beer? Methinks no.

In Korea, they have what look to be fire trucks helping to deliver things THROUGH YOUR WINDOW.

This is an unimpressive example, only 4 floors, but it's a much better picture

Ok, so maybe 5 floors is also unimpressive

I have no idea how it works in the US or elsewhere in the world with apartment high rises, but if they aren't doing this, they need to. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this is ingenious.

I want to ride one.

안녕!

Anyeong!

Bye!