Random Thoughts and Observations

It's hard to believe that I've already been here for over two months. The time is flying by. So today I thought I'd share some random thoughts with you about daily life in Korea.

Things I'll Never Get Used To
- Not hearing somebody say "bless you" after a sneeze
- Having to wear sandals at work everyday. It's torture on my feet.
- Traffic lights are a nightmare here. See, for some reason, traffic can only move in one direction at a time at intersections. In other words, three out of the four traffic lights are always at a red--and they are very long reds. So if you're approaching an intersection and you see the little green fella start to flash, you had better gun it, because otherwise you'll be at that intersection for a while. Just pray your bus doesn't come while you're waiting for the light to change.
- The floor in my washroom is always wet because of the lack of a bathtub. Always. When I bathe Monday morning, the floor is still wet Tuesday morning. Gaaah!
- In order to get warm water in the shower, I have to press a button in my bedroom. Unfortunately, I always forget to press the button again to turn the water off once I'm done. I've yet to get my first utility bill, so I'm just hoping that doesn't affect it.
- Once I finish taking a shower, I'm also supposed to push down on the switch atop the sink faucet in order to return the water flow to the sink from the showerhead. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to brush my teeth and startled myself with that stupid showerhead.
- Korean-only clubs. I just don't get it, and no English-speaking Korean seems to be able to give me an explanation as to why they exist.
- I've said before that I love the food here, and while it's true that most traditional Korean food is absolutely delicious, the food at my school is slowly eating away at my soul. Every day is a combination of rice, soup, kimchi, and a variable. The variable is delicious 9 times out of 10, but everything else is driving me a little crazy. I feel like Jack Nicholson's character in The Shining--"All rice and soup and no food makes Uri a dull boy." For one thing, I'm not a soup guy. I might have soup 3 or 4 times a year. But as for the rice, I mean I'm Nicaraguan for crying out loud! We live off of that shit! So for me to say that I'm tiring of rice, that's pretty bad. It's just that it's the same, bland, tasteless rice day in and day out. If there were more variety I wouldn't mind. Or if I could put some soy sauce or something on it, as I did today. Hopefully this is just a phase and I won't end up trying to murder all of my co-teachers with an ax.

But I don't want to harp on all of the negatives, soooo.....

Things That Are Awesome About Korea
- As I mentioned in the previous post, the city never sleeps, and booze is cheap.
- The friendly, caring, and helpful nature of Koreans, which I've also discussed at length already.
- Taxis are absolutely dirt cheap. Most cab rides end up costing somewhere between $3.00 and $8.00. I honestly don't understand how they make money doing that for a living. English speaking cabbies are also a hoot. I've had cabbies tell me I'm handsome, cabbies tell me they love hockey and want to visit Canada, cabbies help me save money on future cab rides, and one memorable gentlemen even showed my friends and I a picture of his son!
- YOU NEVER EVER EVER HAVE TO TIP FOR ANYTHING!
- The Cultural Centre has free live music every Wednesday in Ulsan.
- City Hall offers free Korean classes to foreigners.
- The city offers free kayaks and canoes that people can take out on the river.
- My bank card doubles as my bus pass.
- Korean volleyball!
- Though I haven't gotten around to it yet, Korea is a hiker's dream. Kat and I have a mountain climbing session scheduled for the first weekend in November, and I can't wait.
- Bibimbap.

And finally...

The Biggest Misconception About Koreans Ever!
- You know that stereotype that says Asians can't handle their booze? That does not apply to Koreans. Challenge a Korean man to a soju drinking match, and not only will he drink you under the table, he'll probably cover you with a blanket when you've passed out, and put a bucket by your head, because he's just that honourable and thoughtful.