Recent Observations

1.) I love public transporation. Not all the time....but sometimes it is just nice to get a window seat and watch the world around me. I took the bus into Seoul last week to get my Chinese Visa and was people watching out the window listening to the Flaming Lips when I had this realization. I enjoyed being puzzled over the things I was seeing and trying to make sense out of the many mind boggling customs of Koreans. One sight, in particular, caught my attention. As my bus was waiting in line at a bus stop (which happens to be positioned in the middle of the road) I noticed a girl on the ground at the far end. She was sleeping in a nice skirt, top and was still wearing her heels. Her purse was at her feet. She was not dirty or scrapped up nor did she look uncomfortable. As I watched her I noticed that no one else was paying any attention to this woman- why you may ask? Because being passed out in the middle of a highway at a bus stop after a night of serious drinking isn't that uncommon here! I have no doubt that the woman had not been bothered all night and was being left alone this particular morning in order to sleep off her hangover.

2.) Living in a foreign country is fun. Okay, so this isn't a recent observation but one I wanted to write about. People encourage one another to "think outside of the box" which in my mind translates to "think for yourself and challenge homogeny- don't simply go along with what you know- challenge yourself- be creative". However, living abroad changes this suggestion. For example, in Korea a mop bucket, clean water or cleaning solution is never present when someone is mopping. They simply take a wet mop and rub in over the floor. My initial reaction was "what good is that?" But since being here, I have learned that just because I would use a mop bucket or sometype of cleaning solution- the absence of these "necessities" does not = stupid. I think this is a concept that is very easy to digest over larger matters but it is the small ones that simply do not make sense to me that are difficult. Another example, in our town there is a major 4-6 lane road that runs through the middle of the city with various side streets on either side. It is not uncommon for us to be driving down this main street with the intent to turn off onto a side street only to find a taxi parked in the middle of the side street (parked parallel with traffic going down the main road) blocking any car that wants to turn. Now, does this make sense to you? Why doesn't the taxi park before or after the side street? I can't think of any logical reason to be parked there yet it is obvioulsy something that makes sense to Koreans which is why they do it. I can't help but wonder if Koreans who visit the states find it absurd that Americans often only park in designated areas and not in the middle of sidewalks or streets. These observations make life interesting- it's fun to speculate the reasoning behind something that simply does not make sense to me based on my background and wonder how routine things that I may do may seem absurd to Koreans.

3.) Being here is worth it. Korea isn't my favorite place- as you probably know if you are reading this. However, it has been worth it. I can't even begin to explain all the ways that I have grown and all that I have learned about myself. I have enjoyed learing about Korean culture and customs, eating Korean food, and exploring the country itself. Korea isn't a bad place at all- it simply isn't the right place for me. I know my time here would have also been much more enjoyable had I worked for a dependable school. But, alas there is nothing I can do about that now. Nonetheless, I have appreciated the challenges of living here and value the experience of living abroad. With only 32 days left to go, I know that I will leave here feeling happy that I came.