There are aspects to Korea were are finding very enjoyable: 1) The people are extremely communally and socially oriented. After a recent trip to Seoul's party town, Itaewon, which was a very wild night indeed, we were on the bus ride home the next morning after having to sleep in a hotel that night. Mindy was suffering from PTDD (Post Traumatic Drinking Disorder), otherwise k
nown as a hangover. She had already regurgitated once after getting off the subway, but this time we were on the bus and there was no where to safely place the bodily dislodgings except for a VERY small garbage can. While she sat, hunched over on the bus's step, with the can placed between her legs, taking care to do so quietly, an old Korean woman brushed past me (I have learned to leave Mindy alone and not touch her when she is sick), sat down behind her and started to perform a very vigorous back rub/back pounding and pressure point application to her hands and scalp. She started shouting orders to the packed bus to open windows and make room for her next to one. She gave the back rub for a good five minutes than gave Mindy her seat next to a window. It was truly quite touching. I kept saying "Kam-sa-ham-neda" (thank you), but her reaction was almost annoyed in a what-did-you-expect-me-to-do kinda way. After she was done she went right back into the conversation she was engaged in before she started to help. 2) Seoul REALLY is a lot of fun. Especially, with good friends. There are so many areas to explore and events to attend. It h
as world class jazz bars, sports bars, museums, food, theme bars, clubs, cultural events, operas, orchestras and plays - all of which we have explored so little of, but we have many opportunities in the coming months. The night that led up to Mindy's hard morning was really a blast. Mindy and I met up with our friends JJ and Kristin in Itaewon (Seoul's party town) and had a very hazy night *Pictures Here*. No doubt my new mustache greatly improved my own night! Starting at a Mexican restaurant, we moved onto darts, which led to shots of Jaegermeister (yuck), dancing, kettles of soju and juice and eventually wondering the streets of the world's third largest city. We ended up at a McDonald's at 2:30am before checking into a hotel at 3:00am with Seoul still partying well into the morning.
After a recent day of exploring Seoul we were finding our way out of the most recent Batman movie in Yatap - by the way if this was a movie blog I would rave about it- when we heard the distinctive high pitched call of a kitten coming from the bushes. This was extremely coincidental considering we had spent the last week or so talking about getting a cat, especially that day. Coming around the corner we saw the tinniest black and white kitten briefly spring from the bushes meowing before running back in. We spent a good 15 minutes looking for it in the dense brush, but to no avail. The next day we went back to find it. We spent a few hours chasing it around the bushes, briefly seeing it, before having to give up yet again. On the third day, yes the third day, we tried a new tactic. Why not try to trap the little bugger! So I put together a rudimentary box trap that was held up by two taped chopsticks (very Korean!) and, when the twine was pulled, the box would, theoretically, trap the kitten inside who was eating the tuna bait
*Pictures Here*. We sat for about an hour in one spot but never saw the cat. We reluctantly packed up only to hear that the cat had been in the adjacent green space! After finding its location I spotted him. He stared at me calling out for his mom. I got to within less than 2 feet of him before he took off into the deep bushes. After this event it was quite hard to leave, so we spent the next hour scurrying through the bushes covered in mud and branch clippings. We are now more determined than ever to catch this cat, or, at the very least, buy a comparable cat to drown out my visions of the lonely lost one! Our cat quest has now evolved its tactics as Mindy's mom has suggested the idea of digging a whole that the cat could fall into when it goes for the food. We are mulling that idea over as the logistics of it might be a little hard, but it is the best idea yet. In Korea, cats are not thought of very fondly. They are considered more pests than anything and, no doubt, this little one was dropped off by its previous owner. Having made eye contact with the little guy made it extremely difficult for me to just forget about it, so we have come up with all sorts of names for him/her.
Side note: Dogs are much more respected, but they are also a source of food and recently dog was acknowledged as an official food by Korean parliament, which gave special status to once secret dog breeding camps. Many restaurants serve dog as a meal and it is supposed to be quite tasty. Haven't tried it, yet.
nown as a hangover. She had already regurgitated once after getting off the subway, but this time we were on the bus and there was no where to safely place the bodily dislodgings except for a VERY small garbage can. While she sat, hunched over on the bus's step, with the can placed between her legs, taking care to do so quietly, an old Korean woman brushed past me (I have learned to leave Mindy alone and not touch her when she is sick), sat down behind her and started to perform a very vigorous back rub/back pounding and pressure point application to her hands and scalp. She started shouting orders to the packed bus to open windows and make room for her next to one. She gave the back rub for a good five minutes than gave Mindy her seat next to a window. It was truly quite touching. I kept saying "Kam-sa-ham-neda" (thank you), but her reaction was almost annoyed in a what-did-you-expect-me-to-do kinda way. After she was done she went right back into the conversation she was engaged in before she started to help. 2) Seoul REALLY is a lot of fun. Especially, with good friends. There are so many areas to explore and events to attend. It h
as world class jazz bars, sports bars, museums, food, theme bars, clubs, cultural events, operas, orchestras and plays - all of which we have explored so little of, but we have many opportunities in the coming months. The night that led up to Mindy's hard morning was really a blast. Mindy and I met up with our friends JJ and Kristin in Itaewon (Seoul's party town) and had a very hazy night *Pictures Here*. No doubt my new mustache greatly improved my own night! Starting at a Mexican restaurant, we moved onto darts, which led to shots of Jaegermeister (yuck), dancing, kettles of soju and juice and eventually wondering the streets of the world's third largest city. We ended up at a McDonald's at 2:30am before checking into a hotel at 3:00am with Seoul still partying well into the morning.After a recent day of exploring Seoul we were finding our way out of the most recent Batman movie in Yatap - by the way if this was a movie blog I would rave about it- when we heard the distinctive high pitched call of a kitten coming from the bushes. This was extremely coincidental considering we had spent the last week or so talking about getting a cat, especially that day. Coming around the corner we saw the tinniest black and white kitten briefly spring from the bushes meowing before running back in. We spent a good 15 minutes looking for it in the dense brush, but to no avail. The next day we went back to find it. We spent a few hours chasing it around the bushes, briefly seeing it, before having to give up yet again. On the third day, yes the third day, we tried a new tactic. Why not try to trap the little bugger! So I put together a rudimentary box trap that was held up by two taped chopsticks (very Korean!) and, when the twine was pulled, the box would, theoretically, trap the kitten inside who was eating the tuna bait
*Pictures Here*. We sat for about an hour in one spot but never saw the cat. We reluctantly packed up only to hear that the cat had been in the adjacent green space! After finding its location I spotted him. He stared at me calling out for his mom. I got to within less than 2 feet of him before he took off into the deep bushes. After this event it was quite hard to leave, so we spent the next hour scurrying through the bushes covered in mud and branch clippings. We are now more determined than ever to catch this cat, or, at the very least, buy a comparable cat to drown out my visions of the lonely lost one! Our cat quest has now evolved its tactics as Mindy's mom has suggested the idea of digging a whole that the cat could fall into when it goes for the food. We are mulling that idea over as the logistics of it might be a little hard, but it is the best idea yet. In Korea, cats are not thought of very fondly. They are considered more pests than anything and, no doubt, this little one was dropped off by its previous owner. Having made eye contact with the little guy made it extremely difficult for me to just forget about it, so we have come up with all sorts of names for him/her.Side note: Dogs are much more respected, but they are also a source of food and recently dog was acknowledged as an official food by Korean parliament, which gave special status to once secret dog breeding camps. Many restaurants serve dog as a meal and it is supposed to be quite tasty. Haven't tried it, yet.
3 comments:
Side note to your side note:
I had dog stew last week with the army officers I teach, and it was the most delicious thing I have had in the Korea. Moreover, it was the most tasty collection of meat I have ever had, which was both pleasantly and disturbingly surprising.
i hate your mustache.
I think that Joe may be right about the mustache. So why not put it to a vote? Scott's mustache stays or goes. Let the people be heard! By the way, what a proud mother I am, voting on whether or not my daughter looks the most drunk. Lovely.
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