This lovely post will cover a few things that are new to me such as- grocery stores, smoking, chain restaurants, and apartment living.
The grocery store-
Now, few things make me sigh deeper than when I need to go to the store. At home it was no problem! Hop in the car, drive the mile to Kroger, find EVERYTHING I need for whatever I wanted to cook, place bags in car, and drive home. The only "adventurous" part was when I would morph into a body builder and carry groceries 6 times my weight up the stairs in one trip... and people call that lazy! Pshhh!
In Korea, however, there are a few things that are either really hard to find, nonexistent, or ridiculously expensive at the store. Don't get me wrong, I am surviving just fine, but it is hard to be staring at a delicious Pinterest recipe and you see the one ingredient that you just can't find in a normal grocery store here.
So here is how a trip to our Home Plus goes. Like Target (Oh, how I miss you!), Home Plus also sells clothing. The first floor is where vendors sell clothing. They aren't affiliated with the store. Ride the awesome flat escalator down one floor and you have the non-food section of Home Plus (think small Target). Clothing, Games, Decoration, Kitchenware, and the like can be found on this floor. Head down one more floor and you have the grocery section. In the grocery section your senses will be awakened by the different sights, smells, sounds, and other amazing new sensations at this store. Maybe it will be the smell of the mystery meat they grill everyday by the $8 cheese; or the fish smell that is coming from something in the cracker section. It could be the sound of people yelling in Korean over the loud speaker shouting what I can only imagine are beckonings to try a product on sale; or maybe it's the ladies who bring you into their isle to help you find the items that are on sale. (This is actually really helpful. I have never paid full price for laundry detergent... it's always 2 for 1!) You might experience the feel of your shopping cart careening to the left when everything in your might is guiding it on a straight path. You could see the entire isle of ramen in all its glory. Whatever it may be, your senses will be on overload as you search through the Korean lettering to see if there is a little English to help you better understand what you are purchasing. This is grocery shopping in Korea. When you are done, be sure to load up your grocery bag with wheels, pay for any extra bags you need, and try not to break you leg on the snow-that-is-now-turning-to-ice on your 7 minute walk home.
Here is a giant picture of me and my awesome grocery bag on the way to Costco. I've only been once and I hate it. There were too many people in one place shoving each other. Yuck.I am beyond blessed to have food and be able to buy it without worries. All I'm saying is I'm bringing some stuff back with me after Christmas and when I get home, I may go to Kroger or Tom Thumb and just sit at the little Starbucks there and relish the quiet. :)
Another thing that was truly shocking here was the amount of smokers in Korea. It looks like literally everyone smokes. I never would have thought it. It's truly sad. And with that, here is an anti smoking ad from Thailand that my friend April posted on Facebook a few weeks ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO0qwl5k9R4
So, I mentioned in my last post about how I get lost very easily. Well, that is still true. Things haven't changed in the last few hours. But, you would think that I would remember places I've been by land marks, right? That's how my mom helped me figure out where I was when I was growing up. We turn LEFT at the High School and RIGHT at the Whip In. The thing with Seoul is that... there are the same exact corners everywhere. There is always a Paris Baguette (bakery chain), GS25 (like 711), Skin Food, Fruit Stand, Street Food Stand. I can't ever figure out where I am because it all looks the same. It's a little shameful, but I'm okay with it.
The last thing that is really new is my apartment. Now, I would upload pictures, but that would mean I have to take pictures, which would mean I would have to clean up everything... and I'm not going to do that. It's almost my bed time. I promise to take pictures of my apartment when it's clean... but not now. So, my apartment is actually much bigger than I thought it would be. I have two rooms. One small one (I could fit a bed and a body in there with some room to put my feet on the ground) and the main room. The small room is where I do my laundry and store my recycling. (I'll get to recycling later.) I don't have a dryer so I hang my clothes to dry on a rack and on an extra hanger bar thing (I don't know the name of it) and let them air dry. Then there is my kitchen in my hallway with my two burners. My stove has two settings- Hot and Hell. I've burned more food here than ever in my life at home. It's sad. Across from my kitchen is my bathroom with my beloved heated toilet seat. (Side story- I walked into our school's bathroom this morning only to find ICE ON THE TOILET SEAT! That is how miserable it is to potty at my school. At least I get a leg work out while I avoid placing the buns to the seat. I'm semi afraid they will stick like that kid's tongue in A Christmas Story.) Then you enter the main room. I have a bed that is slightly wider than a twin bed, a couch, a dining room table with two chairs, a coffee table, a bedside table, a bookcase, and a chair. Right now there is also a Christmas tree that I bought at Home Plus. Brownie points to anyone who can tell me which floor I probably found the tree on!
I have all I need. It can get a little cramped, but it's pretty great. The trash is interesting in that I've been illegally throwing recycling into my trash since day one. There are three days set aside for recycling at our building. I've been too afraid to take too much stuff down there because I've heard stories of the old men yelling at people who do it wrong. I usually take my trash out on my way to work or late at night to avoid the same old men so they don't see that I have an empty water bottle in my trash. I sometimes run to the dumpster and back. Hmmm.... after writing that down, I sound horrible. Welp.
Back to apartment living. I don't own keys. I have a magnetic key CARD that lets me in our little elevator rooms and a code entry for my apartment door. It's actually very nice. I just hope this doesn't make a bad habit for me when I go home. I need keys when I go there! There are definite down sides to a keyless entry though. It runs off batteries. When they run out, it stinks. If you accidentally type in one wrong number the keypad locks for about 10 minutes and makes you take a walk. (It doesn't actually make you take a walk, but it's best to do this so you don't keep trying to punch in your code thus delaying the time the keypad will unlock.) For the most part, though. It's great.
The best thing about my apartment is the HEATED FLOORS! I love them. They are genius. They are wonderful. I hope I will be saying the same thing when I get my gas bill for December..... we shall see.
Well, that is all for now.
I am off to my warm bed in this 19 degree weather.
12 days until I go home! Ooooh, that is very Christmasy!
God has been good.
Please keep praying for Rebecca. She has surgery Monday morning and it won't be too much fun. God is good and everything works for His glory.
Love from,
Sara
No comments:
Post a Comment