Mood:
rushed**Take a look at the "All Good Things Must Come To An End" entry for this will make more sense**
DRIVING -- A definite not miss
I've been out and about like crazy trying to get all my ducks in a row for the move. That includes getting all of those last minute items that I won't be able to find in the US. During such an excursion I got myself lost and ended up deep in the bowels of Taegu. Every street I turned down became more narrow and less foreigner friendly. I saw things I won't bother to repeat now. Trust me, it's better you don't know.
I really should have been completely frustrated, but just had an overwhelming sense of apathy. Even though there was no exit strategy in sight I just didn't care. At some point I had to find my way back to civilization. That myth of falling off the edge of the earth was disproved wasn't it?
The alley I was on ended up T-ing into a wide brick sidewalk. I pondered my options. I could back up and turn down yet another alley leading to who knows where or I could cruise down the sidewalk. Sidewalk driving in Korea isn't unheard of and I was in no mood to try the obstacle course in reverse. So sidewalk it was.
At first it was actually wider than the street I'd just left -- can you smell the irony? But then I was driving past stores. Stores that used part of the sidewalk to display their products. Stores that people parked their mopeds outside of. I got as far as I could go then was stuck.
My car couldn't fit through the sidewalk anymore. Plus there were now pedestrians and bikers to contend with. Backing up was not an option. I'd only made it that far because my side mirrors collapse.
With the car drawing attention and my apathy not diminishing there was only one logical option.....fake it. I threw up my hands in hopelessness. I ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head then dropped it to the steering wheel. Oh the stress, the panic, what was I to do?!? How could I ever get out of this mess?!?.......If I don't get an Oscar for that performance heads will roll!
As suspected, the staring crowd started moving mopeds out of the way. (That stupid American) It only offered a few inches on each side, but that's all I needed. I rounded the corner and gently slid into traffic. Problem solved.
I gave countless Koreans a good story to tell the family that night. You could say I'm a humanitarian....of sorts.
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Two For The Miss Column
Four years later and 2 things in Korea still impress me.
1) Service people respond immediately. I’ve called cable guys, phone guys, the gas man…they’ve all been at my apartment within 30 minutes . Or, if I say I’ll be home at 2pm, they meet me at 2pm. None of this “somewhere between 9am and 4pm, sometime during the month of June”.
2) Their accuracy at custom orders. I’ve had countless outfits made by just bringing in some fabric and a picture. Talk about a gift.
My kitchen table is basically oval, but has scalloped edges…If that makes sense. Anywho, it used to have a protective glass top. A rather vigorous wine opening incident cracked said glass top. That was about a year ago. The glass was going to have to be custom cut and that just sounded like more of an ordeal than I could handle on my own. With only weeks left in Korea I broke down and started asking for assistance. I wish I didn’t hate asking for help so much. Come to find out there was a place only minutes from my apartment – go figure. I brought a picture of the table with me and somehow explained that I needed glass for it.
Not surprisingly, they needed to see the table in person. So I hopped in the truck with one of the workers and off we went to my apartment. He traced my table and back to the shop we went. I chose the glass thickness and paid the lady. Assuming this would take a few days, I asked when it would be finished. She said they would do it now. I walked down the street, grabbed a bottle of water, waited a little bit and boom, it was done.
Back in the truck with newly cut glass. It was a perfect fit! The whole thing took about 30 minutes. I did it all on my lunch hour. And the cost for this handiwork? $40. And that was for the thicker glass. The thin stuff would have been $25.
I don’t know how they do it, but I wish they’d share their secret.
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Kalbi Houses -- They Will Be Missed
A quick refresher: kalbi houses are restaurants where you grill meet at your table and have a ton of side dishes. I love eating at these places. The style of dining is best suited for large groups of people so right off the bat the atmosphere is festive. It's also relatively cheap which is always a bonus.
Because the meal involves a grill in the center of the dining table there won't be any places like it in the states -- thank you lawyers. I've been learning how to make various side dishes so I can feed the craving (literally). Next to nothing it's not a bad substitute, but there's nothing like the real thing.
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The Mani/Pedi -- Big Time Miss
All of those pampering beauty treatments: manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, etc. are a lot cheaper over here. It's easy to get spoiled. I'll be getting one more round of beautification before I go. The hands feet and hair will all get a proper send off.
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Squatty Potties -- I can't imagine anyone missing these
It's pretty self explanatory -- a porcelain hole in the ground that you squat over to use the restroom. I think there's a picture of one from my Thailand trip. Modern buildings have the western style "thrones", but the squatty potty is alive and well all over Korea. Hole-in-the-wall restaurants, subway stations, markets, public parks, and rest stops are common squatty potty sites. I was in one today while shopping at one of the underground malls connected to the subway station. Going into the stall I thought, "This may very well be the last time I use one of these." I felt not even an ounce of nostalgia.
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People -- The biggest miss of all
It's not where you are, it's who you're with. This is an undeniable truth in my life. Being associated with the military in Korea means friends are continuously coming and going. It's like a revolving door and not very condusive for putting down roots. On the flip side, it has given me the opportunity to meet some great folks and create good memories.
The handbell choir, the PWOC members, the quilting ladies, all of the TDY folks during exercises, the yoga crew, the BK buddies at work.....and countless others that made my time in Korea a great experience.
