Various stories from the past few days...

For the few of you who have urged me to post more often, I apologize. Once I get into my apartment next Monday, things should become a little more consistent. With that being said, here are a few sparkling moments I've had recently:

1) After leaving a BBQ held by the departing teachers from my hagwon (in short: good time, no normal-size buns in Korea, Hite beer is a little watered down, the rooftop on which it was held could potentially be dangerous when I'm plastered), I had the pleasure of riding in the best cab in Korea. The driver was initially quiet, but I saw him reaching for a tape in the glove compartment. Once popped in, the dulcet sounds of Julio Iglesias filled the cabin, and the driver smiled at me and nodded, "Julio Iglesias?" Having broken the ice, he told me in pidgin English that he had been to America--NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco specifically-- and enjoyed it very much. We had a stunted conversation about gimchi and Korean pronunciation, and he told me which landmarks other cab drivers would know so that I could more easily explain how to get back to my motel. All in all, a great dude, and I tipped him nicely, despite it not being necessary here.

2) I went to what I've heard called an Orange Restaurant for the first time by myself yesterday. These places are all over the area by my hagwon, so apparently it's important to understand what you're doing there. I ordered gimchi bokkumbop (egg over fried rice with seaweed served with a side of kimchi), since I'd had some on an earlier excursion with some other foreign teachers and liked it. A father and his three kids sat at a table next to me, and throughout my meal, these kids would come up to me and say hello, smiling ear-to-ear. Apparently this is something you get used to; many parents, when seeing foreigners, want their children to show off their English skills in a natural setting, and I have no problem since typically the kids are adorable. Anyways, I'm glad that I got through the whole ordeal unscathed, and the woman serving me even gave me a menu with items that she thought I'd like circled. This story lacks excitement, but sometimes even little things like this seem adventurous as hell when you first get here, especially when you're not under the watchful eye of the experienced foreigners.

3) Don't even get me started on the food here; the prices are outrageously cheap, but the quality is almost always insanely good. The best thing I've had so far is Mandu (dumplings stuffed with pork and vegetables drowned in a sweet sauce), which is very American of me, but oh well. A plateful (10-12 thick dumplings) cost 3000 won ($3.00). My first day here, Mike Hughes and I went to a bulgolgi place, not knowing at the time what it was. Again, for 3000 won a piece, we got a huge bowl of bulgolgi (marinated beef) that was cooked on a metal plate in front of us. Along with that, there were freshly-cooked slices of garlic, some kind of potato cakes, and fresh lettuce to wrap everything within. If I'm having a difficult time explaining this, it's because with every meal you seem to get at least 4-5 free sides that you apparently incorporate into the main dish. Actually, describing food is not a strength of mine, so I should probably keep myself from doing it until I get more well-versed. Long story short, the food is good and really cheap, and like I told some people already, you could probably eat at a different restaurant every day of the year and not have to leave a one-mile radius.

4) An older teacher named Mary has been showing me around over the past couple of days, despite the fact that when we first hung out we had to respond to an older Korean man who asked us whether we were "intimate friends". Blushes, of course, spread like wildfire during this exchange. Anyways, she showed me the subway system and took me to Hauendae, the most popular beach-front in Pusan. First off, the subway is really easy to use, with only two main lines existing right now; a third one is apparently set to open by the end of the year, thus all of the construction in my area. The trains are very clean compared to ones in other cities I've visited, and stops are both numbered and in English, making it the least intimidating way of getting around in Korea that I've found so far.

There are plenty of pictures of Haeundae that I'll put up once I get to the apartment, so I'm not going to waste too much time trying to put it into words. It was a hazy day for summertime in Pusan, so the beach was pretty empty relative to some of the stories I've heard; apparently at it's busiest, over a million people crowd onto the sand and boardwalk there, and having glanced at a tourist guide or two, it seemed to me that there would be an ocean of umbrellas dominating the beach when I got there. Alas, there were only a few groups of kids on a field trip, a bunch of older Koreans employed to keep the area clean (can be identified by bright yellow shirts), and a couple of other groups not so easily classified. Still, the fish market (not as large as Gwangali (I think that's what it's called)) was amazing to peruse, with octopi and eel just as common as the seafood you'd find in the States. According to Mary, if you buy eel there, the shop owner will chop it up in front of you and you can eat its segments as they still squirm. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that just yet. The main aquarium in Pusan was also right off the beach there, and this is where I plan on scuba diving in the shark tank once some of the other STL folks arrive here.

Mary, Mike, and I only had an hour or two to spend here before school started, but it was enough to convince me that I'll need to go back before it becomes too cold to swim. I also went to my first Korean Dunkin' Donuts, which is home to the one American delicacy that I will feel no guilt feasting on.

That's all for now... thanks for your continued support.