Getting Lunar

(written Saturday afternoon)
Today’s entry comes to you from the third floor of Angel-in-Us Coffee in downtown Daegu. I’m looking down on the bustling streets of the shopping district, drinking some very tasty (albeit expensive) hot chocolate, or hot choco, as you have to call it here if you want people to know what you are saying. Konglish is a funny thing – there are some English loan words that Koreans use all the time that they will just not understand if you use the English pronunciation. Example: if you get into a cab and say “E-mart ka juseyo” the cab driver will either be confused, or repeat, “E-mah-tuh?” to see if that’s what you meant. You can never underestimate the power of the “uh” at the end of a word that ends with a consonant.

On the same level where I am sitting, across the street is the Canadian Students Association, which is interesting. I wonder what they do? I was actually thinking of doing some investigating into Korea’s academic scene. It would be interesting to write an article for a Korean journal, even if I had to get it translated. Speaking of academics, I did some research the other day and discovered that I could take the GRE English Subject Test in Daegu on April 10th. While I’m vehemently against standardized testing, and I’m not really that into the idea of living in the States, it is worth it to keep my options open.
Beside the Canadian Students Association is Davinci Coffee, one of the café chains I haven’t tried yet. Their sign says “The top of pride there is Davinci.”

Speaking of strange English usage, I visited a little underground vintage shop earlier. It felt just like one at home, only with smaller clothes. There I found a t-shirt that said “Hereditaty Infulence,” proving that people really need to spell check t-shirts. I also found a pair of those wonderful Pakistani curl toe shoes that I’ve always wanted. They even fit! But when I took them to the counter, the guy, who I think was Japanese, told me they were just for display and not for sale. Alas the day.

On a totally unrelated note, Koreans run a lot. The Korean staff in the office often run from place to place for no discernable reason. And I find the frequency with which Korean women run particularly because so many of them wear such unconscionably high heels all the time. The constant clacking of high heels everywhere will hopefully stop getting on my nerves with time. I’m also becoming my parents in one oddly specific way: I regularly feel the urge to yell “Pick up your feet!” at strangers on the street who inexplicably drag their feet as if they are Igor.

Do it’s Seolnar, aka Lunar new year, on Monday. So happy new year everybody! We get Monday off of work (woowoo!). We also received a little Korean equivalent of a pizza party during afternoon break on Friday. We ate fish cakes and ddukbokki, which is rice cakes in a very spicy sauce. Every major holiday, apparently, everyone gets a gift from the company. This year, we all got two big boxes of seaweed. What, you ask, will I do with two boxes of seaweed? Absolutely nothing since I don’t even really like seaweed. I’ll eat it if it’s in soup or kimbap but I’ll never cook with it or eat it by itself. I’m thinking of mailing it to Kai.

A funny thing about this area is that a lot of the streets look like the sort of streets that would be pedestrian only but they totally aren’t, even the really narrow ones. So even though everyone walks in the middle of the street anyway, you regularly get honked at and have to move to the side. I just saw the McDonald’s delivery guy (yes Mickey-D’s delivers over here) almost collide with another motorcycle.
Yesterday the glorious Maanda came into town because today she and Bryan are off on a ski trip that they tried to peer pressure me into doing too. I resisted, having not skied since the grade 7 ski trip and having absolutely zero confidence in my skill. So instead I’m spending the weekend kicking back, meeting up with folks (including another former guelphite who is coming in from Busan). Tonight I’m supposed to go to my first ever nonforeigner dominated club, which should be fun. I’ll let you know how it goes.

The guy sitting across from me is singing to himself while working on what ooks to be some kind of workbook. A funny thing that’s been happening recently is that I sometimes see people who look like the Korean equivalent of someone I know from back home / elsewhere in the world. Not any close friends yet, but I’ll let you know if I find any.

Okay time to wrap this baby up. Today’s music rec is Taeyang (one of the members of the very popular group Big Bang) with his solo song “Wedding Dress.” Songs with this particular theme (which you can gather from the video even if you don’t understand the lyrics) always do it for me because I can relate to them an embarrassing degree. Goodtimes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIt6KCwlFPw

Love,
AAA
p.s. I want you all to know that I really do appreciate any comments you want to leave. I suppose it is hard to comment on someone’s personal ramblings but still, feel free.