Living here means waking up everyday to a new adventure. It can be exciting, frustrating, overwhelming, and then just plain ordinary. I really think I am very lucky to be living here and getting to experience Korea. Here, foreigners are considered "Way-Gook-En". Foreigners tend to stick out like a sore thumb especially where I live. There are not many foreigners living in northern part of Seoul where I am teaching. People here don't stare at you directly but you can feel them looking at you. If you look at them, they will be looking in another direction. But turn back around and you can feel them looking at you again. Sometimes I try to catch somone looking at me. Childish, I know but but amusing. There will be people who stare openly at you but those are few and far between. This is a very polite society.
To get places there a few modes of transportation but mostly you walk. I walk everywhere I go except if its really really far. The school where I work is about 5 minutes walk. The grocery store, and open marker about the same. To get some of the bggere stores like Home Plus, Lotte, or Cosco (which are like a JC Penny, a K-Mart and Wal-mart) can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. We can also take a taxi or a bus. The bus costs about 900 Won (.90 cents) and a taxi starts around 2,400 Won ($2.40). For the transportation, you can either pay in cash or you can get a T-money card. Its a card that you fill up with cash and you can use it to pay for tranportation. You swipe the card in the cab or bus and it takes off what you use. I thought that was so cool.
I hope to you be able to use the transportation soon but I'm still a little scared too. I don't know any Korean yet. You have to be able to understand the stops or tell the cabbie where to go. I don't feel very confortable doing this yet. But Jen told me that it was very easy to learn and very safe. I'm not very confortable trying it yet. I really don't want to end up at the other end of Seoul quite yet.
One of things I have been learning here is how to get around. This neigborhood has lots of high riser apartment neighbors. It also has street after street crowded with neon lights, restaurants, salons, stores etc. To me, everything looks the same. So I get lost a lot and I do mean a ton. The probably is the street signs are in Korean, everything looks the same, and its very easy to get on a wrong street and get turned around. Robert keeps assuring me that I will eventually get a grid in my head and be able to find things but I'm not so sure.
When you do get lost, you can't always find someone to help you. People here, especially the older people, don't speak much English. Somtimes you can find a place or a word that helps them to understand and help you. Many times communication is pointing, sign language and body language to get understood. A couple of days ago, I was going to Home Plus (a large store) and I got terribly lost. I just went up to people and startings saying "Home Plus?" They would point me in the right direction. But one guy started waxing eloquent in Korean. He must have been giving me detailed directions but I didn't understand a word. I just nodded and smiled, then nodded and smiled some more. At the end, smiled and thanked him. I had no idea what he told me but I understand he pointed straight ahead. I guess that part of adjusting to life here. Ahh the joys of being a "Way-Gook-En"
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