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Thursday, August 7, 2008
what started out as a torturous voyage i was dreading turned into a fantastic vacation that i have regrets leaving. while it is true that i'm ecstatic to be leaving for home, due to my friends there, addie, my room, a car, and an actual BED, there are many things that i'm going to miss about korea. such as.... the aggravating, yet constant buzz of the (giant, bird-like) cicadas, the rumbling of the subway only a few stories below the pavement, the swarms of thousands of similar looking people pushing past me on the street, the sound of children shrieking gleefully from the playground beside the apartment, the lack of any buildings with below 10 stories, the friendly members of the church we've been attending here, the easy, cheap transportation (subway = love), the chance of meeting someone new in the apartment elevator everyday, the cheerful little stationary stores sitting on every street, the demanding vendors, the fact that every female here is completely in fashion, karaoke rooms (nori-bang), the (usually repulsive) food, the glass storage cases in front of every restaurant that has plastic samples of the food to be eaten inside, the cuuuute korean guys (yes, i admit that i now think that korean guys are cute) who all look the same, the thrill of being in a city where I know practically no one, therefore being able to be whoever i want to be, the comfortable/chic bookstores, and maybe most of all, the ping-su. i'll miss the fads that go completely overboard, like the unflattering thick, black-framed glasses that practically everyone wears, astigmatism or not, waffles for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks (they're delicious! i see why everyone likes them), baggy short-shorts, frilly, lacy things, healthy drinks, ridiculously high heels (to make up for everyone's shortness, i guess), chains of cheap make-up stores, seafood flavored snacks, everyone getting plastic surgery to look like westerners, silly english sentences on notebooks and t-shirts that make absolutely no sense, and dramas (soap operas) on TV. oh, and i'm disappointed that we're leaving just as i finally made a friend. there are a few things that i won't miss about korea though, like... the fact that every single freaking girl here is a size zero, so it's extremely difficult to find any cute clothing that fits, not being able to hang out with my friends whenever i feel like it, having to exercise every morning, walking at least 4 kilometers a day (not including said exercise), getting carsick when i actually get to ride in a car, the lack of american movies, not being able to have a bed, and most of all, having to follow every single ridiculous rule my grandmother can think of to torture us with (SHUT THAT DOOR! CLOSE THE TOILET LID! DON'T USE THAT LIGHT! NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, SIT ON MY COUCH!!!!!!!!!! DON'T SIT ON MY CHAIR AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE! CLOSE THE CLOSET DOORS! WASH YOUR FEET RIGHT NOW! DON'T WEAR THOSE SHOES! DON'T LET THAT BAG TOUCH THE GROUND! DON'T TOUCH THAT HANDRAIL! etc.) |
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❝ The only excuse for making a useless thing
is that one enjoys it immensely;
All art is useless. ❞
