Subways and Garbage

Today I decided to ride into Itaewon to walk around a bit. On one of the forums about expat living in Korea I had heard about a store that has a lot of foreign goods. It's run by a little old Korean lady who buys stuff in bulk from Costco, and other things from soldiers. It's a little hole in the wall store with no signs. It was interesting to see all of the stuff from home, but most of it was ridiculously expensive. I think I may buy a Costco membership so I can buy some of the stuff I eat regularly in bulk.

Apparently it was "little kids should talk to Kevin on the subway" day. It has happened before, but it seemed like the parents of these kids were trying to get them to practice their English with me. One of the kids was an adorable little boy with curly hair. Another one was a girl with her whole family. Most of the questions were simple and I felt bad for some of the kids because they seemed really nervous. I made sure to be nice and tell them they were doing well so that their parents wouldn't disown them.

While I was walking around in Itaewon two girls were carrying around a huge teddy bear. I spotted them walking my way and started smiling because they looked ridiculous. They came up to me and asked if I would hold the bear so they could take a picture of me with it. I put the bear up on my shoulders and smiled for the camera. They never told me what it was for, but it was so funny I had to do it.

Garbage collection here is different than back home. I still haven't figured out if it is collected every day or if there are certain days you are supposed to put it out. I do know that you are only supposed to put it out from 9 to 11 pm. You also have to buy special garbage bags from the grocery store, otherwise you can get fined. These aren't normal garbage bags. They are basically the plastic bags you would get at a grocery store to carry your stuff home with. They come in different sizes and you have to be sure to get the right one for your neighborhood. I have been living off of the ones that the owner of my school gave me when I moved in. I am running low, so I looked for them at the store. I couldn't find them. Luckily I saw a lady buy them today. You have to ask for them at the checkout counter. They come in 10, 20, 50, and 100 liter sizes.

All of the teachers at my school have been commenting about the weight I have lost since I have gotten here. They are all worried I am not eating or that I am sick. I am just now starting to notice the lost weight, but I guess it is more than I thought. It's just a guess, but I think it is because of the food choices available to me. My neighborhood doesn't have any fast food places within walking distance. If I want bread, I can't get it at the supermarket. I have to go to a bakery. They have a really good whole grain bread with tons of different grains. I have to cook almost everything fresh since I don't know what most of the prepackaged foods are. It also helps that I have to walk to most places.

I'm going to try and find some postcards to send home. If you would like to get some mail from Korea then send me your address. I have a couple people's addresses since they have sent me mail here.