It's a Tuesday evening and I have a Pav in the oven and peace in my heart. It's one of those quiet nights after a grey and drizzly day where the air is still and fresh and all I can hear is a drum beating a complicated cadence in the distance. That and the clock ticking as I wait for the pav to cook.
There is so much to tell about the last week and a half and I have no idea where to begin. I think I'll just begin with today and work backwards, see how far I get tonight and then add anecdotes as I have time.
Today is Buddha's birthday, a national holiday in Korea, which means we got another day off school. I'm currently quite fond of Buddha! Sinny, my flatmate and I went to a free showing of Nanta, which apparently normally costs something like $100. It's a mimed musical about a set of chefs preparing for a wedding banquet. Lots of traditional drumming and and other antics using kitchen utensils, knives pots, pans and just about anything else as the drums and/or drum sticks. Exceedingly well done, I loved it. Then we had tea at an Indian/Nepalese Restaurant called Everest - I had excellent Palak Paneer and got the card with a map so that I can go there again :-) (Catch the subway to Dongdaemun leave the station via exit 2 (I think) take 3 steps and look up - the sign will be just above your head and the door is on your right (or possibly left) - restaurant is on the second floor.)
One thing I am learning in Korea is to look up and down. Often what you're looking for is on the second floor - or third, or forth ... or under the ground.
Something that has surprised me since I got here is that Koreans are quite tall. I had expected them to be short - another of those stereotypes I didn't know I had until it was proved wrong. Over the last few days I have noticed however that while they are tall they often have long torso's and short legs, I guess that's one reason the women like to wear high heels - makes their legs appear longer.
Another thing I've noticed is a lack of flower shops, I've seen a few garden type shops where you can buy pot plants. But I don't like to buy pot plants, they come with a guilt factor as I know without a doubt that any plant I buy is doomed to death in about three week. However cut flowers do not have this guilt, they are to be enjoyed and disposed of. Sinny assures me that there are flower shops in Seoul, just not near where we live. I shall have to search one out. Today I found a lilac tree blooming just outside my bedroom window - if I look slightly left (or possibly right) and down.
Our apartment is on the second floor of the apartment building, there is a lift but I have not used it - except when I arrived with my suitcases. I can climb the stairs faster than it takes the lift to arrive to collect me. To get to work all I have to do is walk down stairs, out of my building through the carpark, across the road and then take the lift to the 4th floor of the building directly opposite the carpark gate. Can be at work in about 1 min. 2 if I have to wait for the lift.
Something interesting about our apartment - the ceilings are wallpapered with the same pattern as is on the walls. It makes the rooms feel smaller somehow. One person described it as being in an inside out present.
It's now time to turn the oven off, so I shall wish you good night and post this blog.
Until next time...
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