Food and Funerals

Today is the day we find out which Institutes we are being sent to. But, that doesn't happen until after tea tonight. So I'm not going to talk about that.


Funerals
The Seoul Main institute where we have been treated to orientation is opposite a funeral home, called a Memorial Hall. It seems to have funerals continuously. It's also right next door to the hospital... However, the thing I want to comment on is funeral transport. Several times now I have seen bus loads of people following the hearse as it leaves the funeral home. I guess that it makes sense to have 1 or 2 buses of mourners instead of hundred of cars, given Seoul's traffic, but it is a new and surprising idea. (Having said that, I always thought having a wedding bus instead of bridal cars would be a great idea - a red double decker one!)


Food

I forgot to tell you the second most important discovery from my shopping trip last week - I found a place where I can buy Timtams!! Don't worry too much, I won't be eating many of them. Obtaining them involves a subway ride and I have yet to brave the subway on my own. That is an adventure for next week - or maybe the week after that.

Kimchi - I am making myself eat a tiny bit of kimchi everyday, that way if I get it put in front of me at someone's house I won't embarrass myself. I have found that if you have a tiny bit with lots of rice and wrap the whole thing up with seaweed, and don't chew too much, it doesn't taste too bad.

The Korean's have a unique way of cooking ravioli, instead of boiling and serving with a sauce as the Italian's do, they deep fry it and serve it as a pastry. Is an interesting experience, not distasteful but I have to say I prefer the Italian version.

Korean sushi is called kimbap it is more salty than the Japanese version but I rather like it. Over all I have been enjoying Korean food. Haven't found anything that I refuse to eat yet - well, as long as you only consider the vegetation foods. 


Have seen lots of different grains, nuts, seeds etc in the road side stalls so I'm looking forward to having my seven grain cereal again. A year ago I don't think I would have believed I'd be saying that now. 


And now it is time to get ready for breakfast - which has been almost entirely American food since I got here - everything except this really nice aloe vera drink.

Today's Adventure

Today was not shaping up to be an adventurous one. By the end of tea not an adventure had come my way and then I stumbled into a lovely adventure.

Went for a walk up that 'mountain' I was telling you about on Sabbath (something like 3 posts back) with the intention of getting photo's of the violets I missed on my morning walk the other day. A little old Korean man started talking to me in Korean, was quite concerned that I could not speak Korean. So he started walking with me and giving me a lesson in Korean. The names of flowers and tree's and all sorts of things, most of which I can't remember now - but it as fun in a weird way. At one point he pointed at one of the name tag label thingee's next to a plant, "English, English!" It was the Latin genus and species name of the plant, but I didn't try to correct him just sounded the word out for him. 'Aceraphyllum rossil' if I remember correctly.

With a lot of gesturing and posing we established that he was a Pastor and a Yoga teacher and that I was an English teacher working at the SDA Language Institute. We also swapped names - but I have to confess I have forgotten his ... :-(  Mainly because he introduced himself first and then when I told him that I was Cat and we sorted out that Yes it was 'Cat' and not 'catch' (which involved me saying 'Meow' a lot) he started saying 'you Miss Cat hahahahahaha' and having hysterics and then saying it all over again, several times - to my extreme bemusement. So that unfortunately drove his name right out of my head!

Eventually we came across another man who spoke perfect English and he translated. A very interesting conversation ensued, 'How could I teach English when I didn't speak Korean?' amongst other things. It turns out the man with the perfect English is the Pastor of the College Church which is one of several SDA churches on this compound.

So my day had a lovely adventure after all.

Blog - The Next One ...

Today, after classes and tea, we went to Itaewon, the foreign shopping district, also called America Town apparently. While there I saw lots of new things. And, took photos of many of them.

Most important news from this trip, I found a black twin set!!!!! I have been looking for one of these for two years, totally didn’t expect to find one in Korea, I was only looking for a cardigan and stumbled across treasure!! Exceedingly happy.

The first stop once we got off of the subway was ‘Africa Town’ – a street of shops which apparently looks like it belongs in South Africa. 

Pig Snout with your dinner any one?

Two way traffic on a one way street, and what’s not shown in this picture is the motor bike trying to squeeze around the other side of the hand cart on the right. Apparently the people operating these vehicles have not heard about taking turns ... 

Once out of ‘Africa Town’ we went our separate ways with promises to meet up at 8:30pm in front of KFC. That’s when I found my twin set :-D and also took pics of interesting stuff in shop windows. 

See the incense burner in the middle of the front row? On Friday I saw it in the Museum. You can buy this handsome genuine imitation copy for a mere 150,000 won. (A picture of the original is in my 'Korea – Part 1' album on Facebook.)

Given my hatred of shoe shopping at the best of times, I think we can safely assume that I will never ever ever enter this shop – it is definitely not an example of the ‘best of times’!! 

One thing I really like about Korea is that they have lots of art in public places, these two were in the subway beside an escalator. 

Finally I will again finish my blog with a comment about plumbing. Popped into a ‘Quizno Subs’ to use the bathroom, the toilet seat was violet vinyl ...