I hit the pavement one night last week by myself --the first time since i've been here, save for a few steps to and from bus stops before work. It reminded me, somehow, of the 4 hour jaunt from madison to river falls...and strangely enough, i had the same inexplicable comfort of being at home. Living in pre-land 'o bama, my P.O.S. malibu was my temporary asylum from the hustle 'n bustle of everyday life--i cherished those few hours of simplicity. And though i spent a notable moment pondering the big questions, keeping my eye on the "road ahead" didn't seem as imposing as making choices when facing the forks in the road i would have to make in, the then, future. Now that i'm in the land where the streets, sometimes literally, have no names, flashes of that sense of serenity returned. I was able to get lost in my iPod while i read and understood only a handful of the thousands of signs that paint the sides of buildings in byungjeom...(sigh. i miss my car. well, everything about it except the maintenance and cost)
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REPORT CARD
...a solid night of fun for me on FRIDAY. Sadly, the same could not be said for my still ailing co-workers. Apparently something that we ate or drank caused some erratic stomach behavior on saturday for everyone involved but me (SEE FIG. 1). Poor WA BAR. the "bing bong" noise that beckons the affirmative "ne" will be heard with less frequency after that 'lil incident. It's all good in the hood, though. Excluding the time spent with family, i'm excited to explore Korea outside the 5 block radius of my place of work and slumber.
The pay-off from my mini-course on korea (which included a handful of korean movies), came to fruition when i struck a chord with my boss when relating to Tae Guk Gi, an award winning film that followed the plight of a family torn apart by the Korean War. The overworked and mystical man came closer to earth as he described his father, as a police officer, being forced to join the red team while he watched his son go to the blue and the broken family that resulted.
SATURDAY I got to give my sis and her husband, sung jae (kinda ironic--i'm "sung jie" and my brother is "sung jin"--great names come in 3's), a taste of some americanized pseudo italian cuisine. The best ingredient to my version of spaghetti would probably have to be my new favorite vegetable: the korean baby pumpkin. This little green guy could be a cousin, if not an incestuous one at that, of zucchini. They seemed to enjoy it, or at least put on their best happy face while eating it.
I've pretty much gone back in time about a 20 years...every time I get in the car with my family, it takes about 20 minutes for me to pass out. After being entranced by the GPS's rendition of the Seoul City and succumbing to my inevitable nap, I got out of my sis' hyundae and boarded the sub system for the first time since i've landed in Korea. When I arrived at Sun Jin's in Ilsan, I once again stuffed my face with an enormous amount of korean side dishes, soups, and seafood--some of which i still fail to identify. This has been somewhat of a theme while I'm with the Suh's. Even though I've shared with them my misfortune/excuse of gaining 30 lbs in the last 18 mo.'s, and most everything they've had me try on* hasn't quite fit, I get the feeling that they don't believe that I was fed in the last 22 years. Boy, are they misled.
On SUNDAY, after another extensive Korean meal, I went to Incheon and got to see part of the western coast (SEE FIG 2). It was a windy day, and after walking a few planks of the boardwalk, we left to meet up with Hae Mi again; but, not before my mother, in whom I've seen flashes of "gramma" (one of my closest friend's grandmothers who is renowned for her ability to give you food when you don't need it), somehow convinced me that i needed some dak bok gi (think penne, but in rice form), a mysterious broth, and fruit. Funny enough, a few moments later we were all seated cross-legged on the floor around a traditional dinner table for a delicious meal of kal-bi (korean beef bbq, SEE FIG 3). Before leaving Seoul, I went to a man-made lake, played some badminton (SEE FIG 3b), and finally got my hands on another korean language book. For, in the haze that was the 48 hours before my big flight, I somehow couldn't find a way to sacrifice a few ties for this essential tool.
I finished the weekend off with a little party with my sis, her husband, and one of her high school friends (SEE FIG 4). I got to experience the Korean version of ramen...though the american version of the chinese dish seems like child's play compared this flamy salt water. Dizzam, I was mos' def in need of my new baller sweatbands. Luckily it wasn't a first date sichiashun. Then, after a few rounds of soju (korean headache water), mek-ju (beer), and Johnny Walker, Sung Jae had to retire from one of the card games we were exchanging.
OVERALL WEEKEND SCORE: A
*note: I'm often confused when they present me with clothes. without explanation, one of them will just hold up a jacket, shirt, etc. and say, "try on." The occassion of gift-giving has yet to be clearly indentified. It's actually kind of cute. On another interesting sidenote, I've already tried on the 2 largest sizes of the jacket that my Shin Hae (2nd oldest) bought me. Apparently I have monkey arms.
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FIG. 1
FIG. 2
FIG. 3
FIG. 3b
FIG. 4
Thanks for tuning into the latest installment of P or P. Join me next time, as I investigate some of the inner workings of Dongtan Readingtown. Until then, don't do anything your twice engaged grandmother wouldn't do ;)
Post Script: I've been trying to find north amidst the mass of buildings here, but never thought to look to the night sky. In the calm of 3am, I still can't find the north star...
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