August 11, Itaewon

Itaewon is a non-Asian-foreigner district right of the US army base where stores proudly advertise”BIG CLOTHES”.

I live on the east side of the city where things are a lot less international and a lot more sleepy so wandering through hilly, narrow, crowded streets with different neon signs in English, Thai, and Arabic was a jolt to the system.

There were falafel stands and pancake houses and hip hop bars and 24 hour cafes and buskers. I went to a vegan restaurant where the waitresses were American and I could actually eavesdrop on people’s conversations (“so should I date this guy? Should I chase love?”), a pastime I didn’t realize I sorely missed.

Itaewon is a whole new world, the Upside Down of my little neighborhood.