Oh my goodness y’all, not only did I pass this 200 hour intensive Korean language course but I am also class valedictorian! Wow, what a turnaround from the first day where I wanted to cry through most of class. And to think just a few months ago I worked for someone who regularly implied that I was slow. It’s nice to win one!

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 was at the newly erected emart convenience store buying milk (let’s talk about my dependence on dairy another day) when another strange magical thing happened. Not only did the cashier say more than one word but the friendly older man also spoke English? You’ll probably read below and think “this is what you mean by speak English?” but when I hear zero English on a daily basis (aside from “ice Americano”) any effort impresses me. C: 천팔백 원.C: Eighteen hundred.A: 카드 괜찮아요? (Card is ok?)C: mhm. You like milk?A: um. I like cereal.C: ah. Mix? [makes stirring hand motion]A: yes… [confused at what amounts to excessive amount of convenience…

I was excited to go to the bank to pay my health club bill because it was something I (thought I) knew how to do only to find that the original teller room had been removed because the bank walls have been knocked down and everything else rearranged. I was gone for a week and when I came back two fast food places has shut down, Innisfree had moved from its new location back to its old location four doors down, and a Starbucks had popped up. Two weeks ago there was a convenience store on my corner that has since been gutted and made into a different convenience store.…

Well it finally happened. In between cured pig heads and bags of kimchi and men shouting watermelon prices and the biggest lobster I have EVER seen with claws the size of my face in this never ending maze of a market, I saw two stalls selling meat from a butchered animal that looked very familiar. I wandered closer to look at the sign: 개고기. Yep. Dog meat. No, I did not buy any. I did, however, buy kimchi from the neighboring stall. Shop local, as they say. ****** Disclaimer 1: I have never seen a restaurant that has 개고기 on the menu and I eat out a LOT. It’s simply…

July 25 I am officially an immigrant! Or something. Not only was my visa approved, but I also received the unicorn of E2 visas. On the Korean visa application there is no place to request single or multiple entry and most E2 applicants are automatically assigned single entry, which means they can’t leave the country until they have an official alien card. Alien cards are required but take about a month to process after initial entry. Somehow the Korean powers that be granted me multiple entry so I am free to come and go as I please regardless of a separate ID. Feeling blessed, y’all .

This morning versus this afternoon. Here’s just a friendly reminder that outsourcing our manufacturing for bare bones cost and quick turnaround time to a place “far far away” still has environmental consequences, even if we can’t see (or smell) them.

As you know, the beginning of this class was a hot mess for me. Now it’s been 6 weeks and I’d like to humbly say I have turned it all around. I knew things had really changed when one of the studious Chinese asked ME a question. 70% is passing and not all my classmates are right now, even though they studied like crazy for our midterm. The teacher asked me if I studied a lot for these tests. I said “I didn’t study at all. But I DID hang out with Korean friends.” (You can see my speaking grade is lowest: “your pronunciation and conversation are great but your…