I bought index cards, I found the foreigner coffee shop, I forgot my phone at the stationary store, I left the coffee shop to retrieve my phone, I returned to the coffee shop to cram more vocab words in my already bruised brain, and I ate more things.

It took a whole morning but I finally built up the courage to go to lunch. I passed by a steak restaurant and went upstairs. This is the Dublin which has no steak but does have pork and chicken. There was also a pot of gravy for everyone to dip out of. Special thanks to the young man who came out behind the counter to signal that on the ordering screen two of the menu items were not available: “uh these not *makes x with arms*”.

I have never felt so at home in a foreign country as I did today squatting amongst piles of used clothing, tossing shirts from side to side to find the best deal at the bottom. In Korea, thrift finds you. I went to Dongmyo with the intention of finding a vintage store I passed the previous day. Instead I came up on blocks and blocks and blocks of indoor and outdoor tents selling used clothes. I never did get to my originally intended destination, but I’m realizing that’s just the type of city Seoul is. I came out of the thrift blocks then rows of pet shops then rows of…

I met a new Korean friend who is hosting a female language exchange with Russian/Hong Kong/Chinese/Panamanian members, took the bus, walked a mile uphill through Korea University campus, successfully proved my skills at the rink. A group of kids were playing around in front of me in the penalty box and it made me happy that they didn’t think twice about the only foreigner in the building. I also told a kid I thought his laces were cool (“와, 대박…좋아요”) but he got shy and didn’t look at me. His coach did, though.

An older man saw me studying at the convenience store (it was the only place open before 8 AM) and insisted on giving me a piece of gum and teaching me the correct pronunciation. I asked him if he could help me spell it and he rewarded me with extra candy from his bag. Maybe he secretly works for the Ministry of Korean Affairs, riding around on his bike playing 1960s Korean ballads trying to encourage foreigners to speak Korean. I can only guess.

Have you ever had a nightmare where you were late to your class and the teacher asked you to introduce yourself but you couldn’t and the whole class thought you were dumb? Don’t worry, I have now lived that for you. After taking a late placement test, I was assigned to a lower level than expected (disappointing) whose class already started. By the time I found the bookstore and returned, I was two hours late and entered a classroom so small no one could miss me. I had the classic “oh no where do I sit” and ended up next to a surly Chinese teenager who would later have his…

June 4 I made my first new Korean friend ♥️ She is the AirBnb matriarch and a lovely woman. She forces me to use Korean numbers and took me shopping for necessary items like soap and light up flamingos. After a long trip at Lotte Mart where I seriously debated on a cactus, we ate 순대, 떡볶이, 오뎅 (blood sausage, rice cake, fish cake). Let me tell you, fresh 순대 is a game changer. The cashier lady asked if I needed a fork which I refused (“알아서, 알아서”) because my chopstick game is STRONG but she also had some psychic powers because she pointed me towards the napkins before I…

June 4, 2019 I made it.