Week One

To still a line from the Wizard of Oz, “There is no place like home।” There are places that may resemble home and even make you feel like you’re at home, but really there is nothing like being home. As I have surpassed my first week here in South Korea I have already started to notice the things I have a better appreciation for in the states. For one I appreciate having a bathtub. I know when I got off that long 24 hour air trip I wished I could soak in a bathtub, but no that was not an option. Since I am talking about bathing I should jump into my second appreciation. I really appreciate our indoor plumbing. Yes, before you crazy American’s start the rumor that they don’t have indoor plumbing, they do. However, in the bathrooms many of the apartments don’t have a drain in the shower. “Where then is the drain” you ask, the drain is in the middle of the bathroom floor. So, when taking a shower the interior bathroom gets wet. I guess the other thing I would have to say that I appreciate would be red lights. Now, you may be thinking, “Why would she care about red lights?” Oh, but red lights are wonderful, especially when you are walking across the street with the right away, but the driver stops and decides no, he wants to go again. Yeah, here you don’t have a right away; you have the right to get the hell out of the way before you get hit. No joke, I have been at a light, which by the way, everyone stops at and there is no jay walking. People wait for lights to change to green before proceeding across the street, but you must be mindful of the drivers because they don’t mind running lights or stopping and deciding then that they want to go again. The last thing I would say that I appreciate at this time would be having reasonable prices on items. Here things are really expensive because most of everything is imported because Korea doesn’t have natural resources. So, food is imported in most cases. Oh, and an example of something that I thought was too crazy was the price of a microwave. Yes, I said microwave. In the states you can go get a microwave for about $25 to $50, and here it would cost about $200 t0 $500. However, overall I really can’t complain. I am enjoying this time in Korea and I work with some wonderful people who are really helpful, and they make things easier. Home will always be home and there will never be anything that can replace it, but it’s is wonderful to be able to step outside the box and see first-hand how other people are living. I appreciate being able have this opportunity, so until next week look around you and be thankful for what you do have.

Yes, I have tried the food. Not really a fan, but hey I tried it.
Yes, I walk my ass off, and now I have a bike.
No, I can’t speak the language yet, but I try every day.
And this week I am much better than I was last week, so that is all the really matters.