Life is Good.

This past week I realized that i spend way too much money on cabs to and from school. So I started taking the bus half way and walking the second half (in the morning). I have to walk along a really interesting bustling street. There are a fury of old women preparing their items to sell under a colourful display of umbrellas and canopies. The smell is breathtaking...literally. Each vendor is selling sea food..and this is not the sea food we know from home. Skate, sea squirt, sea cucumber, skate and fish large and small. EVERYONE stares at me as I walk through their stalls on my way to school but i don't care..it is soo fun to see what they have writhing in buckets along the sidewalk. It really makes my day. It's SO much more interesting than taking a taxi.

On Tuesday of last week I also walked home..(different route). On my way I happened to notice an outdoor store and thought I'd take a peek. As soon as i walked in, the owner jumped up and ran over to greet me. He saw that I was browsing in the clothing and probably thought to himself..."A WAYGOOK...Dammit..she thinks she might fit into clothes here..how do i break it to her?" Well he proceeded to "squish" my arm as he asked me where i was from and what my name was in broken English. (I guess i look squishy..lol) Then he held up different shirts to me to see if they would be the appropriate size...

When I was on my way out the door, I said goodbye in Korean and was down the sidewalk...only to be beckoned back into the store and further "squished"..
He sat me down at a table with a Korean woman decked out in Hiking garb. He offered me tea and coffee and then handed me his business cards...we "chatted/played charades" for a few minutes discussing hiking and which mountains I'd hiked in Korea. This made him very happy. He then wrote a letter to me (in Korean)..which i think was outlining a "Hiking Club" that he runs from his store and that i should join it. All in all i was there for about 1/2 an hour before i finished my tea..gave the celebrity handshake and wave and continued home. Some days i get so sick of feeling like an amusement park attraction...but others i just love the kindness that people here show you and of course the interest in someone "different" from them..squishy in fact.