Reflections: Month 6

Woot Woot! I've hit my 6th month mark! 

Since this is kind of a big deal, I thought I would make this reflection a bit different. I've come up with a few lists of things that I want to share with you guys. 

*What I Love About Korea*

-Public Transportation- While I personally think the bus drivers drive with the sole purpose of trying to make me car sick, I really do love the public transportation. I do kinda miss having a car, but I love how easy it is to get around here. 

-How Cheap It Is Here- Okay first let me explain- we lived in Hawaii for a few years before coming to Korea, so everything seems cheap to us. For example, our weekly grocery budget is about $100 and we hardly ever spend all of that. 

-Korean Barbecue-  Yum 

-The Proximity to other Asian Countries- One of the main reasons we moved here was to travel, so it's a pretty cool perk to being here. 

- The Fast Internet- Oh yeah- so so fast

-The Safety- Even though we are in a city- we are safe. Korea is so safe. 

-The 'Coffee' Shops- (Don't worry Abuela- we drink hot chocolate.) I just love that there are so many coffee shops everywhere. 

-Things to Do- There is so much for us to explore! 

*What Drives Me Crazy*

-The Smoking- oh the smoking! I can't stand it. It seems like everyone smokes here. 

-The Driving- OMG! So crazy. Everyone is just looking out for themselves and don't care what happens in the process. I have witnessed two car vs. motorcycle accidents and it was horrible. I also see a lot of children not wearing seat belts and women holding babies in their laps while in the front seat! 

-The Drinking-  Koreans seem to pride themselves on being able to drink and drink and drink. 

-The Looks- This has been the hardest thing for me- People tend to stare at me and I don't really like it. What bothers me the most is when I smile at them and try to show like 'Hey- I'm not an axe murdering American' and they just keep staring. And it's like a mean stare and sometimes for a long period of time... It drives me up the wall!

-Cost of Shipping- Holy Crap- the shipping. {Sorry mom} 

*What I Miss*

- Having a Dryer- I have learned it's possible to live without a dryer, but it is so much nicer to have one.  Matt is the one that does laundry, and I know he hates having to hang our clothes every time he does laundry. Plus, hang drying jeans is a pain in the butt! 

-Food Diversity- While we live relatively close to Itaewon where we can get all sorts of different food, it's not as easy as what we are used to back in America. I miss going out to Mexican. And oh oh- I miss deli sandwiches... for real... I could go for a nice turkey provolone from Jersey Mikes... or a nice Publix Sub... or Chick-fil-A... mmmmmm

-Snack/ Junk Food- Seriously- Living here has made me crave the strangest things. Things that I could only get in the states. I even crave things that I haven't eaten in years... things that weren't part of my diet back home. But it's like not being able to have them- makes me want them

-Target- Need I explain... 

-The Holidays Teachers Get- Korea is a work work work country, so our breaks are few and far between. And they are usually like 1 day off. When I was a teacher in the states I felt like I always got a break. 

*Things I've Picked Up* 

-Bowing- I bow to literally everyone. I bow to the man that sells chicken on the side of the road. I bow to my bus driver. I bow bow bow. 

-Chopsticks- I picked this up within my first week here, but I'm still proud. 

-Calling People Over- Okay- in Korea when you want someone to come over to you- you put your palm down and cup your fingers kinda like you're digging a hole. In the states, we call people over with palm up and fingers coming towards your body- but this is pretty rude in Korean

 {Watch this video for more explanation} 

-Saying No- When saying no, people usually will give you the X sign. Which means, with their fingers, or arms- they will make an X to say no. So now- I am all about the arm X. Whenever I say no- I throw up the X. At first it was really funny, but now it's just part of my daily life. 

I also started saying the No after what I don't want. For example, I will say 'onions no' instead of 'no onions'  

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Korea Will Change You 

For real, I am a different person than I was 6 months ago. I am a little more tolerant. I am a little more global. I am still homesick, and I still miss a lot of things, but I do love it here. 

Matt and I have really enjoyed our time in Korea, and can't wait to see what the next 6 months has in store for us. 

{Links to my other reflections}