The World According to Keri

I thought it might be kinda interesting to revisit the "Things that will take some getting used to" email that I sent back in October, when I first arrived. Have I gotten used to these things? Have they improved in any way?

1. Squat toilets - Ok.. I've gotten more used to them, but they're still gross and I would much prefer not to use them. I've seen some pretty disgusting ones since I've been here, and I don't always have tissue with me. I usually end up asking a random Korean woman for some "tish juseyo" (can I have some tissue please)

2. General hygene - Koreans still lack in this department, however I've noticed that it only seems to be in the smaller cities. Seoul has some amazing facilities with fancy toilets, handsoap AND paper towel. The bathroom near my classroom now has soap (supplied by my co-teacher) and one of our lessons is actual called "Wash your hands" which I constantly remind my studens about when I see them running out of the bathroom. I've also been noticing more tv advertisements mentioning the importance of hand-washing. Step by step.

3. Women urinating in public - Thankfully, I have not seen this happen again. Not saying it doesn't happen - I'm sure it does - I just haven't seen it.

4. Snorting/Horking - I often hear the lovely sound of very loud snorting followed by a good ol' hork. Either outside my window or while walking down the street. It's usually an older Korean man... It's very gross. I don't think I'll get used to this one. - I was right. I'm not used to it. In fact, I've noticed young guys doing it too... right as I walk by them. Do they think this is attractive???

5. The air - I think I've actually adjusted to the air. I usually have some congestion, but it's not bad and I think all Koreans have it. I'm lucky. My friend Lisa has been in this country for almost two years and has had countless sinus infections. She just recently got a tonsil infection and started to notice redness in the lid of one of her eyes. She thought maybe it was a stye or pink eye, but no... the doctor said it's an allergic reaction to the air. Poor girl's body really doesn't like this country.

6. Ajumas (older women)- They are still really annoying, but I've gotten more used to it and try not to get annoyed too much. I've also learned a couple of Korean expressions to shock them and get them out of my way. hehe

7. Bugs on store-bought veggies - I think I've learned what kind of veggies to buy and what not to buy. I haven't had any scary bug experiences again... yet.

8. Korean eggs - I think this has actually gotten worse for me. It's kinda hit or miss. Some of my 'miss'es have been pretty icky - sticky, feathery stuff stuck to the outside of the egg.

9. Traffic lights - Waiting time definitely hasn't gotten any shorter, but I've learned the traffic light patterns and can make a quick jump ahead of light-changing time. I've gotten much braver with the J-walking thing too.

10. There wasn't a tenth item last time, but I'll add one here. With the seasons changing and weather getting quite warm, I've got a new thing to get used to - Korean bugs. I've had a big beetle-type thing in my apartment and a long centipede kinda thing. Korean bugs seem to be bigger than Canadian ones. The bees that fly into the classroom are huge too.. and frequent. And now I've got crazy fruit fly issues in my kitchen. Apparently my friends have the same problem.

I guess the overall summary is that things haven't really changed too much, but I'm definitely toughening up and learning the art of patience and a positive attitude. The big bugs really didn't bother me as much as I would have thought - but I'll knock on wood cause the hot/rainy season has only just begun!

*I thought about adding some pictures to this entry, but I don't have any at the moment. Maybe I'll throw in a squat toilet and an ajuma sometime in the near future.