Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Farewell

I must say goodbye now, both to my country and to this blog. I had some key goals for this trip: to get insight into my parents' lives, to enjoy meandering with my camera, and to meet my favorite Korean girl group 소녀시대. Even though I didn't get to fully accomplish my last goal, I must say this trip was fantastical. 


I think what really made the trip great was blogging about it. Being a New Kid on the Blog, I didn't quite know what to say or how to say it. Photos helped a lot, though! And I think what's best about blogging is sharing the experience with my friends :)


It was weird not driving for a full month! Instead, I visited this friendly machine (subway ticketing) nearly every day:




Though I didn't get to actually meet my favorite girl group, I did get close:



Very:

Very:

Close:



(shrug)


goodbye everyone ^^





To Whom It May Koncern

On the eve before my flight back to California, I'd like to ask some questions to the country of Korea. 


To Whom It May Koncern,


1. Who exactly started this trend of matching couple's clothes? And why does this public display of awfulness continue?




2. Why, when I ask where’s the bathroom, do you answer “Is it for #1? It’s in the back,” only to mean there’s a brick wall to pee on with an adjacent wall for coverage?


3. Why do you make your dress shirts so transparent that you can see the white tanktops underneath loud and clear?


4. Why do you give out free bottles of this liquid death as an expression of thanks for a large Chinese food order? (It's 112 proof and it tastes like it)




5. How do you make shopping for fake brands so fun? I saw Toms knock-offs, similar in every way, excellent for the name: Tome. I also saw a hoodie with "New York" in bold letters, with an American flag underneath, and then right below that, "Massachusetts." But what makes it really great is that what was supposed to be Massachusetts (which doesn't make sense either) was actually Massachubatts.


6. Why did you sell out Bulgogi to make something so McNasty?




7. Linda, what exactly do you mean? Please help me understand.




8. Why are your bathrooms always such a delight to me? I mean, what young boy, or studly man, wouldn’t want to urinate in this? It was a shame that it only came up to my knees.




9. And, lastly, why?






Sincerely,


Your son

Monday, October 3, 2011

National Museum



Spent one day at Kyobo Bookstore at Gwanghwa Moon. I believe it's the largest bookstore in the country. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, but it was really great to see so many young and old people reading, browsing, and having fun with books. I do wonder, though, if e-books will eventually make this bookstore experience obsolete :( 

Museums, however, will not go obsolete. The National Museum of Korea is massive! 




The day I went, it seemed like it was national student field trip day. There were so many students, all in their school uniforms. Some were there just to play, but others were really inspired by the art and soaking it all in.






This was one of my favorite exhibits. It's an ancient stone tablet with HanMoon inscription, Chinese characters that Koreans absorbed into their language. I just loved the precision and the look of the tablet, though I have no idea what it says!



The museum cafe was a nice pitstop for toasted bagel, cream cheese, and guava juice. And of course, wetnaps. I wonder if there is any other country that gives out more wetnaps than Korea. I especially like the piping hot wet-towels they give on Korean Air flights. Apply that sucker to my face, and ahhhh. I always feel bad though about giving back those dirty towels back to the pretty flight attendants ...




As I was leaving the museum, I caught a sight of a young couple, playing with their 2 small kids on the top of the tall, grand stairs. I had to take a snapshot, and I'm glad I did. I took a lot of photos on this trip, and I think I like this the best. I regret not thinking of asking them if they'd like a copy, though ...



Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Haircut

My trip to Korea would not be complete without a haircut from a Korean salon. My hair was getting shaggy and weighty by my standards, and hair laying flat on my forehead only brings trouble (acne), so I seized the day. Little did I know that this simple errand would result in a very memorable encounter!


I went to a salon I found on the web, and was greeted by a very friendly staff. My stylist was a tall, slender man, also very friendly. The service at this salon was very similar to the Korean salons I've been to in L.A., except for 2 things. Similar were the hairwash before and after the cut, but here, the guy washing my hair gave me the deathly hallows scalp massage. I thought the plates of my skull would break. He probably played piano. But hellish as it was, I liked it. 


What was also different was my stylist at one point applied a disposable clear adhesive visor on my forehead to keep the hair from getting in my eyes and nose. Brilliant! AND, I temporarily joined Visor Nation!


The highlight of the haircut though was the talk I had with the stylist. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him I'm a therapist. He said, "Really? I think I really need some therapy." As we talked, he pretty much poured out his heart, as I (and eavesdropping staff) listened. I won't get into details about what he shared, but all I could do was empathize, and sincerely so. I got the feeling that empathy is something he's not used to getting in his life. He also said that Korea does not have many therapists, but wished there were more. 


As he finished my hair, I asked him if he could tell me the way to my next destination. He not only told me, he walked me out to the street and showed me haha! He gave a deep bow and said he hoped we would one day meet again. I hope so, too. 


Before:
After:


By the way, I really like it when one keeps it real. Drinks no exception.