May 12th - Tuesday

Greetings from Korea! I'm finally connected to the internet at home and can post and publish the Kimchi Adventures Blog! Not having internet at home for over two weeks has been lacking in most forms of entertainment. Let's just say that I now have carpal tunnel from playing way too many games of Solitaire and now it's getting to the place in the game that I'm recognizing previous patterns I've already played. I'm so over Solitaire!

If I hadn’t already mentioned this before the school that I teach at is in a very small rural town. The “downtown” area consist of dirty buildings, pot holed roads and too many Hyundais for the narrow streets. I take a shuttle which drops me off about 5 blocks from school and I walk with other students. A lot of students as young as 6 years old walk alone dodging cars, trucks and vans, completely use to the fact that there are no sidewalks and the cars do not slow down even though the streets are filled with kids. Oy, makes me anxious watching them!

During my lunch break I was coming back from the Post Office when I saw a freshly skinned cows head lying in front of a meat shop, awaiting its *final* fate on a piece of soiled cardboard. The butcher came out with an ax in hand and raised the ax above his head and cleaved right between the eyes. Not everyday do I see that in the streets!

Here are a few interesting observations I’ve seen thus far:

“Slippers” or flip flops are worn inside schools
Some public bathrooms offer Western Style basins (sit down) and Korean Style basins (squat)
At a meal, one does not pick up a dish and offer to another person. Only point (open hand-palm up) and suggest
Pushmen: Men who push morning commuters onto the subway due to the congestion (I have yet to witness this but I was told this is very common in Seoul)
Same genders hold hands or link arms; a sign of brotherhood and sisterhood
An elder at the meal table begins the eating first and everyone else follows
Chopsticks are not to left in a bowl of rice. Spoon only
Children bow in the presence of an adult
Men wear dress shoes with a large heel (like Kim Jong Il)
Soup and rice at every meal
NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox baseball caps are very popular
Heterosexual couples dress in identical outfits (usually if they are newlyweds)
Korean women wear heels with everything with at least a 3” heel
Men hold women’s purses

I’m hoping to update this blog at least once a month with interesting and funny stories. I welcome any suggestions and comments to make this site more user friendly or less boring! When I make monthly updates I’ll send the link through email.

In addition, I'll create a photo website so that it’s easier to view more than a few pictures at a time. Once I have created the virtual photo album I’ll send the link via email. Many of my updates will be through Facebook since most of my friends and family members are already signed up, whether they want to admit it or not.

Thank you for all of the wonderful words of support, well wishes and love from everyone!!!
Always grateful,
~Jana~