Observations

A few of you have asked about the food and culture so here is a random list of observations I have made over the last few weeks:

It's next to impossible to find a napkin in a restaurant. You might get a wet nap or a cocktail napkin, if you are lucky, but often they will give you Kleenex if you ask.

There are 100's of types of Kimchee and it is served with every meal. Even Italian.

"Personal Space" is as foreign to Korean's as Brazilian politics. I have been elbowed and shoved more than you can imagine. It's not a matter of rudeness but rather that there are simply so many people and so little space.

Copyright infringement is also a foreign concept, as the Michigan Dental logo or Batman lounge attest. Many of the main brands here look identical to American or European brand...just slightly different. It's fascinating to me due to my background in design.

Traffic is insane. I haven't seen anyone get hit yet but I know it is just a matter of time.

Although mostly reserved in nature, there is not as must stigma here about sex. You have to ask for tylenol at the pharmacy but you can buy 14 types of condoms and lube. At the movie theatre there was a commercial for birth control suppositories - I could tell from the imagery and not the text, if that tells you anything.

It is also standard to have photos taken of your newborn baby boy with his penis prominently displayed. I've seen a few in shop windows or during the birthday parties hosted at Amigo's. I think in American the parents would be accused of child pornography, when in fact, they are just proud.

There is a pretty big entertainment industry here, but I see American's selling a lot of stuff. Or a commercial might have Linkin' Park playing in the background. I find the contrast interesting - Korean speech and English lyrics.

As my brother mentioned, the main streets here are incredibly wide. I hadn't really noticed until it was called out but now it seems so obvious. Most of the big streets have 4-6 lanes of traffic in each direction. And it still never moves.

They like it warm here. I have a fan at my desk and wear short sleeves. My office mates are always complaining of being cold.

I love Clive Owen. That has nothing to do with this list except that he is on the TV looking wonderful.

I think I mentioned the address system, or lack thereof. It's very odd to show a cab driver a map & an address and have him be clueless on how to get there.

Although not much different than America, people don't tend to venture out of their neighborhoods often. When I told my office mates that I rode the subway to Gwacheon, a 20 minute trip, they were floored that I had traveled so far. S had not been to Itaewon in over 7 years, though it is merely a $5 cab ride away.

Cabs are cheap. Which is awesome, provided and you can convince the driver where to go.

I don't like the electrical outlets - they are too loosely attached to the wall and inconveniently placed - using the hair dryer over the toilet doesn't seem to safe to me.

Vendors hawk their items with a megaphone while driving through the streets. The first week here I thought we were about to experience a coup. Turns out it was just a sale on strawberries.

I'm sure there are tons more but I've prattled on long enough for today. Love you all!