(no subject)
- ... this pillow is stupid and I hate it. It's so tall, why. This has gotta be bad for one's neck.
- Re: Jack's question on how people feel about Obama. South Koreans apparently like him very much, but as for why, it was difficult to get what I consider a good answer. The one my cousin gave me was that he says a lot of good things about the country, and so Koreans like him in return, which in a way is very typical of 90% of the people I know. My cousin is also not the most politically minded, so it's hard to say.
- It's hard to look at Seoul and NOT think "I want this for America". I can see why Obama does. It's unbelievable. AMAZINGLY fast net access, public transportation, cleanliness, low crime rates (partially a cultural thing, partially a gun control thing, partially a prosperous economy thing, etc.) efficiency (I've not seen a single pothole here, wtf. I'm sure they exist, but WHERE??? Possibly in more rural areas?) and the city itself is so artistically gorgeous. There's so many buildings that don't HAVE to be beautiful, but they are. I've never seen anything like it.
Don't think that I'm becoming one of those strongly nationalist Koreans that won't hear a bad thing about their country, because I am not. I don't love everything I see here, but there is a lot to love. A lot I want to see back home in the US. It makes me upset that there are reasons we can't have nice things. I hate thinking it, but being in Korea makes me feel that the US is really falling behind. I've heard it in political speeches before, but there's nothing like seeing another first world country doing it -better- to drive it home. Again, that makes me upset. And sad. And angry.
- Finding that I connect more with the historical sites than with modern Korea. As a friend of mine put it, it's hard to be truly uniquely modern in the internet age, but every country's history is their own. We visited one of several palaces in Korea, built in the 15th century, and THAT'S when I started to feel like "okay, I'm cool with claiming this as my own"
- this lollipop. I need to see if I can get this in the States.
- Have I talked about how pretty this city is yet? In some of the outlying areas, old architecture blends with modern glass buildings and the effect is so... fffff interesting. I could spend a month here and not see everything I want to see.
- tighter control on medication here. Interesting. I wish I knew why that was.
- what the FUCK this blueberry almond waffle funnel cake thing is AMAZING
- still trying to find a turtle for Scab. I draw the line at chintzy kitsch turtles shittily carved out of Random Rock Being Sold As Jade, There Is No Way That Is Jade Fuck You If That Is Jade, I Could Shit Better Jade After Eating A Lot Of Broccoli
- Seriously That Is Not Coral Fuck You
- My grandma's toilet is one of those futurey toilets that look as if they'll launch you into space when you sit. It beeps when you sit, it beeps when you get up, and the seat is warmed. I wouldn't be surprised if it thanked me for my essence, like the toilets in Portal.
- bidets have really good aim
- after the initial shock of chilly water being gently dribbled over your southerly regions, bidets are pretty nice. Certainly better than allergy-inducing scented toilet paper. Also tickles a bit. Pretty sure I weirded out all of my extended family by cackling loudly in the bathroom.
- the drying function could be a little stronger though. It felt like being gently fanned by palm fronds, on my butt.
- For such a clean, modernized city, it sure is frightening to a Westerner when they get to a toilet, find no toilet paper (nor a TP dispenser), no running water and no soap. Hand sanitizer and tissues are pretty awesome.
- It's even more frightening to realize that those bathrooms are being used by the street vendors who just served you some awesome food that you gobbled down without a second thought
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beondegi NOPE. NOT GONNA DO IT.