Seoul over the weekend and Chu Suk

Something smelled funny in my foyer this day when I woke up. Actually, it was there when I came back from Seoul, but it's intensified over the last couple of days. If you want to be grossed out, keep reading... so I woke up this morning to find that there was the smell of vomit in my foyer.  Vomit, I tell you. Now, I'm not a drinker or a puker, so I can tell you I didn't forget to clean up after myself. Thank goodness, a door separates it from the rest of my flat, but it's awful! I spent the better part of the midmorning cleaning every inch of my kitchen/entrance with soap and bleach, mystified by the origin. I finally located it... at the back of my tiny little fridge. Cleaned out some gross muck there, but guess what? The smell is still there! What is it?!?!?!? The awful part is that it's Chu Suk, so it will be difficult to get the issue resolved by the building manager til after the holiday at the end of the week. ARGH. I can smell it before I even open the front door, and it's like a gauntlet, holding my breath til I take off my shoes to get inside and get past the door to my bedroom/living room.

Anyways...

Seoul
I finally made it to Seoul to see Esther, and had a ball with her. Esther looks good! (in case anybody out there's interested). And we spent some good hours just catching up, chatting like only girls can. But we seemed to have forgotten that we're both introverts, and we were both exhausted by the end of a very long day in Seoul.
Why? Because Seoul is still on crack from the 80's! It's kind of like Los Angeles, in that there are a bunch of districts, little towns within it. Apgujeong, where Esther works, is kind of like the UCLA/Beverly Hills area. Then there's Myeondung, where we went window-shopping at the world's most intense shopping mall. Hordes of people everywhere, who never heard of 2 feet of personal space on every side. We laughed coming out of the subway because people are in such a hurry that they stand in front of the subways doors to be the first to get in, sometimes before the people inside can get out!
Anyways, at the mall, there are stores packed (and I mean, packed) with clothing, people, jewelry, every style and kind and price you can imagine. About three stories worth of it. It's too much to ask a body to take it all in at once. I actually had to sit down and catch my breath outside. Esther introduced me to a corn dog slathered all over with french fries and ketchup (you know, to save you the bother of a fork or plate). It was awesome, and I used the energy to head back into the fray. There were pretty, feminine, hip clothes everywhere. I mean, a girl can't be expected not to come back to Seoul to do it justice.
So we left, and decided to head over to Yaksu, where there's more shopping to be had. This one was not as stifling, because it was mostly outdoors. It's kind of like 3rd Street in Santa Monica, except noisier, and there are more neon signs, and there are no street performers, because everywhere you look, there's a swarm of people. After a look through H&M, we took another break at Coffee Bean and a thoroughly nice American chat in another American restaurant. After that, it was back to the shops, dinner, and time for two very tired chicks to head back to a place to sleep that night.
On Sunday, we decided to get our hair straightened, but while it had been sunny and breezy the day before, it was cloudy and drizzly! So, no straight silky hair for Ingrid, just more frizz. And we got on the subway, this time to Itaewon, where there are more shops that cater to foreigners, in search of shoes for me. Can you believe I left my running shoes! I don't know what I was thinking, except that I don't know anything about packing. I miss my shoes! It was a trial, because apparently I have giant's feet in Korea. People either laughed, or politely rolled their eyes when I asked for a size 8.5 running shoe. Too late, back home, it occurred to me that in Korea at least, it's possible to wear men's shoes for the sake of working out. Even if they won't be pink.
I had intended to stay 'til about dinner time, but I got on the bus with Dawn and her parents at around 2pm. I had a great time with Esther. Seoul was all big buildings, apartment buildings everywhere, loud traffic, and amazing sights to see. The girls have the guts to wear stilletos (even in the rain), and aren't afraid of short shorts. They're hip and trendy and seem to have tons of energy. The guys are cute, the middle-aged folk are even trendy. A river runs through it, and it's subway system is excellent-- so modern and efficient. Even the sound effects in Seoul, at the ticket counters, at the cash register, at the coffee shops--they're all cool, too.
In the end, it really did remind me of K-Town in LA. Mostly because, while Seoul is busy revamping itself in the cool new look of the 21st century, you can still see traces of it's younger, shabbier self. It's maturing into this amazing city, but it's still got traces of the country girl in it. It's charming, it's fast-paced, and as much as I enjoyed the quiet bus ride back to the suburbs, I can't wait to visit it again.

Chu Suk


Chu Suk is Korean Thanksgiving. It's a time when people here visit older family members and pay their respects. They celebrate the harvest, and they eat traditional Korean foods--kimchi, Korean pizza (made of eggs and veggies, not bread and sauce), vegetables and of course, rice.
 So this week, Tuesday-Thursday, I will have a time of R&R. Sleeping in late, because I'm still jet-lagged; exercising some, because my body is screaming for it; cleaning, because my floors are dirty, and maybe getting some work done in between (but probably not. It's only three days, after all). Tuesday has already come and gone, and I am looking forward to ending on a high note with a melon popsicle and a good ol' American show online. Happy Chusuk, everybody!

P.S. I'll be online, so hopefully I'll find someone to chat/Skype with.