Halloween Detour

Matt and I went in search of a Halloween costume last night in Sandang, as promised. We took the bus first to Beomgye and then the subway, since it's a bit faster, thinks I. Here is a typical scene in the subway station, especially after work. That staircase is pretty narrow and only comfortably fits five people across it. And there we are, crammed together. I'm sure they really appreciated getting their picture taken while commuting. Damn foreigners.

And then I saw something remarkable: a Western bum in Asia. Let me explain...most people here have very svelte figures. They are well built, they work hard, they work out hard, and they keep remarkably thin frames for the majority of their lives. Here's a bum that just doesn't fit in (soooo Hamilton!):

We traveled for about 45 minutes to get to this Halloween store and, low and behold, it was closed. Three days before Halloween. At 7:30 pm. Ha-what?! Oh Korea, you got me again.

So we wandered around a bit, our spirits bruised and broken, bent and paralyzed, because we hadn't gotten what we came for. Sigh. I found this cafe called Mozel Tof Cafe and just had to go in. A Jewish reference in Korea? Unheard of. Inside, the promise of tranquility became a reality. They had a lovely menu with just the necessities: wine, chocolate cake, and cheese. Could this get any better? So I coerced Matt into sharing some cake with me and I sipped at some wine. They had the most beautiful glass flowers arranged in vases and about ten staff members (note: there were ten patrons there at the time and at 8 pm on a Wednesday, how many more were they expecting?) to dote on us. It was great.

Yours truly, taking a break...

On our way home from our uniquely non-Korean experience, we had a totally normal Korean experience in the subway. This man is giving his travel companion a face we like to call, The Startled Korean. Naturally, there are other names for it, but that one suits his face well. Priceless.

Sometimes I need to take a minute away from my life: this life. It's all well and good to want more, to strive for more, but sometimes I need a break. I spend so much time on this course I'm taking, spend even more time preparing for lessons so that my time with the kids is spent making English fun, instead of boring, spend (not enough lately) time running...and it all makes me very tired. On top of that, my body (and the healthy bodies of those around me) are struggling like crazy to remain illness-free while the brats who surround us are laden with what could be the Swine Flu (turns out, not so funny). To just sit and enjoy a glass of wine, some good dark chocolate, and not be inundated with constant stimulation is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. Seemed so simple back at home: I did this all the time. But somehow here, it's not as regular to just take some time and relax. I'm going to the public bath again this weekend to help get rid of some more toxins. Between that and tonight's yoga, I think I'll be clearer than I felt yesterday.

I guess striking a balance here is harder than I thought. Getting my bearings and getting comfortable was easy enough, but finding a happy medium between socializing and quiet time is proving to be a bit harder.