Sunday, February 8, 2009

Top 10 Things I Miss The Most

I was surfing blogs this morning and I Got Two Shoes was blogging about cravings and things that she misses . . . and it got me thinking about what I miss.

Here's my list.

10. Easy and regular access to good dill pickles. I found some at the M department store in Chuncheon and bought the 3 jars they had. Did they refill their shelves--Noooooooooo! Argh! So as far as I know the only places I can get dill pickles are COSTCO, the foreign grocery store next to What The Book, and a few other places in Seoul--two hours away . . .

9. A bath tub--taking a long hot soak with some good music and candles while reading an awesome book (or not, and just vegging out). (And NO, a jimjilbong (public bath house) is NOT the same.)

8. A dryer. Not having to put my clothes on two racks and having to wait for hours if not days for them to dry. Also, they're always softer after using a dryer fabric softener sheet. In addition, they SMELL GOOD TOO!

7. Being anonymous when I walk down the street--put another way--not being stared at and talked about by most of the Koreans who see me.

6. Cheap good quality cheese, fruit, and vegetables. When you have to pay triple or quadruple what you'd pay back home for these items in Korea, it's not good for your bank account balance (especially with the damn exchange rate these days).

5. Mayonnaise--I think Miracle Whip is one of the best things ever invented (Julianne says it's not REAL mayonnaise--I ignore these bouts of temporary insanity, lol).

4. Being able to buy everyday things that I need: deodorant, soap, etc. (I usually have to do a run about once every three months to the underground market in Namdaemun.)

3. Access to English bookstores and libraries (I really miss my university's library). The bookstores in Seoul are too far away, and even then their selections don't have the range of books I like to look at, nor the specialized topics I need for grad studies. Add to the mix that there are very few used English bookstores . . . and it's just sad.

2. Being able to go out and interact with a large number of English speaking people from which I can find like-minded individuals--in Korea it usually ends up being, "Oh my god! You're a native speaker and I'm so happy I'm actually talking to someone with the same socio-cultural background and language that I don't care who you actually are and what you're into . . ."--well, not always and exactly like that, but the general idea here is that the pool of people we can interact with is very small. In some ways it's been good because I've become more open to socializing with people I wouldn't normally spend time with back home, and I think that's been a good thing for me.

1. Being able to see my family and friends back home--especially my sister who I miss a lot.

Anyways . . . time to go find something to do to occupy myself during the Korean February month of the blues that always seems to get worse as the month progresses.

Sunshine, walking around outside, taking pics, and keeping myself busy oughta do it--I hope.

J

5 comments:

Gomushin Girl said...

you know, Kyobo and the other major booksellers will all order the books for you if you ask . . . don't despair without books!

AM said...

Im laughing because although I feel like I am very limited in regards to shopping options (for US stuff) I can get those things that you are missing from Post. All the dill pickles and cheap apples you could want!

And the Army really went all our for our apartment, we have a US dryer (and most military people dont) and a big jacuzzi tub.

Maybe we should do an apartment switch one weekend! ;)

Jason said...

Hi Gomushin Girl,

It's just not the same. Ordering, yes, I know. And I can also order a lot of stuff on the Net and have it sent to my office at the university . . . I like to be able to pick up, smell, touch, and see the books I buy . .. and then there's just the touching and perusing . . . lol.

Add to the mix that the Canadian university I went to has books that can't be ordered, etc, and nope, it just ain't the same here.

Thanks for trying to cheer me up, though.

J

Jason said...

Hi AM,

Sure, rub it in that you can get those things easily . . . argh!

And you have a dryer . . . double-argh!

I can get the pickles and most things I miss--I just can't get them out in Chuncheon. This means I have to lug them all the way back here when I make a supply run to Seoul . . . . I miss being able to go to a grocery store that is minutes away . . .

Uhm, a jacuzzi tub? Are you serious? Alright, any complaining out of you and I'm gonna have to start a petition to have you re-posted to some obscure Arctic post where the penguins bite your ass while you're in the outhouse . . . ha!

Apartment switch--nope. I've got the best apartment I've had in four years of living in Korea. Each year has been an upgrade in spite of the bitching and moaning I sometimes do.

Anyways . .. I'm still stuck on the jacuzzi tub thing . . .

I'm going to go sulk now.

J

AM said...

:)

I know my apartment is awesome and I am insanely lucky, and yet, I still find time to complain about things. lol. That's life. The grass is always greener on the other side.

My apartment:

http://alfredsmom.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/01/our-korean-apartment.html