The Random Saturday Ice-skating
16 Mar
I awoke this morning at 9 am. On a Saturday. If you know me, you KNOW I’m NEVER up at 9 on a Saturday, so automatically I have the understanding that things are just not right. My windows are foggy. “Why are my windows foggy?” I slide the window over just enough to see at least 3 inches of slushy white goodness covering the ground. “Quick! Close the window! It doesn’t exist if I don’t see it! Maybe I’m just dreaming!” My original plans for this happy Saturday were to walk two hours to the nearby beach. I guess ‘nearby’ is relative. But I was looking so much forward to it. So since I was awake I finished up some letters, had an existential chat with MF, and got ready for my jog to the Post Office.
If you didn’t know, there are many post offices in Gangneung. Rumor has it, that the one closest to me is shite and they lose a lot of mail. (Of course, its the closest one to me that loses the mail.) I jog there anyway. The slush and snow is now melting and seeping light brown sewage into my sneaks.
The post office is closed. Since I can’t totally read Hangol (the Korean writing system) yet, I have no idea what day or time it will open. AH. I know the post office downtown will be open, I went there last Saturday, so I jog to the busstop and get there JUST as the bus is arriving. My luck had changed!
As I approach the post office, and I’m waiting for the red light to turn into the little green GO man, across the street from me stands about 45-60 korean junior high girls done up in their cute uniforms and stylish converse shoes. I feel like a circus freak. These girls do not hesitate to point me out with their umbrellas, shout things in korean, then giggle and whisper “hi” as I pass. It was funny. I’m an alien here. I like it. I wanted to do something really weird, like walk backwards or do a funny dance when I passed them so they would think “those Americans are craaazy,” but I decided not to bring any more attention to myself.
I bought some little fried delicious snacks at a roadside vendor on my way back to Tek Chi. They are shaped exactly like peanuts but made out of a sort of pancake batter. To my delight, there are actual peanuts in every bite. I love surprises.
Now I head home to call Dana and Amy, I wonder what other fun this Saturday will bring?
L A T E R —————->
What a freaking day. Dana invited Amy and I to go ice-skating, due to the surprisingly wintery weather conditions. The ice skating rink was similar to Iceland at home, plus a few minor details.
The skates SUCKED. Mine were cracked and dull, not to mention STINKY and tight. The girl who got the skates was so quick, she came up as a blur in my photo. The Korean flag hangs proud!
Every child in the room said ‘Hello’ or ‘What is your name’ whilst staring and crowding us white girls. Most of them were really cute. We had a fan club of girls who follwed us everywhere we went, giggling and shy when we attempted to talk to them.
Amy met ‘her boyfriend’ while on the sidelines. He was really funny. He kept saying all the words he knew in English, whether they made sense or not. He kept repeating, “oh, SHIT! Holy shit!” over and over, even though Amy tried to convince him not to.
I wanted to video tape him saying it, but instead I got him and Marnie playing video games.
Speaking of video games, Korean systems are stuck in the early 1980s.
During our skate time, there was also training for short-track skaters. These kids were SERIOUS. The coaches had them doing maneuvers like going really slow in mid-lunge position, one hand behind their back. They moved like robots, each kid follwed the one before him. They were amazing.
Faster.
Faster…
Korea is famous for it’s short track record. They won the gold in the Olympics, and I guess are training all their little korean anime children to wear shiny blue and skate like the pros. I was impressed. These kids were fast. And dangerous. I almost got run down a few times, which was one of the scarier instances of the day.
The had little rubber balls on the bottom of their left glove. What for? Balance?
My skating skills were hysterical. I’m sure one of the girls has some pictures of me being oh-so-graceful on the ice. (HA.) But by the end of our about two hours there, I started to get the feel for the dull skates on the choppy ice… and I managed to make it all day without falling! WOO!
We finished out the day with a CAN of hot chocolate. WEIRD, kinda like hot yoohoo.
Dana, Amy and I decided that since the snow was mostly melted and the sun was peeking from behind the clouds, that we would continue with our earlier plan to walk to the beach. The walk wasn’t as bad as I expected. It took a long time because we stopped to take pictures about every 12 feet.
We saw rice fields.
We saw a crazy sign next to a lamp post.
We were cold.
But the reflections off the lake were so beautiful, we warmed right up.
We found an old house, that we THINK might be, or have been, a Shaman’s temple.
We took pictures…
… and pictures…
… and saw some really nice wooden carved furniture.
The shops on the way to the sea sold all kinds of fish, squid, and “other” strange ocean oddities.
This is called “dog penis” in Korean. Koreans eat them. They move very slow and worm-like under the water. Though utterly disgusting and revolting, I found myself totally fascinated.
The crabs were HUGE…
…the squid were active…
…and the fish were weird-looking.
We approached the beach.
I felt the salt in the air. I’m drawn into the beauty. This beach is totally gorgeous. The sea is turquoise-colored and the sand is grainy. There’s a handful of Koreans, dressed-to-impress, laughing and taking photos with an overcast yet contrasty backdrop. (Someone must have rode that two-seater bike to the beach. Too cool for words.)
One family gets too close to the water and the mother and daughter are drenched to their knees!
The dad gets ballsy and thinks he can outsmart the women and children. NOPE.
I secretly watched this guy take off his jacket and wrap it around his girlfriend. Sigh. Love.
Speaking of love, I’m in love with my life. I’m in love with the beach. I’m in love. I have an immense connection to the water. I feel totally at peace in this foreign land. I can’t wait to get a BIKE and visit my friend, the Sea of Japan, every chance I get!
Anyway, we ended the night with some soju and mango juice, which is in fact totally delicious. We passed out randomly at Amy’s apartment after a delicious dinner. This is how Alex passed out:
hahahahahhahahaha.
MRumianowski
Ah!!! It snowed here over Friday night too!!!-
Lissa! I am so glad you seem at peace in your new home, with good friends, familiar activities ( mius the dog penis) and most importantly of all – close to the beach! even if it is cold as balls in s. korea as it was here in dirty jerzey. it was 72 on wed then it slushed and dumped freezing rain on us friday night! wtf? im drinking ginger tea and thinking of you.
I love you. I love your writing. I love that you’re having so much fun. You inspire me.
Dog Penis… Yeah I saw that on your myspace page and well I had to find soemtihgn that explained it. And this is were I found it. It seems to be very Bueatiful over in the land of OZ. Just to tell yuo that stupid GENERATE IMAGE THING to send this wasn’t there so i had to amek a new image and I lost my first entry. So Now I gotta try to rmeebr what i wrote. Aww Poopie Blue. Send home a live squid to me I am ganna let him go in my back yard and make a new bread of squid pelase. And maybe some of them Dog Penis too. It looks Bueatiful were yuo are wish i was there but I guess here ain’t so bad the sun reflecting on the water in my back yard is very bueatiful its abotu 70 hear today and the birds started to chirp in the morning. I GOT A HAIR CUT LIE YUO !!! Its too short…. Ne no Like !! Live Free, Die Old , Travel the Sea of Disbelief. Don’t regret waht your life has become. But tell storys of what you have done. (Lamo Poemo) (AHH HA !! I saved it this time and it delted it once agion !!)