dzien dobry nostalgia.

who are these people? they aren't korean?
yeah so what. i need a break.
i've been feeling a bit say...world sick?
is there such thing? i miss other cultures, can you blame me?
i could use some perogi, or schnitzel.
since the great hard drive crash of '09, i have not been able to reminisce though my thousands of photos.
so, i have gathered a few photos here and there from my trip to poland 2 years ago.
i volunteered at a camp for teens in a place called dymin.






warszawa.


gdansk.





do zobaczenia. (see you later.)

xo.
vb.

hongdae.

back to seoul.
hongdae is where i first stayed in korea.
for whatever reason i never took pictures of this area.
probably because i wasn't cool enough to realize where i was at the time.
documentation fail.


desiree in front of mr. donut with cute donut animals.


syke! i've been in toronto this whole time.


einstein has the measles.


swing dancing!


swing dancer closeup!


enjoying some music in the park.


this is not hongdae... but us getting ready for the big greece vs. korea game at city hall.
like 2 and a half weeks ago.


that's all folks.

xo.
vb.

i heart texture.

as if i didn't have enough hobbies to spend my money on.

have fun interpreting this.

xo.

vb.

haeundae beach.

busan.
how could i not fall in love?
i'm sorry seoul.


desiree is lovin' giant sandcastles.


beach jams in ryan kingdom.


a new tween drama. "the bu."
son.


ladehhhs. xo.


whatever zoolander.


nice ice, ajuma judylicious.


look what you've done now busan.

xo.
vb.

frank.

no pictures this time kiddies.
just be ma words.

it has almost been four months since i have landed on this side of the world.
i have grown ridiculously accustom to living here, that i have forgotten of any cultural differences that may have struck me as strange when i first arrived.
so, this is just a straight up list of things that are weird, awesome, or crappy about korea.

1: vanity
koreans LOVE their mirrors. what would this country be if EVERYONE didn't look beautiful? or was reminded that they weren't?
when i first arrived, i had booked a hostel in the heart of seoul in a place called hongdae.
the next day when i went to venture out and about, and it hit me.
"i look like a fat butchy lesbian."
but now, tis passé. i am used to seeing size 0 girls walk in absurd conditions in 5 inch heels and miniskirts.

2: eating at lunch
geez louise. how fast do you eat your food?
at first i chatted with the other teachers and was always last to finish my meal, which kept the other teachers waiting for me. it made me feel awkward as they stared at me while i ate my food and picked at the things i didn't like. but now you would think i hadn't seen food in a week the way i eat at lunch. i'm practically a hyena. i will never be the last one eating. EVER.
but believe you me, i eat as stinkin slow as i want everywhere else. so don't get your hopes up. mom.

3: foreigner superiority complex
you are either teaching english or in the military. we see each other a lot. that's cool. a lot of us are loud and obnoxious. not so cool. superiority complex is not towards koreans, but towards eachother. some of us refuse to hang out with other foreigners because we want a 'real cultural experience'. good idea ya tards, refusing to hang out with people that want to give you chance and be your friend. did you do that at home too?
too harsh?

4: death by automobile / scooter
i've gotten used to the abrasive driving and lack of respect for the road. the sidewalk is for the walking? WRONG. it's apparently for cars and scooters too. "red lights? what the heck is that? that doesn't mean anything to me! imma scooter man deliverin' important food things to peopoh! i may need to hit someone along da way! womp womp."

5: food fusion
the sushi is terrible. and so is the chinese food. but i blame it on daegu. why is it always korean fused with something? can't it be just chinese? or just japanese? maybe, i need to try more restaurants.

6: butting in line
i think this pretty much explains it. however, i've gotten really good at it too. heh.

7: spam
i've eaten it way more spam here than i ever have in my life. and do you know what? it's delicious.
don't judge me.
also, why are there booklets of ads taped to my door every single DAY?!

8: safety
pretty much cool as ice. koreans are so honest. i dropped money in a store, and when i went back they pointed at me and said "you! you forget this!" and handed me 20,000 won. awsahh.
aside from that, i'm never worried about my safety. or yours. but only if you live in korea.

9: illness
how many times do you get sick in a year? well, come to korea and you can get sick all the time!!! yay! i think this is the longest i have not been sick. which is 2 weeks. yellow dust is awful and now i know why everyone horks their loogies on the street all the time. delish.

10: shopping
oh goodness where do i begin? OH. i know. how about myeongdong in seoul? or the boutiques in daegu?
so good. i digress.
annnnd i'm back.

11: white skin
skin bleaching agents, visors, umbrellas, tents and fully clothed. nice day at the beach right?
for those of you who don't understand why asians are obsessed with having porcelain white skin, here goes.
back in the day, if you worked outside (ie. farmer, rice picker) you obviously had darker skin. this meant you were not on the rich side of life. but for those who had no need to labour, they would educate themselves and stay inside most days. therefore they had white skin. social status stuff ya know? here in korea, white skin represents beauty and youthfulness. i dunno. i considered not getting a tan. but go to busan and you will immediately change your mind.

12: white people
yes. i never noticed before! you DO all look like celebrities!

13: yellow fever
something that does ignite a small anger in me is creepy dudes that come here to find a wife. walking around with a trophy korean girl on your arm is the right way to live apparently. gross.
i have no problems with interracial dating by far, but... come on.
well perhaps i should be more sympathetic? everyone needs to be loved right?
nope. i stand by my opinion.
ackbar. and the terrible part is, is that you can probably point them out too. the creepies.

well the list could go on. but i won't. perhaps another installment will take place.

love, peace and hair grease.

xo.
vb.