Stuffy nose

I've had a terrible head cold since I have been here. Miserable, head and nose clogged and despite my Vicks drops, steam inhalations etc the improvement was slow.

So today I decided to go to a place I'd seen called a "Drug Store", to see if I could find something there. When I entered two Korean gentlemen behind the counter stood and bowed. As they do. I wandered around and recognised some things. Bandages, toothbrushes etc. It was a little - just a little like a chemist in Australia. When I approached the counter, I asked if anyone spoke English. Luckily one guy did - a little. I explained my problem. With a little help from my simple charade, as his English was not terribly good.

He gave me some medication and I left. Hoping it would work. Though I had mused as I walked there that my head was clearer than it had been - perhaps the warm sunny weather.

Anyway when I got home I took one pill as instructed, and then had a snooze. I do feel a little less heady. Let's hope.

Now, when I tell my Korean connections they will be amazed. They are almost in awe of my confidence in getting around on my own. They can't believe that I walk to the office.

Quite amusing actually. It is quite simple - I watched and remembered English signed shops and use them as my "guide posts" - Dominos, the Foot Locker, 7-11, Drug store, etc. Easy.

The basics

I know my apartment was "prepared" by some guys. They bought a bed, a new pillow, a quilt, and some Korean style bedding. There is a small table and four chairs, a small refrigerator, and a microwave oven. There is also a small television, and a wardrobe.

In the kitchen/laundry is a gas cooker, a sink, and a washing machine that I cannot use as (a) it is all in Korean and (b) there is no power socket available.

The "bathroom" - has a pedestal toilet, and a sink. Attached to the wall is a shower rose - no separate cubicle. So when you have a shower the whole room floods. (Shades of life in China, but we had a much bigger room to flood there!!!)

In the kitchen cupboard is one cup, two small plates, four bigger plates, two small bowls, two huge soup or salad bowls (not sure), a saucepan, a frying pan, a pair of scissors, a slicer, two forks, two spoons, and not much else.

When I arrived about midnight almost a week ago, I was glad I brought my own bath towel. They don't use "big" towels, but small squares of absorbent fabric to dry themselves, and they don't use sheets. (I brought my own!)

The boys are always going to get the rest of the stuff for me. I needed a mop to soak up the water all over the bathroom floor - there is no external window or fan,and without being mopped up the water sits all day. I had no tea towels, no mopper uppers, no nothing. The only thing I had was a big packet of toilet rolls!

One of the challenges of being a lone traveller in these circumstances is that you are on your own to sort out any issues. I've met other foreign teachers here, but our different work hours mean that we don't get time together. I've asked the guys some things, but either they think I'm a dumb blonde or just don't get it.

I have to work things out for myself. Bit by bit. Trial and error. Watching what others do and so forth.

I now have a tea towel (a Korean dishtowel is like a face washer). I bought a pack of three, and one is my facewasher. I did find face washers but in a huge pack that I thought was a bit silly to buy - I'd never use them all, so I compromised. I now have a mop but it's sucking up of water quality is not good - but at least I can hasten the drying process in the bathroom.

I'm washing by hand - as the promised power cord for the washing machine has not yet materialised. Where does one hang washing? There is supposed to be some rack or line in the kitchen, but in the end I bought a stainless steel monstrosity with many stainliness steel racks to hang the washing. I can open the huge kitchen windows to get my washing dried - but there is no sun here on this side of the apartment block.

I have got the TV working - the guys laughed as they thought all programs were in Korean, but I found the Discovery Channel, in English. I've mastered the strange microwave oven - which automatically turns on when you shut the door. I can get the gas going.

Now what do I do about rubbish? I'm supposed to be supplied with special bags and you leave the filled bags ready for the rubbish man at the corner of the street. I'm waiting on the bags. I have a week's rubbish in a plastic bag.

Bit by bit. I miss the support of other teachers the way we had in China.

I'll probably get the hang of it all in due course.

Dinkum Dunnies

I must say that toilets are an issue for me while travelling in Asia. I like a decent toilet - just like the one at home - where one can sit to "go". I don't like the squat ones that are common in these parts.

In my apartment my loo looks just like the one at home, and for this I am grateful. Actually they are becoming more common in China as well as here in Korea. In the university here there are two cubicles in the WC on the floor on which I work and one is a squat and the other is (near) normal. I'll explain in a second.

When shopping in E-mart yesterday I noticed that they sell a wide variety of things - probably more than an Aussie K-Mart and Coles in combination. I was up on the third floor where the clothes were and a bizarre selection of other items. The dog food for example was not in the supermarket but up with the clothes. The range of fancy items for the pet dog was impressive. I don't recall seeing a cat or a dog since I have been here, but the dog accessories aisle is full of fancy items so perhaps the little moggies and doggies are sitting up in the high rise apartments with all their stunning accessories.

But back to the loo story. Not far from the clothes, and the pet accessories was a row of plumbing items. Including toilet seats. The most fancy toilet seats you can imagine in a wide variety of colours and designs. And in amongst it was a seat that was similar to the one in the university WC.

I stared at it - it has a panel to the right of the seat which you obviously need knowledge of Korean language to comprehend. Buttons to turn on one feature or another. Now that is the dilemma. I have no idea what they do. I have no idea what button to push. When do I push it? What will it do?

One day I am sure to find out - I will ask one of my students - but for the moment it is a puzzle.

When is a chicken called a "duck"?

I learned a few Korean words yesterday. I started by asking the Korean word for chicken as we were in a restaurant that features Spicy Chicken meals. Huge pans in the middle of the table, filled with raw cabbage and spicy chicken (see earlier entry).

"Duck" was the answer.

"No, chicken"

"Duck" (Actually it is "duk")

Oh, I though I know one Korean word now. (Chinese for chicken is "chee")

Also I learned that duk also means car.

Interesting.

So I could say "My duk ran over a duk"

"Why did the duk cross the road"

I'm starting to learn some words. Just starting.

A shopping experience

The first time I went to the E-Mart, I was with one of the Korean guys and we were on a time limit. Someone was already waiting for us at my apartment to install the internet. I was rushed. In the end I got some funny things - enough bacon to last me for weeks, some coffee, and some bread. That's pretty much it.

Much to the concern of my Korean hosts - disregarding the short time I had, and that I could not understand anything in the store, they were concerned that I did not buy enough. Not enough food.

Today I went alone - I got my Korean host to take me, and call for me an hour later. I had some BIG things to get - including a mop, and a stainliness steel rack to dry my washing on. (No outdoor clotheslines here!)

It is always a challenge - some things are obvious. Fruit, vegetables, meat, etc, but some packaged goods create challenges. Is the bottle of liquid with no English, but with a diagram that could be a top loading washing machine, the right product for my washing? Later my Korean friend said it wasn't, but then after reading the bottle told me it was actually very good, but not for wool or silk. Phew. I can use that.

Butter - now I'm not a big butter eater but I have bread, dry biscuits and very little to put on them. Butter might be etter than nothing. But which butter - the pure butter (with oil, I read???), the two pack, which is Morning butter, whatever that is.

Trying to find a tea towel, a face towel. Which is which? Some are in packages, Some are not. I will just have to manage with the things i bought.

Tissues are a challenge. There is little English and in the rows that contain paper towel, toilet paper, nappies, and all sorts of things I couldn't identify tissues. I had to ask. Sign language. The lovely lady took me to another area - where the tissues were on display.

I bought some fish, salad, dry biscuits, grapes, oranges, and some toffeed peanuts.

After my hour was up my phone went off - so I had time to meet him at the footpath and return my trollet to get my 100 W back.

Successful - and now I think I could walk there. Good idea.

I must say the food section was impressive. Far cleaner and better packaged that any supermarket I have ever been into - better than Coles and Woolworths in Australia, Tesco in China and Ireland. Better than them all. Fantastic. Brilliant. Service? Brilliant too!

Spicy Chicken

After an evening teaching I was taken to another restaurant - this time a spicy chicken restaurant. We sat around a small round table and in the middle over a gas burner was a big pan, and the waitress put a big pile of cabbage and raw chicken meat which was cut up with scissors. The chicken was covered in a red spicy chili sauce. Also in it were small sausages made of rice with cheese and other filling. (One of the guys teased me that it was caterpillar larvae!)

We were also served with seaweed soup (which was very tasty) and bowls of vegetables. When the chicken was cooked we helped ourselves and threw in addition vegetables including garlic, and sesame leaves.

When the chicken and cabbage was almost eaten the waitress added rice and spinach to the mix, and we stirred it and ate that too. We drank iced tea.

All very health food. Delicious.

JeonJu

JeonJu is an historic city - modernised over the years of course but somewhere nearby is an ancient village, that I hope to see shortly.

There are three big universities here - and I teach out of Woosuk University. It is a quiet city really - everyone seems to be more polite and there's no loud noises like you'd expect in a big city. The people are polite and even with my very blonde hair no one stares at me. They look - but don't come right up and stare in my face like they did in China.

The city is full of traffic, few people to be seen, and few on bicycles. The buildings are tall and covered with banners and neon signs. It is quite a sparkling city at night. There are many signs in English, and there are many familiar retailers here. The Athletes Foot, Domino's, Subway, and so on.

But I'm still finding my bearings.