SUPER convenient store

Convenient stores are called so because they are in the area, carry the basics of what you need, etc. What if the store was brought to you! And what if you could maximize on multitasking and shop for groceries while otherwise waiting around doing absolutely nothing?? That must be exactly what the creators of this revolutionary shopping system thought too.

Now, when I first saw this before arriving in Korea, I thought...who on EARTH would do this?! How absurd.  People like to see what they're buying and see how fresh it is...ESPECIALLY groceries.  Besides, most older people wouldn't have smart phones and most people wouldn't use this because people like to see the real thing. After arriving, I came to realize that in the daily life of a Korean person, working and keeping up with all of their relationships, which is EXTREMELY important, something like this is PERFECT. Older people do have smart phones and the goods are as good as you see them.  Plus, nothing is ever out of stock or out of place.  Everything is perfectly, neatly organized.  Why make an extra stop to the grocery store after working a full day, have to either walk 10 miles or play frogger in slow mo with your car, and then lug a 24 pack of bottled water home when you don't have to! You're already in the subway, you're waiting for your train anyways, might as well use that time to select something to make for dinner tonight.

I saw it in person for the first time and it really took me by surprise.  That first picture up there...looks JUST like the stuff in the store looks.  It's eerily similar to see something like this plastered on a column or glass window.

[They even put lights on the column to make it look more real]

I mean, you'd think by looking at this picture, that this lady is in a grocery store...when really, right next to her is the rotating entrance to the subway train.  It's a neat idea, and definitely something interesting and out of the ordinary to look at, but, to be completely honest with you, I don't think I'd ever use it.  

A)  Because I am one of those people that likes to pick my own fruits and veggies based on looks.  For example, I always choose smaller strawberries because they're less mushy, and I push down on apples to see if it dents easily because I like them really crunchy.

and B)  Because I may end up buying more than I need.  If I'm at the store carrying everything, a full basket will tell me it's time to stop shopping and deny all impulse buys.  If I have no basket, I'm free to buy as much as I want, which would most likely result in overspending on unnecessary wants.  No bueno for the pocket book.

Who knows, though.  People thought cell phones were ridiculous when they first came out, and were convinced that an electronic leash would never catch on, but here I am posting pictures I took on my cell phone and sent to my email.  :P

A warm sip of peace

Tranquility.  Serenity.  Peace.  Good Health.  Equilibrium.

You’d like to have these everyday, wouldn’t you?  Of course some prefer the quick hustle bustle of a metropolitan life, but when you lead that type of life and you think of “getting away” or “vacationing” you seek a break from the continuous productivity and wish for nothing more than those words stated above.  Why do people go to spas?  Why do people do yoga?  Exxxactly!  Balance is key to everything, but you already know that.

Seoul and Daegu are pretty busy cities.  But if you look carefully, in the little nooks and crannies you’ll find little pearls of calm.  My uncle brought me to this place for a casual afternoon of tea time and I fell in love.  

[This wasn't a store full of teabags.  The tea came in all-natural circular bricks, stacked like this]

I was never a huge tea drinker.  It's supposed to be better than coffee so I tried, got the occasional sample from Teavana at the mall, even bought one of those really cool tea steepers that fit on a mug, but could never bring myself to sit down and enjoy a nice pot of tea.  Like anything else, if you take the time and really live in the moment, you'll discover things you were otherwise too busy or distracted to notice.  And you'll find those five things listed above. 

We gathered at a small table that was made of wood...but not like the plywood or processed oaks and maples you see most commonly.  This was one of those "I cut this straight from the tree trunk and it is one piece" tables.  Collected on top was a tray that drained the overflowing tea to a sink in the back and on top were several small teapots of glass and fired clay, a brush, and little clay figurines of Asian culture.  

[The luck pig]

The lady treating us to "tea time" had such a presence of peace, it radiated to create a little bubble of comfort and ease around us gathered at the table.  She gingerly poured the boiled water into the little fist-sized teapot several times, emptying after each pour.  

When it was finally ready to drink, she poured my mom, uncle, herself and me each a little tiny glass teacup of 보이차, pronounced bo-ee cha.  It's a type of tea that is extremely healthy for you, proven to help relieve a list of symptoms caused by stress and body imbalance including headaches, constipation, poor blood circulation, diabetes, and more.  Kind of like a miracle tea, it even helps with dieting!

Tasting various blends, we drank cup after cup after cup, casually chatting about cultural differences and the interesting behaviors of people in Europe compared to those of people in America.  No sugar, no preservatives, just straight up natural.  This of course, in two contexts.  The tea, as well as our conversation.  

These types of moments come few and far between.  I mean reflect on your own week, and try to think of how many times you sat and had a conversation with no facade, thoroughly enjoying the moment and not thinking of where you needed to be, what you needed to do next, and what else you could be doing.  Of course, we couldn't do this all the time...there would be no progress in society because being so content leads to no motivation to change anything.  But, I think to balance out the stress of a week's or even a day's activities, these kinds of things are needed. 

I took a class my freshman year of college, taught by Paul Orfalea, the founder of Kinko's.  He's a very successful person, and had many great lessons to teach but one of the greatest bits of advice I took away, was to be dumb for an hour every day.  Allow yourself that one hour to be unproductive and do something that'll make you relax and reboot.  It's a very simple bit of advice, but I think if actually kept to, could go a long way.

So, my uncle gave me a little tea set and I am going to commit myself to tea time.  It's not even about the tea...the tea drinking is just a vehicle to that hour of tranquility.  It provides the opportunity, much like meeting for coffee allows for friendly conversation with a stranger.

  

Day 1. – Taking care of business

“Don’t cry over spilled milk.”  Definitely something I needed to keep in mind!  I don’t think I’ve ever before run into so many obstacles in such a short time period.  I started off the morning with trying to go on base.  When I think of home, I think of a military base.  It’s what I grew up with, always had access to, and have become most familiar with.  No matter where I’ve gone, there’s always been a base, which are all set up pretty similarly.  BUT now that I’ve graduated, I have no ID card and am refused entry. 

Attempt #1:  My mom and I took a taxi to Camp Walker here in Daegu to a) get a cellphone   b) go to the gym   c) shower and d) use the phone to call home 

Rejection #1:  I couldn’t be signed in unless my mom was registered in the system so we had to go to the other base.  After she registered, we went back to Camp Walker, used the gym, showered, and tried to get a phone.

Rejection #2:   I can’t get a phone from on base unless I have an ID so we registered under my mom for a temporary pay-as-you-go phone.

Rejection #3:  Found out I can’t get a phone plan until I have a visa AND a Korean bank account.  So now I have to get a bank account here in Korea.

After finding out that I am so restricted from using what I’ve been familiar with my entire life and how much I have to do just to get a phone, the discouragement rained down on me like the warm raindrops pouring down here in Korea.  Then as I went to throw away the paper towel I used to dry my hands with in the bathroom, I saw this:

Such an encouraging little trash can!  Even though it was on a trashcan, it reminded me to keep positive.  Hard work will pay off eventually right?  :]

Rejection #4:  Once I got to the Consulate or whatever the place you register for a visa is called, I was assuming that I’d get a renewed one on the spot since I had one before.  Naaaah, they sent us across the street to get my mom’s paperwork and then told us mine wouldn’t be ready for another 4 weeks and I’d have to come back to pick it up.

Travelling around isn’t easy…especially if it’s 90 degrees with 250% humidity and rain.  

Cheerful moments:  I found this cute little coffee shop after 30 min of walking around looking for a PC bang (Internet café to send my dad an email that I landed safely)  and couldn’t help but stop to grab a latte.  The ambience was quaint…like a comfy little café should be!

[THE neatest fish tank I've ever seen!]

Korea. Day 1/2.

      FLYING OFF TO THE START OF MY NEW LIFE.

I guess that saying “practice what you preach” was said for a reason…and I should’ve kept it in mind.  If you go to my archives,  I think it’s the 2^nd post I ever made [Travelling Tips]  about a year ago, I  gave some tips on how to pack, but unfortunately didn’t read up on it before packing this time.  I learned a few more things in addition to those tips, though.  Having to pack my entire life into suitcases was a bit of a challenge, especially with how many shoes I never realized I had.  Anything I left behind, I probably wouldn’t see again so prioritizing the importance of certain items took about 14 consecutive hours.  By the end of it, I had 4 suitcases packed up and ready to go…one ENTIRE suitcase of shoes, each pair packed into its own separate zip-lock bag.  (The freezer ones are the perfect size)

[MORE] tips for travelling

Tip #1a:  Airlines have weight limits.  Weigh your stuff before you get to the airport to make sure EACH bag is the right weight.   DON’T think you can get away with a few extra pounds…the check-in po po will catch you.

Tip #1b: They weigh your carry-ons too.  So that whole “put all the heavy stuff in your carry-on so you don’t go over weight in your checked baggage” doesn’t work.  For a flight to Korea, you get 12 kilos for carry-on total.

Tip #1c:  If you know you’re going to be over in terms of weight, just pack as much stuff into one of your check-ins as much as you can and pay the extra 50 bucks…. because if you don’t, you’re going to end up paying $130 for an additional checked bag. 

Tip #2:   BRING A NECK PILLOW!!  I felt so bad for the halmoni (grandma) sitting next to me in the aisle seat…she couldn’t sleep the entire 14 hour plane ride because her head kept bobbing.

Other reminders:  Don’t go out and buy a brand new bottle of perfume and expect to take it in your carry-on unless it’s under 3 fl. Oz.  It WILL get taken away…even if it’s 3.2 fl. Oz. 

And

Keep your laptop handy where it can be taken out and put back in easily…you have to send it through to be scanned out and separate from the rest of your bags.

I watched about 5 or 6 movies…most of them pretty new, which made time fly pretty quickly but man I should’ve done some squats to prepare for the butt-flattening 14 hours of sitting! 

FINALLY ARRIVED.  Say hello to a new shade of life.

Ship Full of Treasures

I just felt the need to emphasize how amazing the amenities on the boat were.  

FIRST. QUALITY OF FOOD.

SECOND.  QUANTITY OF FOOD.

[Take notice that I am wearing something different in each picture. 

AKA. each is a different meal.

AKA. I ate alot.

AND this isn't even all of them!]

THIRD.  COOL AND FRIENDLY STAFF.

FOURTH.  THE CUTE TOWEL ANIMALS WE GOT EVERY MORNING.

[seal]

[stingray]

[...i wanna say a dog.  i left my sunglasses on the bed and the crew had quite the sense of humor :]]

FIFTH.  THE GREAT PHOTO OPS!

AND SIXTH.  THE BREATHTAKING VIEW.

And that was the family vacation cruise of 2011.

Yaaa mon

D.  Jamaica - River tubing

Respect.  One love.  Ya mon.  These were the phrases I heard most in Jamaica.  This port wasn't as exciting as the others in terms of what we had planned to do.  We could've gone zip-lining through the jungle, but decided to do something a little less intense and just drifted down the river instead.  I learned a lot more about the culture of Ocho Rios since we had more time to explore.

First getting off the boat,  we came across a yard-sale type set up of vendors selling hand-made goods.  Wood, weaving, painting, braiding, it was all very authentic colorful stuff!

At the same time, there were these shady guys holding beaded necklaces sticking their arms through the gate calling out to us as we passed by to buy some of their things.  I probably would've as souvenirs if they weren't so shady...reminded me of when Jafar from Aladdin dresses as that old guy and opens his cloak asking "wanna buy a watch?" Although they kinda freaked me out, they were quite understanding...when I said "No thank you,"  they always replied with "No problem,"  another very common phrase in Jamaica.

So we boarded the bus to go river tubing.  An hour and a ridiculously terrifying bus ride later we arrived.  

Our bus driver's name was Winter and he was one of the nicest and most informative bus drivers I've ever met.  So as we made the bumpy, daring journey up the mountain that apparently turns people religious, he told us all about Jamaica.  Pointing out everything from the all age schools to the golden spiders (they spin webs of gold...there were tons of them and they were the size of my hand) he narrated the entire ride. 

They drive on the opposite side of the road...not like this small road HAD an opposite side

1.  He kept honking...AT EVERYBODY WE PASSED.  At first, I thought, what is this guy's problem?? BUT they do it as a greeting in Jamaica.  Everyone honks to say hi.  So we'd pass someone on the street, he'd honk his horn, point at the guy with an endearing smile, sometimes an "Eyyy" and continue driving.

2.  Most of the people don't wear sunglasses.  Jamaica is by far the sunniest place I've ever been to, yet hardly anyone had sunglasses on! I found it so peculiar.

3.  Tourism is Jamaica's largest industry.  No wonder why we were offered $1 taxi rides to go 5 ft. from where we were standing.

4.  The roads going up the mountain were 1 lane, 2 way roads.  Basically, 2 way traffic on a one way street with no other road rules beside "Don't hit me."

5.  He said "When people go up this mountain, they become very religious."  I assumed it was because of all the churches and stuff.  

6.  Driving 2 inches away from the edge of a cliff over which you could potentially plummet to your death is ... I wouldn't say exhilarating, but definitely kept me on the edge of my seat...for an hour and a half.

7.  "OH MY GOD!" we are on a path that is barely wide enough for our itty bitty van -- a wall of nature to one side and a wall of air to the other (a cliff...a big scary cliff) when a car comes zooming straight toward us. Does Winter panic? Naaah, he merely says, "I told you people become religious on this mountain."  hahaha how witty.

8.  Apparently Mick Jagger has a house here...perhaps he enjoys going to Margaritaville?  

After about 75 near death experiences, we finally arrive at the starting point of our river tubing adventure.  We slap on some life vests, hop in the tubes and begin drifting along to the song "Don't worry...bout a thing...cuz every little thing...is gonna be alright," sung by our guide.

So romantic ;]

Mummy and Daddy's second honeymoon?

 

Enjoying the tropical scenery while floating along was a change of pace from all the excitement, so it was very pleasant.  I absolutely love river rafting and things of that nature, so this was fun for me either way.  There were 2 times the rapids got a little quick, but not like a category 5, which if you've seen "Without a Paddle" a funny line should come to mind.

I always enjoy word play...and above the bathrooms was this:

[male]

[female]

 ...I thought it was funny :p

Another day of successful adventure, and the last port at that. 

Most exciting kiss of my life!

C.  Cayman Islands - Dolphin swim and stingray city.

So when I first heard about this cruise idea, I immediately knew I had to swim with a dolphin.  If not now, then when??  As we planned which excursion we’d go on at each port, my reply to “what do you want to do here?” among the option of deep sea diving, snorkeling, jet skiing, snuba-ing, kayaking, ziplining, etc., was ALWAYS “I don’t care what we do….as long as I get to swim with a dolphin.”  I know, I know.  How childish. But cmonnn that was something unimaginable to me until now…and now that there was a slightest possibility that it may actually be an option, I had to be assertive. 

DEEP BREATH.  Let me try to contain my excitement enough to type out this story comprehensively.  I touched a dolphin.  I swam with a dolphin.  I kissed a dolphin.  I also kissed a stingray.  And got a back rub from a stingray.  I…just had the best day of my life.  The Cayman Islands are absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  The water is crystal clear…so clear you can spot a starfish below several feet of water from a moving boat.

If you can imagine a child tickled by excitement, writhing in anticipation for … lets say going to Disneyland, multiply that by 10 and you’ll understand how I felt waiting on the bench, watching the dolphins swim around the little area of the ocean blocked off for this excursion.  We finally got into the water, swam over to our group and listened to the rules from our dolphin trainer.

Then she instructed us to hold the dolphin up,

followed by kissing the dolphin,

and lastly swimming with the dolphin.  And by swimming, I don’t just mean alongside…the dolphin pops up in front of you, facing you as you grab onto its fins and it swims backward on its belly with you lying on top of it being pulled along!  :D  COOLEST THING EVER!!

And just when I thought the day couldn’t get any cooler…IT DID.  We got on another little boat that took us way out into the ocean with no land around…until we came upon this lighter patch of ocean that was much like a small underwater island.

The water was about 3 ft deep in the middle and deeper as we went to the edge, but it was so clear…except for these dark oversized doormat-looking things floating around.  AHHHHIOFWEFADKHF!!! when one swam up against my leg.

water-proof cameras are super handy

we got to feed 'em too!  they eat squid

7 years good luck! 

Oh just getting a back rub from a stingray...nbd

Stingrays are always happy! :D

On the boat ride back, we stopped for a minute unexpectedly.  Remember how earlier I mentioned that the water was so clear you could see a starfish at the bottom?  Well the crew guys saw a couple so they dove in and retrieved them, put 'em in a bucket and let us take pictures of them.  (our boat had the coolest guys working...so chill mon...they actually say mon. like ya mon)

The Cayman Islands have definitely made it into my top 10 favorite places on Earth.  I will definitely go back one day!  I didn't get to explore the culture much, but i did learn a few things.

1. Roosters are the islands' pigeons.  They are wild and everywhere!  Apparently, they came from Cuba way back when and have even made it to the Florida keys to become their mascot animal.

yes...that IS a rooster casually loitering in front of a Kentucky Fried CHICKEN.

2.  Parrots are kinda scary when they look at you...but they can be trained very well.  I think they'd make good hypnotists

Notice his multitasking capabilities...holding a pigeon WHILE feeding a wild rooster!

3.  People who work on the island and take people out on stingray tours have the coolest job in the world...all they do is swim with graceful fascinating creatures all day long.

Looking back, this was one of the greatest days of my entire life.  AND I got a nice tan to top it off   :]