Take 1

I sometimes feel as though my life here in Korea is like a silent movie - only missing the fast tempo manic music and the placards. Jason could be Chaplin and I am that cute lady with pin curls and big eyes. I often have to piece together a reasonable scenario when a strange situation occurs. For instance....

I was standing outside our apartment building last Saturday waiting for Jason. We were going to see Dark Knight. It was humid and lightly raining. I was wearing these cute Victoria's Secret shorts my little sister gave me. Ordinarily I would be self conscious of my white legs in such short shorts but being in Korea has cured me of that. A mini-skirt or super short shorts are the must have accessory of the decade for Korean women under the age of 55. Plus I'm complimented on my ghostly white complexion on a regular basis here.

So, there I am I'm standing outside in my shorts, under an umbrella, minding my own business on a slightly rainy Saturday (cue the manic music) when an older slightly hunchbacked old lady in her 70's totters up to me faster than an energetic 40 year old American would. She's speaking very fast and I can't catch a word of what she's saying but it seems pleasant since she's smiling and laughing. She gestures toward my legs a few times and then steps closer. She quickly runs her hand up and down my thigh a few times. My eyes widen in shock but I say nothing. She keeps talking and laughing and I smile and nod at her. As she walks away she is still sneaking looks at me, smiling and laughing.

I've since come up with a few different scenarios as to what that was about. Let me know which one you think is right.

1.) Oh my gosh honey, you're going to get cold out here in the rain. It's a good thing you have an umbrella or I'd be really worried about you. Are those goose bumps? They're huge! I've never seen such big ones...let me feel (rub-rub).

2.) Oh my gosh, that is the most incredible shaving job I've ever seen! What do you use - a double or a triple blade? I'll bet it's a Venus. I've been wanting to get one of those. Let me feel (rub-rub). Yep, smooth as butter - just like I thought.

3.) Oh my gosh, young lady! You'd better cover those puppies up. What are you thinking? Sure it's okay for a Korean woman to show off her white legs in public, but you're a westerner. It's like a blonde wearing a low cut blouse in Mexico. You'll get lots of unwelcome attention. Yep, (rub rub) you should cover those puppies up ASAP.

So, what do you think? Your guess is as good as mine.

Here are some random photos (not of my white *ss legs mind you) for you to enjoy.

Jason dwarfs everything in Korea - even the semis.

On a drive through the countryside, I saw a lady on the side of the road selling asian pears. It reminded me of the summer fruit stands in California except there was only one kind of fruit. The pears are delicious though.
The orchards are a bit strange looking because they wrap all the pears in some sort of paper.
I'm thinking it has something to do with keeping the bugs away.....
This is the area where the first sunrise hits the Korean penninsula.
We didn't make it there until almost sunset. :)
I'd hate to have a blow up raft on this beach.
We stopped at a little roadside cafe for some coffee. It was kind of tacky as you can see.
Notice the toilet paper on the table...that's standard in most restaurants here. I have yet to see real napkins or paper towels.
I'm told that these rocks are ancient granite. I believe it because up close you can see the different striations.
I secretly photographed these monks that were visiting the same lighthouse we were. Jason really likes their outfits and wants to buy one for gardening some day.

All of the low lying areas of Korea that aren't paved over are used for agriculture. Our apartment complex is surrounded by rice paddies.
If you look closely you can see the actual rice on the plants. I was in awe when I first noticed the 'grains' of rice. I always wondered how rice grew. I think I assumed that the long green shoots were sliced up in rice sized pieces (just kidding).
It was obvious when Korea was competing in something that was televised in this year's Olympics. During the first night, I thought there was a concert or a riot in our parking lot. I heard hundreds of people cheering so I ran to the window. I then realized it was everyone sitting in their apartments watching the games with their windows open. This is the view out of the rear of our apartment.
Speaking of the Olympics...this guy is putting the final touches on his impromptu shrine down by a river close to our place.
I was super patriotic this year. I actually watched some of the Olympics! I was going to be ashamed if we didn't win the gold in basketball - which we did. I also find myself wanting to tell people that our baseball players were minor leaguers...but I don't.