CHRISTMAS

So, Merry Christmas to you. Right now, it's 10:38 p.m. on Christmas night for me...making it early morning Christmas for most of you.

I worked today, making 3x overtime for the day. I played a penguin twice, and Santa Claus twice; all the while singing Christmas carols with Korean children and their families.

Christmas is relatively new to the Korean people. While it is a celebrated holiday, and they love both presents and Jesus; it is still somewhat of a new concept. Generally, they do not know or understand the traditions I grew up with. But they're learning, and it's exciting for them.

There were many more people at the park (English Village) today than I thought there would be. On a normal day, the park would mostly consist of school children, here for the One Week Program. But today, there were mostly families in attendance. All told, there were probably more than 300 people here today. That's more than normal...at least for this time of year (so cold). I would venture to guess that Disneyland's estimated park attendance will be over 65,000 for Christmas Day. So comparatively, 300 was a breeze.

Candy, one of my co-workers, gave me a bag of chocolate covered raisins with this message attached: "You've been naughty so here's the scoop: you get nothing but reindeer poop." One of the funniest things I've ever heard. I hope you enjoy it.

Candy (and me in my new "set")--
In my limited time here, I have made a few observations, which could change given more time. I have noticed that the kids are generally reserved, and do not wish to volunteer for things. They do not want to be singled out, they do not want to participate on an individual level. I have noticed this while I've been walking around in town as well. It's almost as if they are afraid of being an individual. They do not want to stand out. You don't see Koreans wearing baggy pants and torn jeans (unless that's the specific style). You don't see Koreans wearing sideways ball caps or chains or jackets with safety pins in it. They have a specific mold, depending on their age, and they generally stick with it. I find that interesting.

I intend to spend New Year's Eve in Seoul, where, no doubt, there will be a celebration. It might even be on television. I hear there is a ball drop there. So far, this is the only chance I've ever had to do something really different for New Year's. I look forward to the experience. I'll be sure to share what happens. I'd like to know--what is the most exotic place you've been for a New Year's event? Or what's the most exciting thing you've done to celebrate the New Year? I spend enough time talking about ME, and what I'M doing--I'd like to hear about you.

I've failed to mention some of the other foods I've tried since being here. At Uno's Pizzeria, I had broccoli cheese soup (and I ate all of it--thank goodness there was lots of cheese in there). Chris made some guacamole, and I had a couple dips of that. It wasn't horrible. A little scary, but not horrible. You see, I've had this rule...at least for the last few years. The rule is: if I can't pronounce the word of the item, the item doesn't go in my mouth. So it's kept me from trying a lot of different things.

Group at Uno's Pizzeria in Ilsan (on the left is Tonya, Chris, Andrea, Carrie, & Rachel; on the right is Candy, Sarah, & Chad)--
At E-Mart, when I had my big shopping spree, where I spent over 130,000Won, I bought butter. Weird butter. Organic butter. I thought it would be lovely. It ain't. It tastes like fish feet. I know; fish don't have feet. But can you imagine what they'd smell like if they had them. For some inexplible reason, the butter tasted like fish feet. I do not use it any longer...except to cook with. When it's melted, the horrid taste goes away. But I can't spread it on bread or anything unless I toast the bread, and the butter can be melted. Yuck. So much for trying to eat something organic. I don't care if it's supposed to be better for me, it's no good to me if I'm dead from the horrible taste.

I was so fortunate this past week at E-Mart to walk past the frozen food aisle. There I saw a most pleasant sight. Tony's Pizza. They were small, personal size "Pizza For One" microwavable pizzas. I thought they'd be super expensive, because stuff that's clearly from America usually is. But each was around $2. I bought only two, because I was concerned that they wouldn't be very good in the microwave. I couldn't have been more wrong. They were DELICIOUS. I say "were", as in the past tense, because I ate those puppies right quick. Not in the same day; I know what you were thinking! But I'll definitely buy more of those on my next trip to E-Mart.

Yesterday, being Monday, was my only day off for the week. I again went to Ilsan to do some shopping. Towards the evening, after watching "The Golden Compass", I had a craving for McNuggets. McDonalds was right there...and I couldn't help myself. I wondered if I could go a year without having McNuggets, and the answer is NO. They don't offer the 10 or Super-Sized 45 pack here in Korea. I had 6. So very good. Not chicken, for sure, but so good.

Also, while in Ilsan, I bought myself a "set". I think I've mentioned what a "set" is before. Set is a common term used in Korea for just that; a set of something. Instead of a Value Meal, your burger, fries, and drink are called a set. Well, yesterday, I bought a dress shirt set. It includes a tie, a dress shirt, and a sweater. Many Koreans wear these things together. I heard that is a European style. Well, I don't recall seeing this style in America, and I really like it. Basically, they wear a dress shirt and tie, like normal, but then they wear a sweater, which often serves as a sort-of vest, over that and then a sportscoat. It looks very nice. The sweater is the big difference for me, and I really like it. It's just something different, and I enjoy it. I also bought some Korean made tennis shoes. Merry Christmas to me!

My dress shirt set (chocolate brown and pink)--
"Service" is something else I've mentioned before. Service is basically when you're given something free of charge. I've bought a carton of milk, and taped to the side of the carton is a tiny carton of milk. That's service. I have paid for an hour of karaoke, and when the hour is almost completed, they add on an extra 20 minutes. Service. I even bought a box of cereal a few weeks ago and taped to the side of it was a bowl. Convenient...service.

Well, this past week was the strangest bit of service I've seen so far. I bought a box of cereal...and with it, I received a small pair of pink and white gloves. They were taped to the box. Some other cereals had beanie hats taped to them. The two items are completely unrelated to one another; but that's service. Something free. This country is so neato.

This past Saturday, I sang at a benefit for UNICEF. It was organized by one of my co-workers, and I volunteered to perform in the benefit. Until that night, I realized I really hadn't had the opportunity to do something that I really enjoyed since arriving here. I guess what I mean is, I haven't felt "in my element" since I arrived here. My time here has been spent catching up with everyone else and learning all the new things I need to know to survive.

Needless to say, it was great to get up in front of an audience and sing a song. I sang "This Is The Moment" from Jekyll & Hyde. While you can view me singing this song on youtube.com (from a karaoke party), Saturday night's rendition isn't uploaded yet. I do have the file of the entire concert, if you'd like to see my part, or any part of the concert. It's 1.4G in size, and takes a while to download (10-15 minutes for me); but if you'd like to see it, I can send it to you. Just ask. You can easily download it, watch it, then delete it. No harm done.

I've only been here 5 weeks. I've got quite a stint in front of me. Is there anything you want me to buy for you? Something cool and Korean/foreign? Just wondering.

Before I go, I wanted to mention the things I miss most about America. I don't think I take many things for granted, but this experience heightens my understanding of that concept.

I miss the beach. The sound, the smell, the easy access, the freedom of the beach.

I miss my car. My car was more than my car, it was my buddy. I miss my buddy (his name was Eugene). He is with a new family now.

I miss ice cream. For some reason, the ice cream here just doesn't cut it. It simply doesn't taste the same.

I miss the weather. Predictable at best, and boring at the least; it was still better than this. The weather in South Korea reminds me of Louisiana mixed with Seattle mixed with Washington, D.C. Gloomy, cloudy, cold and humid. No doubt the summer will not prove any friendlier. Perhaps the coming spring will be nice. I shall see.

I miss legible road signs.

I miss being able to go ANYWHERE and know I can communicate without charades.

I am very fortunate that I do not have to miss Dr. Pepper, Burger King, Frosted Flakes, Tony's Pizza, and karaoke...for they are in plentiful supply here in Korea.

There are also some things I simply don't miss. These may go without saying, but for the sake of creating a longer blog and making a point, I will list them.

I do not miss traffic.

I do not miss driving in said traffic.

I do not miss my cell phone...nor the accompanying bill.

I do not miss the constant and belligerent news media.

Count your blessings, name them one by one.