Exile and Establishment

Cat terrorists have invaded Anyang City.
 
When Morgan and I peeked into our Kitty Alley last night, we were confronted with a very hostile-looking sign, written by hand. Although my Korean is limited to greetings and some restaurant lingo, it was quite obvious to me that the sign was bad news. If the sign hadn’t been enough, the strategically placed bicycle, broken umbrella, and other large items blocking Kitty Alley may have given away the same message: cat sympathizers were not welcome. I decided to snap a photo of the sign and get it translated in the morning. Diane, one of the KTs I’ve befriended, confirmed my suspicions upon my arrival to school today. The message stated that we were to stop feeding the cats and that they were no longer dwelling in Kitty Alley. Relocation? Please, feel free to start humming Rivers of Babylon. The felines are in exile.
 
i.s. I’m seriously listening to the Melodians sing Rivers of Babylon. Check it out.

Another week has started in Korea. My life is beginning to take on a certain rhythm that will probably become even less eclectic with time. I have been staying at Maple Bear until around 7:30pm every night planning. Fortunately, I enjoy the work and having all my preparation completed when I walk out the door gives me a good four hours of relaxation before bedtime. After work, food has become my first priority. My diet of pizza, pastries, noodles, bananas, chocolate bars, and nectarines must expand. No sunken cheeks exactly, but still. Tomorrow night, when Morgan has also moved into his new apartment, we plan on going on a huge grocery shopping spree. Yes, I am excited.

The students are gradually being adopted into my heart. It has only been five days that I’ve been teaching them, but I am already getting all concerned about their little minds. Good sign. I’m teaching my afternoon class how to sing Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson. It’s a beautiful song and I know they will be able to learn it in no time… they will also be coming up with dance moves. I just may have to film them. I have also started reading to my kindergarteners. You’re probably thinking, “Okay, that’s a pretty normal thing to do.” But it wasn’t being done! So, I decided to set aside 10 minutes at the end of each day to read them a story. They love it. Curious George, Corduroy the Bear… silly little characters that need a bit of love, just like the cheeky monkeys I teach all day.

Aside from school, Morgan and I have been exploring the city one little piece at a time. Last Saturday, we headed out in an attempt to locate a post office. My sister’s birthday card had been on my desk long enough to have obtained a pretty chocolate bar smear and enough wrinkles to compete with your grandmother. However, the only thing I had been told about the post office was that there would be a “red sign” on the “left” about a “ten-minute bus ride away”. First of all, telling me any of this proved useless. Second, does no one mail anything home around here? Anyway, we ended up walking to a new part of town, Indeogwon. Once there, we decided to venture into the underground where we finally purchased metro/bus passes. Upon resurfacing, we determined it was high time to ask someone about a post office.

The pharmacist told us to go across the street.

We went across the street.

The restaurant owner ignored us.

The coffee shop waitress was clueless.

Finally, a stranger who saw the letter in my hand pointed to a red bin.

There it was: a mailbox.

Too bad I needed stamps.

We thanked the lady, and then I scratched the Korean characters for “post” onto my palm. In a country that outlaws tattooing, I was slightly concerned with this act of “inking”, especially since I’d be shoving my hand in people’s faces. Anyway, off we went again, this time to visit a travel agent. With a smile (she didn’t mind the ink) she showed us that the post office was a few buildings down. Did I find the place? Yes. Did I mail the card? No. At this point, the post office was closed. Stephanie, I promise the card will come soon!

After having walked all day, Morgan and I were ravenous once we made it back into familiar territory. What do we eat when we’re tired and hungry? No, not fish cake soup. Nope, no silk worm larvae for us. Korean-style pizza, that’s what we eat. We found a small pizza shop near my apartment and ordered what seems to be a Korean specialty: potato pizza. After devouring the food and sharing friendly words with the owners, we concluded that this would become “our” pizza joint. If the delicious taste and pleasant service wasn’t enough, the price certainly was: a large pizza for approximately $6.00 CDN!

Sunday was the day I officially decided to beautify my apartment, or at least begin. With its bright yellow flooring, ripped wall paper, and smelly kitchen, work definitely had been cut out for me. Morgan and I took note of the umpteen things I needed to purchase, and headed for E-mart. I’m not going to go into detail about my little shopping spree expect to say “little” is a euphemism. My only comfort was knowing that I’d probably never have to buy anything ever again during my stay here (being the author of this tale, I already know that I have since returned to E-mart). There was, however, something that I discovered which actually did warm my heart: there seems to be a certain market for eco-friendly products in this country. Relief! With my recycled toilet paper and organic cotton towels in hand, we exited the monstrous store. I’ll leave it to your imagination what we looked liked as we lugged two large bags, a large box full of items (Costco style), a mop, and a full length mirror onto the bus. Now all of Anyang knows we’re here to stay.