S-O-J-U...

I heard a Korean rap song the other day and the only part of the song I could understand was "S-O-J-U." Just like American rappers who are "sippin' on gin and juice" and who have made the realization that "Bacardi" rhymes with "party," the Korean rappers sing the praises of their national drink of choice... Soju.

I finally got around to giving this stuff a try... Good times. I don't think I'm a big fan of straight soju, but mixed with pineapple juice, kiwi juice or peach juice... I could drink the stuff all night. The bar/restaurant where I went with some new friends served a pitcher of juice with a bottle of soju. You'd pour the bottle into the pitcher and mix the drink at your table. Then fill everyone's shot glasses.

In Korea it is rude to fill your own glass, so your friends are always pouring your drinks and you are always pouring theirs. It seems a bit inconvenient and I seem to accidentally break the rule a lot, but I'm trying to be a little more patient and not so imperialistic.

At the end of our soju drinking the whole crowd stumbled over to the 7-11. (There is a 7-11 every four blocks... no joke!) I was advised to try the "Hangover Cure." A little $5 can of slightly gross, molasses/coffee-ish drink that was suppose to prevent hangovers. I don't know if it did the trick or if it was the fact that I didn't have to work till 2:00 in the afternoon the next day... But, I was hangover free the next morning!

In other news... UOP is still a pain in the ass.

Moving on... Last night I went with one of my co-workers to a little Mexican restaurant after work. (I won't claim that it was the best Mexican I have ever had, after all I am from Stockton, California... home to some pretty authentic and delicious Mexican food!) Unfortunately, the restaurant was closing so we had to get our food to-go. So, we hopped in a cab and took our meal to the E-mart where we could sit and eat. After digging into our food, one of the workers at the store came over to our table and told us we had to leave.... Our food was too smelly! Let me remind you that I live in the land of Kimchi! They use garlic and hot peppers in every dish. Uncooked fish is a frequent component of Korean dishes.... But, Mexican food was too much. I just had to laugh. It only seems fair... Their food frequently smells awful to me and they feel the same way about my food! We really are more similar than we are different.

Other good news...

I found the E-mart. Actually, that is a bit of an overstatement... My friend took me to the E-mart. But, I know where it is now and I can shop there. It is like a giant Target with a real grocery store. I have been shopping in little markets, but now I know where I can stock up.

Despite it's size and volume of products, E-mart doesn't have deodorant. Seriously.

I don't have a car and it is great. No car payments. No car insurance payments. No parking. No waiting to get gas. No paying for gas.

I don't have a backpack and it is not great. I need to get one... yesterday! Since I'm always walking, I need to get a big backpack for when I go grocery shopping or to the gym. Not to mention, it is just more eco-friendly. People are always bringing their own grocery bags with them to the markets.

My Korean lessons start on January 31st... 10 days! I'm going to start practicing the Korean alphabet before I start the lessons. The history of the Korean language is really interesting. I'll have more updates on that in the coming days.

All is well. It's snowing. But, I'm safe and warm.