Chubby Chick Running

I spent three weeks in a Korean hospital. I had acute pneumonia and was admitted very suddenly.

For the past 25 years, I have been starting my mornings with a cup of coffee. I'm pretty much addicted to my first cup in the morning and a few more during the day. I also like the socialness that comes with it. Many a new friendship / relationship has started with the words: "Let's have coffee sometime".

I have a confession: I am an addict. I didn't know that I was an addict until I came to Korea.

Bling is everything in Korea. Little girls walk around with bright, sparkling headbands. Old women wear bows and shiny pins and even the poodles get their nails painted and their ears dyed pink.

"The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret to freedom is courage." -Thucydides In a way leaving Korea means leaving behind a lot of my freedom.

Going to a spa at home is pretty expensive, but you get massages, face masks and mud baths. And that is only a few of the fabulous treatments available. Going to a spa in Korea is a whole different story.

"No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." - John Donne

Sunday was my friend, Terisha's birthday, so on Saturday night we went out for dinner. I have been trying to introduce her to new Korean meals every now and again. On Saturday night, we had Shabu-shabu and that was when I realize that I can't appreciate Korea, without appreciating the food. And I can't appreciate the food if I try and lump all of my favourite meals into one blog post. Thus, this will be the first in a series about my favourite Korean dishes.

In Episode 10, Season 1 of "How I met your Mother", Ted loses his memory spectacularly. In one of the flashbacks of the disastrous night, we see him asking a girl if she knew that "Karaoke was not invented by someone named Kerry Okie, but is Japanese for Empty Orchestra". In Korea, we have a Norebangs and norebanging is anything but an empty experience.

Korea by day looks just like home. It has high-rise buildings, cars driving, people walking. Korea at night transforms into a neon-lit hornets nest of activity. One of my favourite elements of this busyness is the street-food vendors.

There are lots of theories about the signs / t-shirts / stationary that are so readily available all over Korea. One theory is that the bad English (or Konglish as it is fondly known) is the result of an individual with bad handwriting copying words or phrases. Another theory is that Korean phrases are directly translated into English and slapped onto merchandise. One more theory suggests that these words were thought up by foreigners, who know exactly the amount of entertainment value that Konglish has to offer.

Last night I went running at 10:30. Not only did I need to train for my 5km race this upcoming Saturday, I also had a lot on my mind. I was busy all evening and by the time I realized I needed to run, it was well after 10pm. Unfortunately, the gym I go to closes at 10, but luckily I live in Korea. Korea is known for being "well-being" obsessed  and there are tracks and outdoor fitness equipment all over the place. So, when the desire hit, I got on my Soju Sookie, drove to the tartan track behind the Duksan apartments, put in my earphones and ran my little heart out.

Christmas is one of my favourite holidays. Apart from the religious meaning it holds, I also get to give and receive presents. Presents make me happy. Unfortunately for me, Christmas only comes once a year. Luckily for me, Korea has G-market .

I like chicken. I like it in stews and on bread and in pasta. I especially like it fried, with chips and some sauce to dip it in. For the first 18 months of my time in Geoje I had to be satisfied with spicy fried chicken in sticky sweet sauce. No chips or side dishes. You could call it typical Korean fried chicken. If I wanted "western style" fried chicken, I had to travel to Busan (up until 5 months ago, 3 hours away by bus) for the nearest KFC and then the chicken (even the plain chicken) would be a little bit spicy. At least we'd have chips.

The view from my apartment building's entrance. What do you see when you walk out of your front door? Houses? A nice garden perhaps? Maybe a concrete wall? When I climb down two flights of stairs and I walk through the glass doors of Dream Ville Apartments, I see a 7-eleven convenience store. This in itself is not a strange thing, but when I turn left, walk the rest of the block, turn left 2 more times, I find a GS Mart right on the corner. Still not strange? Should I walk straight down that same street, for two more blocks, I'll find a Family Mart. How convenient...

The last time I cruised around the island, I was on the back of a big, black, bad-ass motorcycle. A REAL bike. Holding on to a cute boy at 5 am in the morning, chasing an elusive sunrise. Every high school girl's dream. There is, however, something very uninspiring about going up a hill at 20km/hour on a maroon scooter, half clutching the gas, half walking it out, while guys on bicycles pedal past you, smiling as if the uphill road takes no effort at all. Tonight's trip around Geoje island would have been a waste if it hadn't been for the inspiration that went along with my sudden realization that I have only 40 days left in Korea.

Exactly 2 years and 8 months ago, I sold my car, put all of my stuff (read: fridge, bed and desk) into storage (read: Mom & Dad's garage), packed 25kg into a suitcase, hopped on a plane and came to South Korea. Back then I had a whole list of reasons that I used to justify my decision: Study debt, heartbreak, boredom, wanderlust.