I was greatly naive in thinking that after the first post, blogging would be more of doddle. If anything, my procrastinating nature should have been the biggest clue to how I might approach writing, which goes a little something like this:
- Think about logging on to blogger and developing a topic based on my day/week so far.
- Marathon 'Teen Wolf' Season 3 instead. (In all honestly, this was totally worth it.)
But fortunately, I managed to drag myself away from that guilty pleasure (I know you're still judging me for my choice of TV viewing) to get on with some life responsibilities today. In this case, it was making sure I don't starve - or worse, binge on GS25 kimbap rolls - by going grocery shopping.
Now this may seem a mundane activity, but it always feels like an ~event~ when I visit my local mart. This is partly due to the fact that the mart often has an interesting choice of music blaring:
- This week's favourite K-pop tracks...gotta ride that Hallyu all day every day;
- Or this week's favourite Western hits...
- It always amazes me how often these tracks are laden with obscenity. Now, I'm all for free speech but it's always going to be a bit awkward shopping for fruit and veg, surrounded by families and their young kids, to a song that throws the f-bomb out uncensored every two words - or even better, tells me that 'These hoes ain't loyal'. Step away from that Chris Brown pedestal, Korea.
- Korea's current OST obsession - and trust me when I say 'obsession'...
- E.g. Recently, Korea fell in love with the American film, 'Begin Again'. This was due to a combination of things Korea is already in love with: namely musical-style films ('Let It Go', anyone?), and Maroon 5's Adam Levine ("Teacher, Maroon 5 singer so handsome!"). Suffice to say, I managed to memorise the lyrics of the film's most famous song, 'Lost Stars', without ever choosing to play it myself. 'Lost Stars' is also one of the top song picks at noraebang...and most native English speakers here have never even seen the film.
- And my favourite of all: the mart's own MC, who, in between announcing the day's top deals and answering a belligerent ahjumma's questions on the meat counter's offerings, croons his own tunes over the store's speaker system. The man is just so cheerful, it's lovely.
The other reason that a trip to the mart feels like an event, is the whirlwind I encounter upon entering the store. Market-stall style booming voices of staff; bustling mothers juggling enough gochujang and garlic to feed an army, whilst their children play hide and seek in the different food aisles; university students discussing the merits of various delicious and 'nutritious' ramyun brands; the smell of marinated meat on the grill inside the store and sweet potatoes baking outside of the store, permeating our noses (cue stomach growl, 'only buy what you need, damn it')... and in amongst it all is me, slowly ambling in the aisles whilst deciding what I'll be able to cook this week on my single stove hob and tiny toaster oven.
(I bought a whole chicken to make soup - I've never worked with a whole chicken outside of KFC's Family Bucket before...wish me luck).
This is just a small example of that fast-paced Seoulite life, which continues to leave me feeling nervous when I'm queuing at the till...quick check to make sure my purse is open and card accessible, throw my phone in my handbag so that my hands are empty and ready to pack, pack, pack... please don't get annoyed at me lightning fast till assistant and ahjussi standing behind me with your soju and makgeolli bottles (there's always at least one soju bottle in their basket, even if it is 11am).
Meanwhile at the till opposite, I watched the till assistant slowly lose her will to live, as she dealt with three kids debating which item they should put back after the total came to more than their budget (they let go of the peppers that I'm pretty sure their mum asked them to buy, but held on to four large Crunky bars) in the packed out mart.
And then a little thing happened that broke the whirlwind - my till assistant accidentally offered me the previous customer's card and receipt. Upon realising her mistake, she and I both cracked up, and that little twinkle in her eye set a new pace which let me relax. I packed my bag like a pro, not breaking a sweat or fumbling over which Tetris formation would be best to use, and even better - I understood everything she said to me during the course of the transaction*, with the snippets of kindness and patience that aren't always shown in this go, go, go lifestyle: 'If you need another bag, please let me know', 'I'm going to pack the eggs in this separate bag for you, so you can be more careful with them'.
It's just a mundane chore of everyday life, but I left the store feeling like my day was brighter, and all it took was a shared smile and a little twinkle in the eyes.
(I bought a whole chicken to make soup - I've never worked with a whole chicken outside of KFC's Family Bucket before...wish me luck).
This is just a small example of that fast-paced Seoulite life, which continues to leave me feeling nervous when I'm queuing at the till...quick check to make sure my purse is open and card accessible, throw my phone in my handbag so that my hands are empty and ready to pack, pack, pack... please don't get annoyed at me lightning fast till assistant and ahjussi standing behind me with your soju and makgeolli bottles (there's always at least one soju bottle in their basket, even if it is 11am).
Meanwhile at the till opposite, I watched the till assistant slowly lose her will to live, as she dealt with three kids debating which item they should put back after the total came to more than their budget (they let go of the peppers that I'm pretty sure their mum asked them to buy, but held on to four large Crunky bars) in the packed out mart.
And then a little thing happened that broke the whirlwind - my till assistant accidentally offered me the previous customer's card and receipt. Upon realising her mistake, she and I both cracked up, and that little twinkle in her eye set a new pace which let me relax. I packed my bag like a pro, not breaking a sweat or fumbling over which Tetris formation would be best to use, and even better - I understood everything she said to me during the course of the transaction*, with the snippets of kindness and patience that aren't always shown in this go, go, go lifestyle: 'If you need another bag, please let me know', 'I'm going to pack the eggs in this separate bag for you, so you can be more careful with them'.
It's just a mundane chore of everyday life, but I left the store feeling like my day was brighter, and all it took was a shared smile and a little twinkle in the eyes.
JH
*With my broken Korean skills, paying at the till can be daunting because the shop assistant fires a billion questions at you in 0.0000005 seconds. Simply nodding and smiling as a response does not always cover all questions well here.
Aside note: Pringles are extortionately priced here and the crisp/chip itself is not even the full size. Shame on you, import market.
*With my broken Korean skills, paying at the till can be daunting because the shop assistant fires a billion questions at you in 0.0000005 seconds. Simply nodding and smiling as a response does not always cover all questions well here.
Aside note: Pringles are extortionately priced here and the crisp/chip itself is not even the full size. Shame on you, import market.