New glasses?

My glasses' lenses were scratched, so I went into a shop to look at new ones. I asked the man how much it would be to replace the lenses, and after a few minutes of checking, he said, "Five minutes." He gave me a discount, so replacing both lenses cost 20,000 won, or about $18. There are some things about Korea that I will miss...

Adventures in Food and Shopping with Jazmin

My friend Jazmin and I decided to go downtown for some dinner and shopping at Seomun Market. While the atmosphere at the restaurant was lovely (we sat outside on the patio, listening to a live pianist), the food was...well...confusing.

Jazmin had a steak covered with a sauce, with another sauce underneath. (Koreans sure love their sauces.) She had one piece of 3-4 vegetables on the side (hot), a dollop of whipped potatoes with a cucumber garnish (cold), and 2 extra sauces on the side(just for balance, I suppose).


Mine was a carb disaster. Breaded "chicken" drizzled with mustard, on top of some kind of steak or barbecue sauce. With an enormous "side" of spaghetti with meat sauce (not chicken). A ball of cold rice the size of a large marble and 5 french fries rounded it out. Oh, and ketchup. How could I forget about the sauce?


Too bad my feet are man-sized in Korea. And I'm not five.


I did, however, think these were adorable. Jaz informed me that on the wrong child, though, they're unpleasant.

Random Downtown Scenes

A walk downtown always reveals new and interesting things. These are giant paint brushes. I don't know what one would use them for.


Men's fashion in Korea has grown on me. Men just couldn't get away with this at home.


This is a new clothing store's facade. Odd, but endearing.

Seoul Pride Trip, Pt. 1

My trip to see Seoul's version of Pride was mostly rained out. I was basically soggy for two days, and it wasn't pleasant. So few people showed up that it was actually just depressing.










At least the shopping was entertaining. These are decorative bags.


Hooker wear. Lovely.


Why not? But way too cute.




The cutest donut display ever.


I love her shoes.


"YOU.SHALL NOT.PASS!"


The street to my hostel.


Inside my single room.






The plaza outside of Seoul Station.

Fun Shopping Opportunities

Every time I go anywhere, I find lots of fun opportunities to spend money. I've learned that an alternative to hoarding is to take (and share!) pictures of these things.

3D puzzles and models are everywhere. These are made of wood, and so neat.




The best shoes ever. Scarlet and gray, baby! (Go Bucks!)


Fighting Korea flip flops, in preparation for the World Cup.


Katie, modeling a head lamp.


I never knew there were so many options in the field of ping pong...


...Or badminton. Both are big business here.


I LOVE this guy! This is a stuffed doll version of a commercial vegetable. He's so cute!

Shoes for Women with Feet Bigger than size 7

It's impossible to find shoes here other than tennis shoes, which I can buy in men's sizes. But I've heard that you can get shoes made for cheap. So I've taken a couple of pictures of shoes I'd like to get made. Women's shoes here are very high and very girly, but I like them nonetheless!

Shopping with Kayla

Kayla and I found some fun and crazy things this month when we went shopping. I don't look good in hats. I used to...I don't know what happened.


Panda suitcases.


Terrifying.


Animal cake cutters. Mostly scary.


I do actually like this. :)

Relaxing Day in Siji

I decided to wander around Siji a bit. I was hungry for some sushi, and found this Japanese restaurant.


The sushi and Udon were yummy.


I found a huge stationary store.


These bears were so cute, if a little confusing. Why does a bear wear another's animal's coat? Why not? We do!

I really liked the wolf because it reminded me of my high school mascot. But the toger was so soft and cuddly. I didn't buy either one. (I wish I would have though!)


And this is just terrifying.

Daiso 다이소

I’m a big fan of dollar stores. My favorite in the U.S. is Dollar Tree, because they have everything, and it’s all $1.00. Here I quickly found the equivalent. Daiso carries everything from cosmetics to dishes, hardware to décor, and even DVDs. Not everything is 1,000 won, but most are 1-3,000, with the occasional 5,000 won item.

It’s great. I’ve gotten dishes, utensils, school supplies, Ziploc-like bags, dog treats, nail polish, and trash cans there (among other things). I love that I can feel like I’ve had a big shopping experience, and leave with a huge bag full of stuff for less than 40,000 won. I’m amazed that some foreigners here don’t know about it.