Little Boxes.

So today I decided I wanted to talk about something Korea related. Houses.

Houses here are different then houses in the states. First of all, the houses I have personally seen have all been in alleyways. Alleyways are very common where I live, especially serving as shortcuts for cars to drive down by. (Sometimes it gets quite annoying) But it does come in handy if you want to get somewhere a bit quicker than you might in the states or the UK. In the picture I posted, there is an alley right next to HomePlus which goes down and connects to a series of other alleys. Artsy and I took a Taxi down here before, (and he went a TOTALLY different way than we had both ever witnessed) and he came through the back of THAT alley, where as usually when we come, we just come down the main road (which is in the picture, going left and right) Anyway, the alleyways triple as shortcuts, places to place establishments such as clubs (not like drinking and partying), shops and restaurants, and homes. These homes are usually not viewable, however. Korean homes usually have a high brick wall going all through the alley, with a big gate that you can't see through/past. Next to the gate is a buzzer/intercom where you obviously push the button if you want in. Artsy and I were able to actually "kind of" see past a Korean gate today where were only saw a door with shoes in, but some homes (or apartments, not sure) are a couple of stories high and have a long stairway on the outside.

Korean houses are pretty nifty, and I hope to one day be able to see inside one myself. Until then, I think I'll just keep on trying to inconspicuously look through the cracks or try and look over the wall.

Gay Tailor Guy.

I'm getting people pestering and bothering me about not being online as much. I've been busy. I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I have a foster puppy that requires a lot of attention and a husband that requires just as much. On the bright side, my goal is to keep this updated as much as possible. Right now, honestly, I'm trying to find a schedule for myself. I'm hopefully meeting up with a KAPS volunteer tomorrow and being shown around, so I can start volunteering. Which, I think, would be a great thing for me. :)! I'm hoping to foster, or possibly adopt a dog I've been looking at for awhile, which I think Dakota (or Cootie, as we call him) will need. He likes other animals. :) I feel like I need to get involved in something though. I'm glad I can help out the animals at the shelter! ^^. Gives me something to be proud of.

Moving on,

The title of my blog is "Gay Tailor Guy." I feel like I should shine a light on the man who I see nearly every single day outside Camp Walker. He owns a tailor store about 3 to 5 stores down from the entrance, and stands at his door with his sunglasses on his head, whiteish cream shirt and cool jeans. He doesn't actually, ever wear anything different. (And you really think he would, considering he's a tailor.) But no, not gay tailor guy!

It's hard to tell if people are gay here, anyway. Korean men are quite metro-sexual, as well as uh... touchy. It's not uncommon to see men holding hands, caressing each other, playing with each others hair. To many westerners, this is considered gay. I mean, honestly, what Western man would NOT think it was "gay" if another man came up rubbing his leg and giggling like a girl. Here in Korea? It's just friendly! :) I've heard of this anyway, so it was no surprise to me when I landed here. My husband Adam likes to poke fun at them, jokingly, though. I think it's cute! :)

The Art of Being a Fascinating Foreigner .

I decided to take a break from talking about my new home, my new life, etcetcetc, to touch on some things in Korea.

I've read many expat blogs about Koreans who will stare at you, and most of those times, I kind of shrugged it off. First of all, I live on a military base, so I thought that maybe Koreans were used to seeing foreigners and it was no big deal. Wrong.

People stare at you all the time, you can see it in your peripheral vision, you can feel it on the back of your head, and you can tell when you turn around and they look away. A lot of the time, they will stare, you will look at them and smile and they turn away like nothing happened. I find it cute. Some people will smile right back, bow, or wave. It's endearing and sweet. Whatever. Sometimes I end up putting sunglasses on and hoping to dear god that no one can tell I'm white, but I think it's obvious, despite the glasses. Some people glance at you, others ignore you, some will stare for what feels like forever, and school girls will look at you, giggle, and whisper to their friends. Again, sometimes it's quite endearing, and others its just plain tiring. If you see another foreigner, they generally ignore you.

Most of the time, Koreans are kind, generous, friendly and helpful (excluding when they drive.) As I was told by a couple of friends, the Korean chaplain that lives next door is extremely kind and generous, and I feel this is how a lot of Koreans are. They go out of their way, 100%, sometimes. However, even with being here for a few weeks, I have still encountered racism. For example, the time I went to Woobang Land and sat down, a Korean lady looked over, scoffed, and got up to sit somewhere else. It was kind of sad, but I never let it get too me, I can't really change my race, can I?

Another thing about Korea that I thought people exaggerated about, was the change of last minute plans. I hate this the most. The internet guy, on Friday, was due to come at 10. At 10, I got a call saying he'd be at 2, and would call an hour before he got there. At 2, I get a call saying he is THERE. I had to run out in the pouring rain to escort him inside, during which I ended up slipping and banging my head. Another example? Last minute, a lady invited me to go to Beoun with her, which I had to reject because I already had plans for that day. Very frustrating and not something I think I could get used to anytime soon. In fact, I'm glad I'm not a teacher, I've heard of administrators making last minute plans constantly.

On a side note, on the 15th I think I want to go down to a Cafe place called "Vins Avenue" around here. It looks really sweet. I just wish C. Love was here to enjoy it with me.