Friday, Phones, & Food

Another Friday...how wonderful is the weekend?! Even in college the weekend wasn't as great as now because there was still loads of studying to do and papers to write. Now, the weekends are a complete and total break with nothing to do but rest, refocus, recharge, and explore this wonderful, strange, new country! The forecast for this weekend includes a trip to Itaewon to buy a cell phone, church on Sunday and fellowship afterward, and some sightseeing/hanging out with friends Saturday night. There is also a chance of scattered cleaning, laundry-doing, and food shopping.

I am so looking forward to getting a cell phone tomorrow. I have never been a watch wearer and since I don't have a cell phone right now I never know what time it is when I'm out and about. And of course it will be much easier to communicate with people and coordinate times when I'm meeting them somewhere. The two biggest places to buy phones seem to be Yongsan and Itaewon. Friends of mind are going to Itaewon tomorrow and they offered to take me to get a phone. Also, there are a lot of import shops there that carry hard-to-find food items from the US. Apparently its one of the only places you can find sour cream here. So I might come back with more than a cell phone. I'll be buying a used cell phone and a pay-as-you-go plan. Incoming calls will be free for me (even international!) but the cost to call out is more expensive than a monthly plan. Still, since I'll be using it so rarely, that won't matter.

Yesterday I took all my fresh veggies that I'd bought at the market and made a delicious stir-fry. It was so yummy. The majority of my meals have consisted either of peanut butter and jelly on crackers or the Korean version of Ramen Noodles (which, not surprisingly, are SO SPICY). I have also gotten into the habit of buying an ice cream cone on my way home from work for 1,000 Won. It's comforting because it tastes the same as ice cream in the States.

I still have not quite figured out what to eat for breakfast here. Koreans eat rice and kimchi and fish. This is not a bacon and eggs country. It seems I have said goodbye to Western omelettes, Egg McMuffins, and stacks of pancakes with syrup. I can't eat eggs without toast anyway, and I don't have a toaster.

Rice is such a big deal here and is literally eaten with every meal. It's a sticky, white rice and it tastes ok but I can't imagine eating it all the time. Plus, you need to have a rice cooker to make it come out right apparently. I've tried the instant rice bowls from the store downstairs but I don't like them very much. Even if rice was my favorite food, I can't imagine eating it for breakfast every morning with kimchi. That very well may change in time, though....