Whenever I move to a new place, which is often, I usually hibernate for the first three months. No, I don’t sleep all the time. I simply don’t venture much further than a two mile radius outside of my new home. I know, lame right? Why move across the world to stay in and read?
Well first of all, reading is cool no matter where you are in the world. Second, my body and mind need a reset period. I just left everyone and everything that was familiar. I don’t do well jumping into new environments with no prior knowledge of what I’m getting into.
Call it an introvert thing or just a recluse-parading-as-a-world-traveler thing, but I eventually get over it and start exploring my surroundings. With baby steps.
First thing’s first, I needed a drink. Luckily I have a cute coffee shop right at the end of my street called MaBoo (in English)
It couldn’t be more me. The one thing I was missing in D.C. was a good coffee shop that I could settle into for more than five minutes. There’s WiFi, tons of seating and a calm artsy atmosphere.
I’m not sure if this was a serious contribution to the foundation, but it was cute nonetheless.
I got a Chocolate Chip Mint-Green Tea Frappuccino. It was delish.
I may as well give up collecting receipts since the only thing I can read is the price: 6,500 WON. About $5.50.
I love walking aimlessly, although in a foreign country it can be a little risky when all the roads twist into each other and look alike. I saw some interesting things on my way. South Korea is all over the thrift shop game.
My mom is already on my case about the rocking horses. ‘Buy me all the rocking horses’ she says. Sure no problem. There’s only twenty…
Don’t Blink. (keep looking Whovians!)
I walked a little further to the touristy neighborhood:
Itaewon (Eee-tay-wahn). There was a festival going on, so a gazillion people were there. Some accompanied by their very nervous pets.
Itaewon is a maze. (as is the rest of Seoul in my opinion)
Shopping in Itaewon can be fun, but you almost need to photograph your twist and turns to get back out. I got lost a few times. But I found a cool scarf and an old Sprite shirt.
I seem to have gotten in the habit of snapping photos of animals wherever I go. This little guy was tied up on my street and not happy about it.
He did not want his picture taken either and thoroughly chewed me out for it afterwards.
So far, I haven’t freaked out completely being a stranger in a strange land. Yeah, the 7-Eleven has dried squid, but they also have dried seaweed, my fave!
I’m adjusting to new things, like heated tile floors and ‘house shoes’ since you do not wear your actual shoes inside.
And thankfully, when I do get a little overwhelmed, I can turn to this beauty. I hadn’t seen her all summer since I shipped her off before my travels started. There’s nothing a little Beatles tune can’t fix.
Next post will feature adventures in Namdaemun, Yongsan, and more!
Fighting Fernweh 