10.12.05-- I am living (size) XXL in Seoul

Here I am, ready to meet the in-laws. Oh man. I can't believe I'm putting these on the web. Well, the world will do with these what they must. This is the traditional Korean dress, called the "hanbok." We got to wear them yesterday as part of our visit to a traditional home. We also learned how to bow.

Yesterday was so much fun and it ended in a slightly nightmarish shopping trip. I feel at home here in Korea. It feels so familiar. Even though I wouldn't know how to drive around here or how to talk to people. It does feel like home.

I'm considered godzilla-ish and am currently wearing a $10 jacket I bought last night that says it is size XXL, no joke.

Yesterday morning started when this old man approached me and Karen, another delegate on the street. He said I could take a picture with him. Though I didn't ask if I could, he just offered. I noticed how he pulled me very closely to him, gripping me at the waist.

Then he asked me to buy him a drink. It was only 50 cents, so I was like, "Ok." And then he made me shake his hand, which I didn't want to do, and when he did it, he wiggled his index finger into my palm. It was so gross. And he said to Karen, "Let's go to the hotel. I like you. Just for an hour."

Wow, just goes to show, dirty old men are a universal phenomenon.

Our first stop on yesterday's tour was the Seoul police station. MAN! Those cats are hooked up. You know how on tv, when they show what NASA or the CIA looks like, and there is one wall dedicated to tv screens? That's what this place looks like, they have huge screens that take over the entire wall. Even the police officers on this trip who work for LAPD and Pasadena police said they have nothing on this.

In this picture I am pointing to one of 200 screens that shows traffic footage from one of the many intersections in Seoul.

There is a whole other wall of tv screens like this.

They let us try out their computer shooting range that officers train with to use guns. It was HIGH TECH. They don't use real bullets, and you shoot at a screen.

Remember that episode of Family Ties when the Keatons get a gun because their house was robbed? And Elyse couldn't even hold the bullets in the box, even though they were outside of the gun? That's like me when I was using the police guns. I only shot one bullet on target out of 30 shots. Perhaps because the whole time we were shooting, I was screaming, "Ew! I am holding a gun!"

Here is a shot of kids coming out of one of the many schools. They all wear uniforms.

These kids came walking towards us and our bi-lingual chaperone said, "These are bad kids." They were hilarious.

We went to an old style Korean home (Han Ohl) to experience traditional activities. Here I am doing a sheisty job of writing my name in Korean with a calligraphy brush.

We also learned how to do a tea ceremony.

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I had so much fun that afternoon, I was grinning from ear to ear when we left their house.

We also learned to make Duk (Korean Rice Cake) the traditional way. One of the steps involves pounding this rice dough with a mortar and pestal. Click here to see the mini movie of me beating the duk. Notice how I grunt. Below are pictures of how Duk is mass produced at the store down the street from our hotel.

Later that night we went to one of the shopping areas called Don De Moon. The inside area of this mall is open until 6am for shopping apparently. Why someone would want to buy a jacket at 4am is beyond me. It was way too chaotic out there. Too much stuff for sale, a lot of it very overpriced, and there isn't as much haggling happening as I hoped there would be. I came to the hotel after and had a big headache. I bought a jacket that was size XXL (it fits just right though.)

Ugh, it was like looking a flashing neon light that wouldn't stop.

I don't know who this cowboy Korean guy is. But he reminded me of those street preachers, so I took a pic of him.

More coming soon!

Kristina