I'm over it

So I'm back in Korea. And I'm over it. REALLY over it. But I'd like to think that I'm over it for all the right reasons....
First of all I'd like to say that being done with being here has nothing to do with Korea or the Korean people. They have been the most lovely, gracious host nation to us in our 2.5 years here. I'm just burnt out on being a foreigner and being different and not being able to communicate and that would be the same no matter what homogeneous non-English speaking country I was in.
For those who don't know the story I will catch you up.... We're moving to South Africa. And we have to get our visas for SA here in Korea because Jeff can't take a month+ off from work (which is how long it takes in the States) and wait around for a visa. So the kids and I FedEx'ed our passports to Korea so we could all apply together. But then the visas for the kids and I were denied because we were not in the country with a current entry stamp on our passports. So Jeff FedEx'ed all the passports back to Korea, the kids and I flew here on Wed, arrived on Thursday, went to the SA embassy in Seoul, reapplied for our visas, and then took the bullet train to Ulsan to hang out with our friends and wait for 2 weeks for the visas to be processed. Meanwhile Jeff had to leave for SA so he is gone (we missed him by 2 days...2 DAYS!!!) and so are the cats and all our stuff. So I was expecting the apartment to look like the Who's houses after the Grinch comes: empty except for Y block furniture, a sad picture hanging wire left on the wall and a lone cheerio in the corner. What we actually came back to was fresh groceries for the morning and a beautiful vase of flowers cheering up the place. Because we have awesome friends here. And that is something I WILL miss about Korea.
I will also miss the safety factor. Leaving my iPad on a park bench and going off to play with the kids or going for a run and leaving the two of them at home for an hour is not something you can do in almost any other country on earth.
But then I venture out of the HFC to go shopping and once again I am over it. Here's why...
Korea is full of Koreans. End of list. So it's not like the UK, or the US where you would see people of every race and it would be unremarkable. I stand out like Shrek the ogre in the middle of a victorian ladies tea. Little children point at me and jump up and down and say "Wegugin!!" (foreigner) to their mother's who, to their credit try to shush them and direct their attention elsewhere, but it really does make you feel like a freak after a while. People stare and at Costco, they sometimes physically grab my cart and impede my progress so they can call their friends over to examine the contents. This apparently is endlessly entertaining. What DO Wegugins buy at Costco? The Koreans want to know. I am so looking forward to being in a country where no one will know that I am a foreigner until I open my mouth. (Which takes about 5 seconds I know, I know.... but those 5 seconds will be really enjoyable)
Speaking of opening my mouth, I am excited to get into conversations with random strangers. Those of you who know me know that this is something I do all. day. long. It drives Jeff crazy. On the beach, in the check-out line, at the hardware store, you name it, I am probably chatting someone up. And I love it. And here I just sadly shop in silence for hours with no one to talk to. (cue violin music....) It's like being isolated in your own little bubble. Over it.
Speaking of shopping, here's something I'm over that is unique to Korea. Hangul. Living here is not like living in Germany or France where it's all in a different language but you can figure it out. It's like living with the Mayans (language only). There is no reading labels or descriptions in the grocery store. Shoot, there's no telling what your buying! Picture the dairy section....all those little tubs of dairy products on their little shelves. Now picture them covered in hieroglyphics. You have no idea what's in the tub. It may be yogurt, butter, cream cheese, or some kind of fermented bean curd that you didn't even know existed. So many times I have gotten home from the grocery store and opened up purchases and discovered that I bought something totally different than what I intended. Over it.
You know the Ogre comparison? I wasn't exaggerating.... I can't buy anything here. The way it goes down usually is that I see something cute and make the exception to try to go for it. There is then a 15-20 minute scurry among the staff trying to find someone that can speak English. Someone always draws the short straw and they are then pushed to the front to engage me. I ask about the item and am then told that I am some kind of amazon and if they DID make that object in my size it would have to be special ordered. Just what every woman longs to hear. In the US I wear shirts that are size small. Just sayin'.
Now what I cannot overlook is the remarkable way the Korean people always go out of their way to TRY to find that English speaker and help me. In Seoul there was a member of the hotel staff that went out of his way to help us in a way that I have only experienced from Walt Disney World cast members. And that's saying something. That's the norm here too. People are so anxious to try to help and to try to figure out what you are asking. They really are the nicest people on the planet. If only I spoke Hovitos....
So I will enjoy their smiles and smile back and wish that I could talk to them for 2 more weeks. And I will eat Kimchee and pretend that I really do like it and I will run at all times of the day and night alone and be totally safe. And I will enjoy the awesome company of our HFC companions and be so glad that I get to see them again for 2 more weeks. But we haven't seen Max since June, and we haven't seen Jeff since Aug 4th and we are so ready to be together as a family again. And when those visas come through you just may hear me "WooHoo'ing" all the way back in the States.

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