Life These Weeks in South Korea: Feb 12-25, 2024
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Aka: SHE’S ALIVE
Ha ha. Yes, I’m alive. I’ve just been…not here.
I’ve been…here…
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Yeah, mostly here š I HURT hurt my knee almost two weeks ago and it has really impacted my ability and desire to go anywhere. I still AM, but I’m spending a lot of time recuperating.
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Oops, pictures are out of order. OH WELL. Life, amiright??
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Seoul Art Museum. This might have been my favorite exhibit – it was called like White on White or something like that. It reminded me of pictures I’d take š A bowl. There. Done.
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This was…I don’t know what this was. A guy. It was entertaining. I’m sure it was supposed to symbolize man’s inhumanity to man or something.
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I always like collagey pieces.
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POV: me looking at people looking at art.
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I liked this guy’s use of composition and color. Do I sound like I know what I’m talking about? I do not.
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Fleurs.
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Historic Korean architecture.
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This was by far the best latte I’ve had in Seoul. Creamy and sweet. Yum. And lovely tiramisu. Dessert is not really a thing at traditional Korean restaurants, but we went to this nice cafe after dinner and shared a lil sweet treat.
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Pork broth soup – a winter favorite.
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Hyungeun found this place in a New York Times review. They have a branch in NYC but we went to this one in Seoul and it was very nice. Small, cozy, warm, on a cold, snow-flurrying evening. This was the home of the pork soup above. Okdongsik is the name.
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Winter not quite ready to leave us yet.
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And no, I never got winter shoes/boots. Maybe next year.
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Pretty.
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My new favorite ice cream treat. At home I used to have toaster-warmed frozen waffles with vanilla ice cream on top. This is like that but with a thin layer of chocolate bar in the center. YUM.
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Pandas have too many rules.
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Trash Rabbit.
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Cold day/Hot soup. It’s a thing.
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I THINK they’re brushes, for like traditional calligraphy? I THINK??
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Almost home.
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New faux candles.
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Foggy.
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Grocery shopping.
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Immediate gratification reward for grocery shopping.
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I dont know what these are, but if there had been a smaller package I would have bought them for sure.
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So many words at the ATM.
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Pretty.
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Moon dot.
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Sprite + Lemon Ginger Mush + Honey + Ice = Lemon Ginger Ade š
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Graduation Day. Not for ME. But for some people. I will be taking Korean 1 for a THIRD time.
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Breakfast out.
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Dinner out.
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Seoul Museum of History. See the lake above my feet? I live at 5:00 on the lake.
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Campus.
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Scale model of Seoul. LOVED this.
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They have Popeye’s in Seoul!!!
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In life, sometimes you get escalators…and sometimes you get stairs.
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My floor has leaked (?) a couple times. And yes, that giant hard ottoman is my bed.
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Couple Culture is STRONG in Seoul.
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One springlike day at the end of the term I was able to sit out on the veranda (remember the veranda??) with a sweet drink. It was lovely.
So. That’s where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing.
- The term ended on Friday, Feb 17 and I’ve been on break since.
- I’ve mastered food delivery and online shopping.
- My knee has kept me immobile for many days.
- I have slept a LOT.
- I’ve eaten breakfast out a LOT.
- I’ve eaten delivery fried chicken a LOT.
- I had to cancel this week’s kidney stone pre-op cuz my health insurance is still not in effect. To be clear (for those who worry), I still have the student insurance…but it doesn’t cover as much as the National Health Insurance will, so anything I can put off (kidney stones, knee, foot, anti-depressants) til that’s in place, I will.
- I go back to class on March 6.
The End.
Penny
I was wondering where you were! Knee injuries are tricky – hope you heal quickly. There are exercises to strengthen muscles around the knee, I’m sure you can Google these. The food looks delicious and still so cold! Keep on keeping on Bettye! So good to hear from you!
bettyewp
Yeah, I was so busy not really doing anythng, ha ha, that Sunday (blog post writing day) would roll around and I’d be like I CANNNNN’TTTTT!!!
Ooh, good idea about paying a visit to Dr Google about knee strengthening exercises! I will definitely look for some of those, thank you!
jodie
I’m glad you’re alive and kicking.
XOOX
Jodie
Bobbie
Happy for the update. Hope you are feeling better.
Jaynn
PHEW! I was worried bout you, stranger person whose blog I adore and feel like I talk to when I’m driving sometimes! Just figured a lot was going on. Ok maybe not so much worried as curious? Because what is there to worry about? You always figure it out! Love all the pictures, hope your knee is feeling better soon – rest is best and all that crap. I did notice you mentioned getting winter boots next year… so I wondered, hmmm, next year, eh? Are you flunking that damn class on purpose to extend your adventures? Teasing… and loving every second of your posts! Stay well, stay positive, and enjoy!!! (and tell us ALL about it!)
bettyewp
Aww, I loved your comment Jaynn: “stranger person whose blog I adore and feel like I talk to when I’m driving sometimes,” ha ha.
I feel like the broken pain record. Every day is pain, sometimes more, sometimes less. And I just have to decide each day if what I want to is worth the amount of pain/discomfort it will bring. Tomorrow I start class again (ugh) and will be back to THE HILL…which I have not encountered yet with The Knee, since I only injured it the night after the last day of finals. That will be…not too pleasannt š But there’s really no option. A couple times last term when I was just feeling really poorly, no energy, foot pain, etc…I did take an Uber…but only to the bottom of the hill. I don’t feel right asking them to go up as they have to turn around in a small area to get back down. But the hill is better if I haven’t already walked with my heavy bag all the way there.
WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THE LAZIEST PERSON ON THE PLANET.
Ha, no, not flunking on purpose. Though I will take the same class six times if I have to to stay here the maximum 2 years of the student visa. And honestly I AM a little afraid of the second class, I’ve heard (from the VERY few people who graduated from 1 to 2) that it is VERY very hard.
But no, yeah, I’m still here…just got…LIFED.
Sally in St Paul
Glad you’re still hanging in there! I loved the trash rabbit, but that ATM was *terrifying* to behold – so many words! Hope the national insurance kicks in soon so you can start dealing with some of these health issues more thoroughly. It is NO FUN to have a messed up knee (or really, any part of the lower body) in a walking-a-lot-of-places situation. Thank goodness the food delivery conundrum has been handled so you’re not starving or wholly dependent on your willingness to ask friends for help.
bettyewp
Yeah, slowly but surely, one thing at a time is getting resolved. Food yes, online shopping yes, insurance, not yet. I have to make a PHONE CALL, aka one of my least favorite things in the WORLD. But Iām getting there.
Iris
I’m behind myself. So glad you’re okay – leg pains are definitely no fun. Pleae take care of yourself.
Iris
bettyewp
How are you doing these days, Iris??