This Week in South Korea: July 14-20, 2025

I’M LEAVING KOREA IN THREE WEEKS.

Sorry, just had to say that out loud in the hopes that it would stop it from careening around in my head.

Monday, July 14

Well, today was par for my course. Since even before I came to Korea, I’ve been hearing about and wanting to go to the Photography Seoul Museum of Art. They’ve been promoting it for ages and at long last it just opened in May. It’s in Seoul, but it’s much further north than I typically go…a little over an hour by bus.

I woke up this morning and was like, oh, I WANT to go, but I don’t HAVE to go, no one’s MAKING me go, no one would KNOW if I didn’t go, bed feels so niiicceee….which is how most mornings go for me when I have someplace to go. Going is nice. NOT going is better. But there’s no more, “I can go another time”s for me, I’m almost out of  “other times.” So I heavily pep-talked and Do It, Lady’d myself til I just got up, got ready, and left, without letting myself stop to think: but it’s so far, it’s unfamiliar buses, it’s supposed to rain. Nope, I just got myself together and left.

Was proud of myself for navigating the long ride with change of busses…got off the last one, walked a block-ish to the museum, it was just before 10 and the museum opens at 10. Perfect. Got to the doors. Locked. A “closed” sign standing just inside the glass door. Okay, it’s just 1o now, they haven’t unlocked the doors yet. There was some seating just around the side of the building, so I sat over there, had a protein bar…and walked back over at 10:10. Still locked. Still the closed sign. Is it closed today? Why would it be closed on a Friday? That’s weird. I open the Naver app to check their hours, nope, not closed on Friday, closed on Monday, then why…

OH. Today’s Monday. I have SO lost track of the days of the week, I legit thought today was FRIDAY. But it’s Monday. And museums are commonly closed on Mondays. I’m an idiot.

Oh well, there’s another museum next door – the Robot & AI Museum, not necessarily something I’ve wanted to do, but as long as I’m here…nope. Also closed.

There is something WRONG with me. Something very very WRONG with me (#namethatmoviereference).

I’d seen a Starbucks when I got off the bus so I walked back there for an iced tea and sandwich while I looked to see if anything else was in the area that I could do. There were a couple temples a little further north, but they’re usually a lot of walking and the forecast was for rain after noon, sp that didn’t seem wise and I just headed home.

The End.

Tuesday, July 15

This morning I didn’t let myself think, I just got up, got dressed, and walked to the bus. I was finally going to get the famous salt bread from the famous salt bread place in Seongsu, then walk around a bit to film.

I don’t know if salt bread has made it to the US, I don’t ever remember hearing about it before i came here, but it’s a lovely lovely thing. It’s very croissant-esque (but easier to pronounce), maybe just a little doughier, very buttery, with salt either sprinkled on top or in the dough itself.

As you get about half a block away  you start to small the baking buttery goodness in the air. The Seongsu Jayeondo Salt Bread shop is take-out only, no seating. You place your order at a kiosk and get a number. If you’re smart (like some people), you get there just as it opens and stand in line for only a minute or two before picking up your bag of four warm, fresh out of the oven, salt breads. If you’re “other people,” you stand in long lines and wait and wait.

Don’t be like other people. Get there early.

Anyway, my bread and I were going to order an uber then walk around a bit filming, but the universe had other plans for us. An elderly Korean gentleman approached us the moment we stopped walking  to open the uber app. And then ensued about 20 minutes of him trying to tell me All The Things, and me telling him I didn’t really understand. I mean, I KIND of understood: the mean clerk at THAT (points across street) store got angry at him and shooed him away from the front of the store cuz he was being too loud…and Japanese salt bread isn’t as good as Korean salt bread and this is the famous place where usually the lines are very long. I GOT all that…but didn’t know what he wanted me to DO about any of it. Especially the shooing part. But he was pretty worked up about all of it.

So I never got to film and I didn’t even get to pull one warm bread out of the bag to eat…until the uber finally came and took me home.

But when I did get home and put nice slices of cold butter on the already buttery bread,,,it was heavenly. and while I tried to save some for later, HA HA HA HA HA that did not happen.

And all those carbs could have been part of the cause of my serious afternoon slump, that sent me to bed in the afternoon to binge watch the last 7 episodes of the Korean drama I am loving right now.

Wednesday, July 16

Crash continuation today. Had dinner plans with friends but started feeling really hypoglycemic in the early afternoon…so I cancelled, ordered chicken, and lay in bed for TEN HOURS watching dramas. I just didn’t want to move.

Thursday, July 17

Or, The One I THOUGHT Was Going to Be My Last Visit to the Eye Doctor,  but…

Nope. All the tests went well, and her main concern, my “eye blood pressure,” was good, but the “eye blood pressure” drops I’m using might be giving that a false positive, so to speak. So I continue it for another week (I can discontinue the other three drops), then stop using it next Thursday, then revisit her in two weeks…so she can see if the drops are what are keeping my eye blood pressure good, or if it’s just good on its own.

I think she just doesn’t want me to leave, ha ha. “When will you be back in Seoul?” Not for like a year-and-a-half. “Maybe you can visit Seoul for an appointment while you’re in Japan this winter.” Uhm…that’s a roundtrip airfare and a night or two (at least) of accomodations…is she treating me?? And she’s back to saying the siliconoid shouldn’t be removed to June 2026…even though last time I’m pretty sure she said 6-12 months.

Anyway, thought it was over but it’s not.

Friday, July 18-Sunday, July 20

I literally just watched dramas, did my remote work, and slept. I  only left my room to pick up food and groceries. It’s disgustungly hot, humid, and rainy.

I watched ten (TEN) Japanese dramas. Granted, they tended to be shorter – both in episode length and series duration. Still, it was a lot. And I’m not mad about it. When I get to the US I’m going to be living on other people’s terms (except for 10 days of house/pet-sitting time in Los Angeles), so…it’s okay.

But on Sunday morning I was laying there, in bed, in my nightgown, watching the 30th episode of something, and I was just like “this is okay, right?” and it hit me…

I HAVE BECOME MY MOTHER.

Seriously. My mother spent the majority of her life doing exactly that. She just lived in her bed, watching tv, reading The New York Times, checking her Lotto numbers, not leaving the house for days at a time. And I GET IT. I totally get it. My sister and I both got that “stay home in your nightgown” gene, HARD. But not having another person in my life, I can really go full force with it.

Not forever. But when I want. ha ha.

See ya later luv ya bye.