A quick fix for coffee, boos, and dare I say, cigarettes

Caution 1, Take 1

Well things are getting habitual. My routine is simple. I wake up at nine, brush my teeth, eat cereal, take a shower, watch Korean television, and write up my lesson plans. Lately, I have been writing a lot of poetry. It tends to be pretty bad, mainly because it drips with sentiment. This weekend I went into Seoul to try to find a coffee grinder. It was a shot in the dark and lady luck was not on my side. I searched the underground COEX for two hours. The COEX is this giant monstrosity that is far too large to be called a mall. I am unsure what to call it, but I like the behemoth. In it you can find your heart’s desire, whether that’s Gucci, Prada, electronics, or overpriced aquariums. Asian capitalism feels a little different than American capitalism. In America, we binge on quantity, buying as much as we can as quickly as we can. In Asia, capitalism has a glisten, an uber clear sheen of style, efficiency, efficacy, and utter misinformed modernism. Money is spent, but it’s spent for status. I don’t know, this is a little too philosophical for my tastes, but I woke up early, so my brain is kind of working through this tangent.
I really miss good coffee. It’s slowly eating away at me. I am planning to go to Costco to get some whole beans and some loose leaf tea. For now, I have been surviving on the premium roast of Dunkin Donuts. Unfortunately, I believe I can only hold out for another week. My friend assures me Costco has whole beans, so for now I wait. On the day after Christmas I got food poisoning. It was fun. I threw up and did some other things which will not be discussed. Classes are going well. Their fairly mundane. There’s not really too much to report. Seoul’s subway system is incredible and it really makes me want to live in a city where public transportation is king.
On Christmas when I was riding the subway down to Suwon I met not one but three drunken Korean men. They stared politely, smiling as if I were something bright and shiny from the candy store. Often they shake their heads and laugh saying where are you from? I tell them I am American. They laugh and speak Korean. I don’t understand. But it provides for interesting side into the world of Lost in Translation alla Bill Murray. Alas, I think I am too young for that pony. Anyways things are good and I hope all is well, peace in the land of the enchanted.

Erik