First, I would like to correct an error I made in my last post. You may remember that I warned readers of the dangers of a spicy dished called Dok Po Ki, pictured here:
However, the other day, my students informed me that this is not, in fact, Dok Po Ki. It is actually something along the lines of "eomook." Dok Po Ki, in fact, looks more like this:
As you can see, the two dishes are quite different. My students openly wondered how I had managed to get them confused.
"I just told people that I'd gotten the noodle things in hot soupy stuff from Jaws, you know, that place that sells spicy food through a window," I explained, thoroughly embarrassed. "As you can see, both yuckmuck and -- "
No, no. Eomook. Eo-MOOK.
"Yes, that stuff, and Dok Po Ki can both be ordered at Jaws, and people assumed that I'd gotten Dok Po Ki, since it's noodle things in hot soupy stuff. But either way, what I had was REALLY spicy."
Was it? my students said. How strange. Eomook is not spicy at all. At least, it is nothing compared to Dok Po Ki. We must fix this immediately. Tomorrow, you will have Dok Po Ki. Only then will you know the meaning of the word "spicy."
And so, in the middle of next class, we had Dok Po Ki. I did eat it, and I managed to smile through it even though it felt like my stomach lining was disintegrating. Meanwhile, the inside of my mouth felt something like this:
So THAT, my friends, is Dok Po Ki.
Onto other things. I have been in Seoul for four weeks now, but it feels like no more than a day. I have fallen into a somewhat regular routine. I sleep, I wake, I teach, I eat, I make "lesson plans," then sleep again. I subsist mainly on Special K, plums, and ramen noodles. My roommate has moved to cheaper lodgings, so I spend my free time shopping instead of socializing. I buy kitschy stereotypical Asian souvenirs, like silk fans, jade bracelets, and teddy bears in traditional Korean robes. I also spend atrocious amounts of money on clothes I do not need, such as this raincoat slash dress thing:
Note the general mess and my ex-roommate's bed, which is now my "jewelry bed." The dorm office informed me that they may be giving me a new roommate soon. This is probably for the better.
When I am not languishing in the swirling pit of filth that is my room, I wander Seoul, sucking down lattes and taking sub-par pictures with my phone. Here are the fruits of some of those wanderings.
First of all, I went to a palace. It looked kind of like this.
On the inside, it smelled very calm, like dust and old wood. And it looked something like this.
I also saw a centuries-old contraption that could fire 100 flaming arrows simultaneously. Here is photographic evidence that yes, it actually exists:
It evokes both horror and admiration. One has to wonder, what must have inspired someone to create this dastardly weapon? Desperation in the face of a formidable enemy? Sadomasochistic tendencies? A truly intense bout of boredom? Either way, I thought it looked like something a villain from The Powerpuff Girls might use, and since I have a rather sick sense of humor, I spent the next few hours entertaining myself with thoughts of tiny cartoon armies running in circles, trying to dodge the rain of death that fell flaming upon them.
I also went to Seoul Tower, which is exactly what it sounds like - a tower, in Seoul.
Perhaps "went" isn't quite the right word. For some reason, I thought it might be a good idea to walk there, rather than taking the subway. After all, I could see it from my dorm. It couldn't be that far.
And it wasn't, really. Maybe just a mile or three. But I failed to realize that since the tower is on top of a hill, I would have to (obviously) go up a hill to get there. I also disregarded that I have not so much as done crunches in over a month, and am thus in no shape to trek to a distant tower in 90-degree weather, let alone in $15 sandals with all the arch support of a ballet slipper.
On my sweaty way there, I walked along the top edge of the US Military base, which looks something like this:
As you can see, it is very welcoming. Good ol' fashioned American hospitality. I have my own opinions about this, but I won't taint my wide-eyed wanderings with half-baked political grumbling. I will save my opinions for another, more cynical post.
Around mile two of my journey, my lungs shriveled in protest. I started to get tunnel vision. All I could see was the road, the hill, and the tower that grew ever-so-slowly closer.
In the end, I made it, although it felt a little like scaling Mount Doom. By the time I arrived, I was dripping sweat onto the pavement.
When I got to the top, the view looked like this.
As you can see, visibility is not so good. Seoul is quite smoggy, after all. But I hope you get the general idea. Anyway. Seoul Tower is also home to one of the coolest bathrooms on the planet, which looks like this:
And when you wash your hands, you can admire the view below. So maybe you will understand why I stood there washing my hands for ten minutes. Or maybe it was because my brain had short-circuited from heat exhaustion, and I could do no more than mindlessly run cold water over my hands while staring vacantly into space.
You will not be surprised to hear that I took the subway home.
At any rate, I am doing well, and I hope you are, too. More posts to come.
-Emily
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