Jim's Korea

While hiking, I was determined to get a photograph of a magpie. Sunmi and I followed every magpie we possibly could.

I had to get a photo of this Korean symbol. I snapped and snapped but the magpies did not want to stay still. Finally, I managed to snap one taking off from a limb. To view the actual photo, please click here.

A mountain brings all kinds of hikers.

Yes, dogs have invaded Korea. In fact, dog grooming is a big fad. It is not uncommon to see shops where dogs can receive everything from a shampoo to a manicure. I have seen poodles with pink and purple fur. I have also seen shops that specialize in clothing for dogs.

Occassionally, a big husky, Labrador or duck toller retriever like those native to Canada cross my path but tiny dogs are the big hit here. Some are just too friendly.

This was another linguisitc challenge.

The first challenge was my perception of alien. In modern TV and movie culture, an alien appears as a green being from outerspace but in reality, the word refers to a person from another country. For English-speakers, the nuance of this word may genearate images of UFOs but for Koreans, it usually refers to a foreigner. In fact, the term appears on my foreigner's ID card.

The second linguistic hurdle was connected to the woman's English-speaking ability. When I told her that I'm Canadian, she did not know how to respond linguistically. Speaking English is difficult for many Koreans but speaking on the phone without the advantage of visual input is 100 times more problematic. In this case, the woman's only option was to hang up and end the conversation.

Even the weather generates challenges.

While others have difficulties holding onto wallets or keys, I am always losing umbrellas. On the day depicted in the above cartoon, I must have lost my 30th umbrella in two months. That is not an exaggeration. The umbrella was in my possession for only 30 minutes. As soon as I entered my office, I realized that it was enjoying a taxi tour of greater Busan. What made this event even more frustrating is that Sunmi had bought me a really nice umbrella just two days earlier . You don't have to be a genius to guess what happened to it.

Busan does have a great deal of rain. While some parts of Canada are infamous for showers, my hometown in the east is not. I'm just haven't adapted to Korea's rainy season.

If it is scientifically possible to produce an umbrella tree, please tell me how. Otherwise, I stand to lose a fortune on umbrellas.

Miscommunication can creep up anywhere.

Koreans are crazy about coffee shops. You will find one on every back street and corner.

However, Koreans usually opt for whitener powder rather than actual cream. Occassionally, I do see liquid cream in a poreclain pitcher but not too often. Only once have I seen a creamer. Usually, I receive whitener when I request cream. In this case, the server interpreted it as whipped cream that is used to top off a flavoured coffee like capuccino. After Sunmi clarified my request, I did receive cream for my coffee.

Animals shows are very popular in Korea these days.

This particular episode broadcasted the daily life of a Canadian beaver in a Korean zoo. The zoo keeper was amazed at the beaver's undying committment to build a dam in a shallow, still puddle. Just as an experiment, the zoo keeper placed different objects like plates, umbrellas and books in the cage. The beaver used every object to build its lodge.

Since she has never been there, Oh Yeon often asks questions about Canada. I have tried, in my limited Korean, to tell her about the beaver. I even had two stuffed toy beavers but it is really difficult to include everything in an explanation. Therefore, shows like this can be useful.

This is one of my favourite Korean snacks.

Peanut bread not only contains real peanuts, it also looks like real peanuts. I usually enjoy mine while waiting for a bus.

We walked and we walked and we walked and we walked.

I don't really care for rental shoes. In addtion to being old and smelly, rentals usually contain velcro straps that will not tighten properly.

Sunmi and I couldn't find bowling shoes in Busan. Many clerks thought we were strange for requesting such an unusual item. Unusual? I don't think so. Oddly, not even the store where I had bought my last of bowling shoes carried them.

I guess I'll get a pair on the Internet.