Seoul Folks

Today in Seoul there were three instances of people that made me smile immensely.

The first was this guy on the subway that had a gift set that he had evidently gotten for the lunar new year from someone.  What was it?  A SPAM giftset. Haha.  I had seen them in the stores. They come with about six cans of regular SPAM and two cans of Bacon SPAM (yes bacon and SPAM in the same breath)  this guy was holding it like he'd just won the lottery (whoever'd bought it for him might've because that's a 60 dollar giftset usually).  The only thought that was going through my mind was if dad was In Korea for the lunar new year or they sold those sets in the US for Christmas I'd totally get him that for a birthday or something.  I'd imagine he'd have a similar reaction as it'd definitely be better than another tie that he doesn't need, or another pocketknife (as if he didn't already have 2 dozen from gifts and self purchases).

The second was when I was eating lunch at McDonald's.  It wasn't exactly one person but a series of people that all fit into their own stereotypes. Like the high school Korean girl sitting at a table for four by herself so that she could have her chicken nuggets and also do her makeup, complete with with a full-size hand mirror and way too many different powder cases. Then there was the Younger Korean couple.  Where she comes up and sits down and he comes up ten minutes later and she must've sent him on seven different errands like to get more napkins, get more ketchup, get this, get that, etc.  Then there was me ( I couldn't do a stereotype analysis without including' myself).  I'm sittjng there by myself listening to music with an order of chicken nuggets and three McDoubles. Mmmm yummy.  American gluttony at its finest I'm sure people were thinking as my skinny butt took my sweet time eating lunch.

The last was the last that I sat on the bus next to on the way back to Suncheon from Seoul. I've always got my fingers crossed to sit next to another cutie as I did my very first bus trip to Suncheon 15 months ago, but it hasn't happened as of yet. This lady was super sweet, but was my adopted grandmother on the bus trip it felt like. We weren't on the bus five minutes before she reminded me I hadn't done my seatbelt. Then afterwards she smiled. Then she pointed to my face and my clean shave and smiled and I pointed to my shaved head and gave the thumbs up or thumbs down and she gave me the so-so hand motion.  Then I mimed if she wanted to rub it and she obliged and I think that's what won her vote on the look.  Haha. I can only imagine what any other Korean though on the bus about this L.O.L. (little old lady) rubbing my head.  I found it to be quite hilarious. :-)  When we stopped at the rest area we both got off and when I got back on I had bought her a water and she had bought me a sausage on a stick. Such a sweetie. Then she'd point out snoring people on the bus so we could both snicker, lmao. Then when we got out of the train station I helped her into a cab as she just happened to end up in the cab line before me and I gave her a hug and she gave me ten bucks :-) Happy New Year to me!!!  I guess good karma was with me this weekend as Sunday since it was the Lunar New Year and a lot of cabbies where with their families and I finally got a cab to the train station I gave him a 10 on a 3 dollar ride and told him Happy New Year.  In pretty good Korean if I do say so because I'd been practicing for a few days. :-)