my close encounter in the love hotel

after a very rough morning (unfortunately, not the kind of rough that comes from a fun night), i let my culture shock get the best of me.  i said fuck it and came home and took a nap.  i needed to let myself just be and really feel like myself.  so the best way for me to feel like myself is to get naked and sleep.  i slept for a couple hours, but i kept hearing this weird noise in the hall.  i figured it was just a cleaning lady doing her duties.  wow was i wrong.

all of a sudden, my door popped open and the little korean man from the front desk charges into my room.  good thing i had my blanket wrapped all around me.  once he realized that i was still there, he apologized all over the place, yet he still proceeded to come and put a sticker on my tv that says 'tv, dvd' in english and korean.  clearly in a love hotel, the desk clerk has seen it all.  he apologized again and again and left.  oh the peachy fun i get myself into.

i eventually did put on clothes and went out to explore for a bit.  now, i like to think that i am quite adventurous, but honestly, today was not one of those days.  i told myself that i needed to get out for at least an hour.  i took my korean books with, deciding that i needed to learn something, too.  i wandered about for awhile and actually bumped into someone from madison.  i got his contact info and kept on wandering.  i felt a bit bad when i ran into him cuz i was (and still am) so out of it.  i needed to just be in a relatively quiet place where i didnt have to feel too overwhelmed.  i walked a bit and found some outdoor seating by this big tower.  i took out my korean books and made myself learn six of the vowel characters.  i then walked home, wondering what i would be able to order for dinner.  not feeling too adventurous, i stopped into the 7/11 by my hotel and picked up some cereal, milk, yogurt, and fruit.  and bowls and spoons.  i have yet to discover where to buy groceries here, so until i do, it's either struggle at a korean place, order something from an american chain, or do my best deciphering what i can at convenience stores.

one odd thing that i have noticed while wandering around is that i keep smelling pot.  now, korea is very much a quote-unquote drug-free society, yet i have smelled marijuana at least three times in the last two days.  perhaps it is some crazy korean food that smells like weed, but im pretty sure there are some deviant teens smoking the ganj.  oh those rascals.