busan
so i've been in busan now for a day and a half. not long at all, but i've really been enjoying it. while maggie33 worked yesterday, i wandered around nanpoodong, a fisherman/beach area. i was a bit tired and a bit unsure of what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised.
the area reminded me a lot of the more bustling rural-ish parts of southern china. there were loads of people, street vendors everywhere, and just a good energy. i don't speak any korean, which made buying vegetarian street food difficult and risky. i still knew a few things which were guaranteed (on the street, sweet = no meat), and they were delicious and cheap. i had some good korean pancake type foods, much like in china, which are eggy and kinda greasy, full of vegetables and delicious.
it absolutely destroyed me, though, that i could not communicate verbally to them. i felt rude. i felt like i was in korea and just taking from korea, giving nothing in return. i wanted to look at the cool-ass street vendor lady and say "this is delicious!" but i couldn't even do that. all i could do was smile and hope she spoke that language.*
i've done a lot of traveling in foreign language countries, several in asia, but i've never been so depressed about my inability to verbally communicate. my chinese is not good, but it's enough to say a few one-liners and make a street vendor laugh, rather than looking at me like an evil white man (notice that i didn't say big nose). maggie33 assures me it's no worry, and i believe her, but it still kills me that i'm fitting into that mold.
i will be leaving busan tonight, and korea tomorrow, and though i'll be very sad to go, and to say goodbye to maggie33, i am looking forward to being able to crack jokes with street vendors again.
*"if you smile at me, i would understand, because that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language" -csny
comments:
hahaha poo.
Will | February 12 @ 1:15am
Oh that csny. So with it
klcomp | February 12 @ 7:12am
Oh that csny. So right on
klcomp | February 12 @ 7:13am