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Terribly boring week so here is a bit of a diversion cooked up after seeing similar things around the place. Enjoy:
A is for Ajossi - Old Korean men clad in checkered polyester pants pulled up around their nipples who spit and curse a lot. The female equivilant lacks the polyester pants, but instead are almost always wearing the latest perm.
B is for "Bravo your life" and the hundered other non-sensical english catch phrases used by every large scale Korean company to embue some sort of modernity and sophistication but make no sense at all. (B is also for BABO!)
C is for Children. Korean children are at the same time my biggest source of amusement and frustration. I never remember being so thoughtful as a nine and ten year old. But at the same time I remember being just as much a little shit!
D is for Dokbokki. My favourite Korean dish, Red pepper paste, Rice cake, Cabbage, Onion, Spring Onion and Dried ground fish.
E is for electronics. In particular the Seoul suburb of Yongsan: a veritable cornocopia of electronic goodness, where, for reasonable prices, you can pick up anything from the latest camera to bootleg DVDs to chipped PS2’s with hard drives full of bootleg games.
F is for Frappucino. Not the quintessential Korean thing I know, but being able to get Frappucino in a bottle is a godsend considering…
G is for Good coffee. Or rather the lack of it. The nearest Latte is a 40 minute bus and 20 minute taxi ride away. Christ I hate living in such a small town sometimes.
H is for hanbok. The traditional Korean dress. Girls get it really good: bright coloured silky robes, pretty buttons and head dress. The guys - MC Hammer pants and a very efeminate vest!
I is for Idiot. And fool, ass, dullard and anything else that can be loosly translated into Babo. Never fails to amuse the kids when you attach Babo to the end of someone’s name, you have them rolling in the aisles when you call yourself babo too.
J is for Jung Chul Interlab. Yes the world famous in Korea franchise english language programme that I have been pontificating to my students for the last year and a half.
K is for Korean Penninsula. A country divided, DaeHanMinGuk - The Republic of Korea, South Korea, Home. And Chosun - The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, BukHan also known as communist North Korea.
L is for Let’s Speak Korean. A short language programme shown 3 times a day on Arirang TV - Korea’s English language station. I bought the book, listened to (half) of the tapes and still can’t form a proper sentence in Korean. L is also for Lisa, the sexy Korean American co-host of Let’s Speak Korean.
M is for Mandu Ramyon. Basically Wonton Noodle soup. Mmmmmmmm yummy!
N is for Nang Myon. Korean’s eat seasonally - Nang Myon is a cold dish consisting of noodles in a cold (sometimes iced, sometimes partially frozen like slushee) mustardy vinegary broth. Perfect for those summer evenings when you don’t want to sweat buckets eating hot kimchi chiggae
O is for Ooops Bar, My home away from home away from New Zealand. Where else in Nonsan can you pick up five dollar beers, six dollar shots and good looking bar staff. Not to mention the huge amount of free shit (and new friends) I have got out of the place.
P is for Playstation. Playstation 2 and Playstation Portable. What better way to while away a cold minus 3 winter’s afternoon than battling it out on the track playing Gran Turismo 4? Or for that matter playing Tiger Woods golf on the KTX bound for Seoul. God bless you Sony corporation of Japan
Q is for Quickly. One of the things I’ve had to get used to is "Korean Time" everything is done at a relativly relaxed pace. For those of us who like to organise the big things a couple of weeks in advance it can be troubling. Try organising a new washing machine! Fuckin’ a week and a half mate!
R is Rice. in Korean "Bab" Found in many forms and in many culinary ways. If you come to Korea, along with Kimci, you’ll be eating a lot of rice. Thing is: if you want to buy some at the store be prepared - minimum quantity available: 10KG!
S is for Soju. The work of the devil I tell you! Goes down like water but as you now know if you have read any of these posts makes your eyes bulge out of your skull the next morning, you feel like someone has inserted a 13 inch rusty nail into the back of your brain and you spend the next two days wondering why someone (ie YOU) has scrawled happy birthday in Korean really badly on all the 10000 won notes in your wallet!
T is for TV. 75 channels ranging from the latest korean drama to CNN. All mine for W2200 a month (Thats about $3.00)
U is for "ㅡ" the totally unpronouncable Korean vowel. Sort of like that sound you make when you throw up. "euugh!".
V is for "Very Goooooood!" The ultimate compliment you can pay to a 9 year old learning English. They love it.
W is for Won. The Korean monetary unit - W1000 equals roughly $1.30 New Zealand. There are only 3 denominations of notes: 1000, 5000 and 10000. So imagine the hassle when you go to buy a new Laptop and want to pay cash.
X is for ktX. Korea’s bullet train. Starting in April last year the KTX is the quickest (90 minutes) and most comfortable way to get from Nonsan to Seoul. Plus with a Samsung card there are first class lounges with free coffee at every major station
Y is for Chinese new Year. Another excuse to get drunk just after Christmas. Excellent!
Z is for Zaitun. The Korean military unit in Iraq. Did you know Korea has the third largest number of troops in Iraq after Britain and the US?
And some more pics from Wido courtesy of Cpt Park:
Stafford
and Sam
who are these two again?
I have to stop people from taking pictures of me when a) I am drunk or b) hungover!
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