In Photos (II)

For those of you who wonder what else a typical day looks like around here, I took a few more photos.

School Life

Me in "my" elementary school classroom.  I expect to be here for about 2 weeks,
substituting while the regular teacher is on vacation.  It's a treat to have "my"
own classroom, though, even if it's not really mine and it won't last long!
Usually, foreigners just walk into a Korean teacher's room, teach for
an hour, and then run off to the next one. 

The headscarf is back, and I'm lucky to be alive after a day of
Halloween festivities, AKA sugar highs, at school!  Oh yeah,
can you guess who I am??  I had a basket, too, if that helps. 

City Life

Dongdaemun Market.  This place is teeming with things.  There are blocks
and blocks full of food, clothes, shoes, purses - all kinds of everything.
 Plus, there's another level underground!  They really pack it in, which,
bearin mind, can make it pretty hard to find your way out!  

See what I mean by "pack it in?" This is one of what felt
like dozens of shoe aisles.  Each vendor has their own
stuff and their own section.  To me, it felt something
like a Portland Saturday Market gone mad. 

There's usually at least one or two staircases leading in and out of subway
 stations.  If it's a popular stop, there's not much you can do but go with
the flow. 

Another City Life

If you're not into outdoor mazes crammed full of who-knows-what, you can
shop at a major department store, like Hyundai.  This particular store is located
inside the largest underground shopping mall in Asia, Coex Mall.  Hyundai is
10 stories tall!  Each story features a different item, including: groceries,
cosmetics, women's wear, suits for men, shoes, housewares, and,
of course, more women's wear. 

Although the shoe floor Hyundai Department Store has a different look and
feel than the outdoor market, there are still just about as many choices of shoes!

Night Life

This is downtown Seoul (Gangnam Station) after dark.  The streets are lighted
with glowing, Vegas-like signs and people and vehicles continue to roam as
usual.  Popular entertainment options include bars, restaurants, coffee shops,
karaoke rooms (sing until the sun rises), DVD rooms (watch whatever movie
you want), and PC rooms (game the night away).  

Another view of Gangnam Station.  Such bright signs render the black night
sky virtually unnoticeable . 

A Familiar Face

Everyone's so worried about English taking over the lingual world that they
don't realize that Starbucks already has!  You don't have to speak
Korean to order an grande iced americano or a tall caramel macchiato; it
all sounds pretty much the same.  Talk about breaking down barriers...
Thank you, 스타벅스커피 [suh-tah-buk-suh kah-pee]!