Episode I: The Quest for Coffee

After a hazy, on and off night of quasi-sleep after the thoroughly exhausting journey overseas, I got up early with an enormous hankering for a hot cup o' joe. I ventured out on my own into the neighborhood in search of a coffee shop. The best way to do this without offending anyone is to walk down the street and yell aloud: "I'm American and I need Starbucks!!!" I've been told that this is the best way to show my new neighbors how open-minded and accepting of other cultures I am. This advice came from the same person that told me to kick somebody's ass on the first day or become someone's boy toy. Kidding aside, I couldn't seem to find coffee but I'd never found wandering around aimlessly so interesting.

This area is about a two minute walk from my apartment. While it looks like a noisy neighborhood, my place is actually tucked away on a quiet corner (more on that later). The place on the left is the marketplace, while the place with all of the traffic is the... the... Honestly, I don't know what this place is, but I do know that there is no Starbucks. A person can find just about anything he or she wants in this place, unless they are looking for gourmet coffee, then they are SOL. I never did find my Starbucks, but was able to solve my coffee crisis later that day. The new boss (he would never let me call him that to his face) took me to the department store and I bought a coffee maker and grounds. I didn't bring my camera along due to the fact that I don't want to be one of those annoying people who walks around a department store and takes pictures, at least, not on the first day.

Later that evening, while wandering around the market, I made my first Korean friend, You Doctor (his name is "You", no b.s.). He said he saw me shouting for coffee earlier and had a deep respect for my American manners. Seriously though, we did have a conversation (I was so happy that he understood me and vice versa) and he invited me over to his house. There he and his wife fed me persimmons, pears, and some sort of deep-fried grass or onion. I don't know what it was, but it sure was tasty. Also, we drank their homemade whiskey, which had been brewing in a big jug for a year. The ingredients: Jack Daniels, ginseng, mushrooms (beats me), anise, and Chinese herbs. My first taste of Korean hospitality was a smashing success. Perhaps I was the first blond-blue person they've ever seen in Suwon.