A Weekend of Shopping
All of us have been there before. You move to a new apartment and suddenly you need a bunch of things. So this weekend I spent most of my days shopping in a foreign world.First there was the bus. A colleague had driven me along the bus route and explained the process, so catching the bus was no problem. For a dollar I rode the entire 45 minute distance from one end of the line to the other. Kids as young as eight rode the bus alone (probably headed home from Saturday classes). I soon gave up watching out the front window since the bus cleared parked and passing cards with millimeters to spare. Ppalli ppalli - quick, quick - is the watchword in Korea.
My first stop was Songtang. This is a shopping district by Osan Air Force Base. They cater to American service personnel, and this Saturday it was hard to hear Korean spoken on the very busy streets. The shops were tucked into every possible building, so you stepped up or down or through archways to get in. Stores sold what you would expect - cigarettes, alcohol, military uniforms, souvenirs - and what you might not - puppies and “fiancé finery”. I bought a used cell phone (my very first!) and some calling cards. Now I just need to find a smart 10 year old to program the phone since it came without directions - and will only talk to me in Korean. [Sorry not to have pictures from here - it takes most of my focus to simply get from point A to B at the moment.]
My last stop was E-mart. Imagine a Walmart supercenter - two huge floors including a full supermarket, appliance section, and food court. The store was absolutely packed. The Korean tendency to leave the barest minimum of space between people in a crowd meant one could not be distracted by the amazing sights for an instant without crashing.
However I was most amazed by the shopping carts. In Korea, all shopping cart wheels go in the same direction - even moving sideways with perfect smoothness. I could even take the cart on the “escalator” up to the second floor. Think of the moving walkways in airports and then angle it upward. The cart wheels are magnetized so the cart held perfectly steady despite heading uphill.
I now have a fan (thank goodness - the weather is still in the 90s with 80% humidity). And I have a sense of accomplishment, having managed two major shopping trips without international incident. Now I can face the next task on the list - my first class meets on Wednesday.
2 comments August 27, 2007
