Things I missed about Korea + Update

Just thought i'd quickly fill you in on what's happened over here since my return:

- I bought toilet paper for only the 2nd time since ive been here. Sorry to turn this blog entry into toilet talk only 15 words in, but this fact astonishes me. I bought a 24 pack soon after arriving and its lasted me this long. Incredible. I swear I had to get a new 6 pack everytime I went to Coles, which was twice a week. By the way, ive got 8 toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste in reserve so i dont think ill be buying anymore of those before I leave either.

- I played soccer on Sunday for the first time in a while. Couldnt have picked a worse time either - the week since I returned has been beyond freezing, and espcecially the weekend, where it didnt get out of the negatives the entire 48 hours and was -12 at its worst. So, naturally, in that sort of tempting weather, I had an uncontrollable urge to run around outside that I had to submit to. Luckily, it wasnt nearly as bad as I thought it would be once you started to run around. Suprisingly, this wasn't the coldest weather ive played soccer in - that would be in Canada when it started to snow in PE class. Pretty cool.

- On Friday night was an Asian Cup game between Australia and Korea. So naturally, this was probably my biggest night since ive been here. I am a complete sporting diehard, have been stinging to watch any kind sport since I arrived, and put my heart and soul into the only time an Australian sporting team was on Korean TV - World Cup - so when I heard that My country would be playing Korea, I was over the moon. This had the potential for either the greatest night ever, or the worst night ever. Especially for me who is a loudmouth who talks up Australia at any chance and dogs Korea at any chance (I can dog it because I love it), this night could have been a disaster. On the flipside, if Australia did win, I could hold it against every Korean I know, and have an instant comeback to any future insults. I went all out - dressed up, went to a bar where Australians were outnumbered 40 to 1 (With 30 of them Koreans) and started to assert my voice and prescense early. Luckily Koreans are generally pacifists, and im extremely gregarious, likeable and charasmatic, otherwise things could have turned ugly. As it turned out, it wasnt the worst night ever, or the even best night ever, it was......... a night, as the game sadly ended in a draw. I almost wished we lost just so that someone had something to say to the opposition, because the draw just kills all trash talk and fun, which was the entire point of dressing up and acting like a clown in the first place. Hopefully we can do this all over again in the finals......


I dont know wht im meant to be doing in this photo but this is what i was wearing

Again, inspired by my recent trip here are some things I missed about Korea (or things I didnt like about Australia packaged in a different way).....

1. 윤초이
2. Not being served hot chips with every restuarant meal/bistro meal/meal not at my house ( They were good the first time. After the fifth time, not so much. Unimaginative, lazy, and unhealthy side meal)
3. Not paying $30 for a taxi ride (The most expensive taxi ive taken in Jinju - $6)
4. Kimchi (just kidding)
5. 250 ml cans of coke
6. Coins that dont weigh as as much as the weights at a gym and cause ligament damage to your knees when you walk
7. Korean instant coffee
8. 윤초이
9. Having a computer that doesnt f*** up all the time
10. Goin out for the night, only spending $25 and being completely trashed
11. Having meals at a restuarant being served in 5 mins (you can get a full meal served in the same time it takes for Maccas to make you a special burger)

Things I miss about Australia.....

This blog entry is inspired by my recent trip back home to Oz. Instead of giving you a day-by-day recant of what I did over the two weeks, I thought i'd tell you about the things I realised that I missed about home. Some are big and some are small and they are hopefully more interesting than telling you about the night I ate potato dish (which by the way was completely bloody awesome).

I will quickly tell you a few of my highlights, or more accurately, lowlights, of the trip before I get into it....

- Lost my wallet on the plane transferring from Seoul to Guanghzuo. This is why I don't like or use wallets anymore - you loose wallets. Its just another item to forget about when your drunk late at night. You don't loose 50 bucks and and ID card in your pocket. Also, you cant put it in your front pocket, coz it looks stupid, so instead you have to put in your back pocket, which you have to take out every time you sit down. They just seem too much hassle and concern when your pockets do the exact same job. Alas, I use my wallet for literally the first time in months and I loose it. Im making a stand now; im anti-wallets.

- Was not allowed on my plane from Australia to Korea. Was this a some sort of sign that i'm not supposed to leave the country?? Does someone or something not want me to go back?? The answer is no, it was just a combination of incompetence + anything at an airport being completely retarded, backwards and difficult + massive b****. Does anything good, efficient and competent ever occur in an airport?? Im yet to see it. The airline refused to give me my ticket because they didnt believe I had a valid Visa, and hence they believed i'd be refused entry to Korea, sent back to Australia, and cause the Airline to receive a fine. Of course, my Visa was valid, but they wouldnt accept this until I hauled my arse into the Korean consulate for confirmation, and then confirm this with the airline. What a bloody joke!! To top it off, the massive b**** had the nerve to question what im doing in Korea. She didnt even believe I was a teacher!! Who lies about going to Korea as an English teacher?? Especially when I dont need to lie considering I have a teaching Visa that is 10 cms from her face?? Seriously. Why does it even matter what I do?? What did she think she was going to find out about me?? Im posing as a English teacher with a real teaching visa in order to start a terrorism cell in Seoul?? Im going to illegally import cabbage and make my own kimchi and sell it at prices locals cant match?? Why didnt I just snatch the boarding pass from her hand?? I need to stop writing about this coz im getting too angry and ill never go to another airport again.

- I played poker with Makenze at Wauchope golf club and was humbled and embarrassed. Well those words arent correct, because im a modest guy and I rarely get embarrassed (I had to dance in front of my students today - now that is embarrassing), but thats how I should have felt. I had a little to drink and wasnt as sharp as I should have been. Hence, all the hours spent playing here in Korea went down the drain as I proceeded to do stupid thing after stupid thing. I managed to A) Fold a Full House after the river card (I only thought I had trips and the other guy had a flush) B) Forget how to add up numbers and hence never throw in the correct amount of chips. By the end of the game I was just flat out asking Makenze to put in as many chips as I need C) During one of my turn to deal I only dealt in 5 hands for 6 people..... A ridiculous showing and im pretty sure that Makenze will never play with me again... I sure as hell wouldnt

So here are the things I miss about Australia in no particular order:

1. Sitting on a couch (Oh My God. After 9 months of sitting in a computer chair, this is Heaven)
2. Watching TV, especially sports (I do not watch TV. Ever.)
3. Smith's Chips
4. Steak (Beef is good here, and barbecue is sensational, but damn I love steak)
5. Mum and Dad's Cooking
6. Having a mother to do my ironing (Remains my most abhorred chore. Cleaning windows is second)
7. Seeing animals, any animals, anywhere, at anytime (I think Korea is the only country with 0 animals within its borders. The South Pole and the centre of volcanoes look like the Amazon by comparison)
8. Good lollies (Natural confectionary company, skittles and aussie chocolates absolutely kick the arse of Korean ones)
9. Good bakeries where bread isnt covered in sugar
10. A selection of beer at a bar greater than 3
11. Traffic lights that allow more than one lane to go at once
12. Having an oven in my house
13. Being able to discuss music with people with the same taste
14. Meat pies
15. Sitting on a balcony

And no I didnt forget the 2 things I miss more than anything - my family and friends. Being able to see both was the reason for the trip and despite loosing my wallet, being denied my initial flight, and the weather being crappy, I am so happy that I was able to be around the people I love, even if it was for a short time.