Quit staring! And other ramblings.

I'm currently sitting in Starbucks in Haeundae; the usual spot where I plunk myself down whenever Ken and I decide to have a healthy break from each other. He's usually a lot more creative with his Liz-less outings (exploring new parts of the city, going to the movies, etc.), whereas I usually make a beeline straight for Starbucks as soon as we part ways. I hate donating any of my paycheck to this place, but they're one of the few coffee establishments around here that supports my internet addiction--on top of my coffee addiction--by providing free wifi. (I have some issues.) Anyway, I noticed a woman sitting behind me a few minutes ago who won't stop staring at my computer screen. She's failed to realize that I can see her reflection clearly in my screen and can therefore see the way she keeps craning her neck to see over my shoulder. (I hope she understands English so she'll stop once she reads this.)

In some notable news, I've started my application process to obtain permanent residency in Canada (the plan is to move there come March when we're finished teaching in Korea). Honestly? The process makes me want to jump out the window... which is precisely why I'm updating my blog right now and ignoring the stack of application forms currently sitting next to me, waiting to be filled out. I have made some progress, however. I had the required medical exam done last week by a designated doctor (designated by the Canadian government, apparently) to prove that I'm healthy enough to depend upon Canada's health care system. The exam went relatively smoothly, but the blood test rendered my arm bruised and bloodied for a couple of days after. Ah yes, let me whine about that little story for just a moment....

It should be noted that I hate having my blood taken and I'm usually a pretty big baby about it, whether or not the situation warrants it. This time, however, it was slightly warranted (slightly). First, I was a little horrified to find out that I would be having my blood taken at a small table in the corner of the busy waiting area of the hospital. Much to my dismay, I was the only foreigner in the hospital and thus gained quite the audience for my blood-taking procedure. I was pleased, however, when the needle went into my right arm and the whole process went on without incident (read: without me fainting), and I couldn't help but look around the room proudly while mentally saying, "See? I'm a big girl. I can handle needles!" But (there's always a "but") when the nurse pulled the needle out of my arm, you would have thought she had just removed the cork from a champagne bottle. A stream of red went shooting out of my arm and all over the table in front of me. First of all, I had no idea my blood was capable of gaining such height. Secondly, it was quite embarrassing when the nurse let out a horrified shriek the moment it occurred and recoiled from my arm with a look of total disgust on her face. Needless to say, it drew a whole lot of unwanted attention. People were pointing and staring, and I wasn't just imagining it. The worst part? They couldn't find any band aids or tape to get my angry blood under control. Which led me to question: What kind of a hospital doesn't have band aids? Anyway, I was left holding a wad of tissue over my arm for half an hour before my vein finally saw it fit to stop overreacting.

Once I was finished with the above ordeal and I was declared perfectly healthy by the doctor, Ken and I decided to spend the rest of our afternoon at my favorite temple in Busan (Beomosa), which was conveniently located only one subway stop away from the hospital. Sadly, we realized upon our arrival that most of the temple was being renovated, so it wasn't nearly as charming as it usually is. Regardless, we took a couple of pictures before we meandered away.

(The green tarp provides a lovely background for this picture....)

(A big bell.)

In other news, Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving and since most of my friends here (plus the husband) are all Canadian, we made a huge dinner on Sunday to celebrate. I've never seen a turkey in this country, so we settled on roast chicken for the occasion and it was the next best thing. The menu was complete with vegetarian gravy, mashed potatoes, a broccoli and cauliflower casserole, carrots, and rice flour rolls. It was the best meal I've had in ages. The dessert, as always, was by far my favorite part. There was pumpkin pie (thank you, Costco!), butterscotch pie, and apple crisp... and I ate an obscene amount of all three. Needless to say, I had a Thanksgiving-dinner-hangover the next day.

(Here's my plate on the first round... I think I had three in total--yikes!)

And here's a picture of Ken smoking our new hookah pipe that our friend Kevin brought back from Thailand for us:

It's small, but it works perfectly. It's great for cool autumn evenings like tonight. Yay for blackening our lungs!

OK, enough of this blogging business. I really should attack this pile of application papers.... Ugh. Oh, and the nosey lady who I previously mentioned no longer seems to find my computer screen very interesting. She just up and left.

Rickety Elevators and Random Photos

I just came home a few minutes ago, after spending a few fantastic hours watching the original Pride and Prejudice with a few girlfriends. After concluding the first disc of the movie, I decided to head home a little early, in a halfhearted attempt at making it to bed at a reasonable hour. It’s late, I was feeling a little tired, and, naturally, I didn’t feel like taking the stairs up to my fourth-floor apartment after the short taxi ride home (because taking a taxi can be so physically draining). I opted for the elevator, since one of the two elevators in my building was already waiting for me on the first floor, so I climbed into its open doors, eager to get upstairs and get ready for bed. As the doors began to shut, I was suddenly jolted from my exhausted trance by the sound of the doors screeching and jerking to a hastier-than-usual close. Now, it’s true that I live in one of the older, less impressive apartment buildings in Haeundae and that our elevators seem a bit sketchy in comparison to most, but I’ve never had trouble with them nor have I felt threatened within their four very confined walls. On this particular occasion, however, the doors not only slammed shut ungracefully, but the elevator itself jerked into its usual upward motion with a horrific screeching sound that I imagine might be compared to the screams of a cat being beaten to death. I concluded that this sound was undoubtedly coming from the cables above and below me, holding the metal box in which I was so precariously standing in midair. I didn’t have much time to contemplate this thought, however, because I suddenly became even more aware of the earthquake-like jerkiness of the elevator’s movement, making it difficult for me to stand upright and forcing me to place my hand on the wall for support. Just as I was beginning to feel the urge to panic and start screaming for help, the elevator came to a screeching halt (literally) at the fourth floor, and its doors went squealing open for me to make my hasty exit. Note to self: Just take the darn stairs next time.

Now I’m left alone in my apartment, feeling wide awake from the exhilaration that comes with the thought of being stuck in an elevator by myself—or worse, crashing to the ground in a ball of flame and crushed metal. And I’m not at all dramatic, but that’s entirely beside the point. The point is, I’m awake and I’m bored, so why not take this opportunity to update my blog? The only trouble is, my brain, although currently racing due to my recent scare, is still very much exhausted and incapable of completing a thought. And so I’ve decided instead to post a few pictures of a little day trip I took to a temple in the countryside with a few friends of mine last weekend. Enjoy….

Pictures

Here it is, at long last. I'm having serious trouble uploading these pictures, so I might have to do a few picture posts. We'll start with Beomosa. Beomosa, for those of you who don't know (which is probably all of you), is a Buddhist temple located just outside of Busan. It's seriously the most beautiful place I've seen since I've been here. Maybe these pictures will convince you to visit me in Korea. :)

Considering Buddhism...

Freaky Buddhist statues (!)

Gollum?

Unashamedly taking a picture of ourselves in public.

I had to pee, can you tell?