Homestay

One of my good friends once told me that I have a knack for meeting interesting people. I'm not sure if that's actually true, though; it seems to me that you can find something interesting in almost all people if you search hard enough. Of course, maybe I just have an easier time of it than others. Who knows?

Anyway, I have decided that my host mother definitely falls into the interesting category. I think I will write a book someday and make her the comic foil. She is quite the character--always talking, always cooking, always worrying--and she twitches when she's trying to pay attention to someone. Plus, she's anal retentive about hairs on the floor. She has lectured me several times on the importance of picking up hair. If she sees a stray hair on the floor, she squacks (that's the closest way I can describe the sound) and gives me a demonstration on how I should address the task of picking up the hair and throwing it away. It's quite odd. So I suppose she could accurately be described as a busybody. But she's also good-hearted, so I'll try not to complain too much.

My living situation is a little different than I anticipated. I live with In-Hwa (my roommate) all the time, as well as her little sister (age 13). Their mother stays with them 2 weeks every month (during which time she educates me on the importance of hair reduction in the house), and their father comes to visit 2 days every month. Their other sister visits on the weekends when she is not at the university.

I live on the 25th story of a large apartment building. Apparently, it's one of the wealthiest places in the city. And I don't doubt it because everything here is top-notch in quality. The only drawback might be that all the buildings look alike: tall and off-white. As a result, I had a bit of a scenic adventure as I was returning home today...that is to say, I got a little lost. Landmarks are hard to come by. But luckily for me, the people in Seoul are helpful. When I stopped to ask for directions, I found out that I was only 5 minutes away from my apartment. So it all worked out.