Turning a Corner

After a great weekend to relax a bit (see: get some sleep) I think I'm starting to turn a corner over here. By that I mean settle in and "get used to being uncomfortable" as the Fulbright staff would put it. I mean, everything has been great overall--no problems, issues, etc--but I feel like the whole first week I couldn't get enough sleep; My mind just had far too much to process--to understand, sort out--that sleep was the only logical answer. Every single day is a new, previously unimaginable experience. That is: there is no routine, no time "get comfortable." I can see why years abroad, especially for people who immerse themselves in the culture, can be a life changing experience...we'll just have to wait and see how I turn out on the other end.

I was also going to comment on some other things, but this evening was way too hilarious to pass up on. In a nutshell, the whole family (the host family, his brother's family, sister's family, grandmother) was trying to set me up with the niece--or so it seemed. I guess the moons aligned just right so I had to sit across from her at dinner. Maybe it was just a coincidence, though, that she came to dinner with a set of pre-prepared questions in English (!#@$@?????). No, it was probably just an accident that she ended up in our van on the way

home and we had to wait in the car while the family went in to buy watermelon. She was a very nice girl though, pretty...first year nursing student at some school nearby. I don't know how I feel about the fake (->plastic lenses) glasses though...but I guess that's just all the rage around here. Being an interpreter must be a bear, as I found out trying to decipher broken English for two hours. Let me back up though, it was still a fun time...though a little bit awkward for me and, well, only me. Nothing too fancy happened...so don't get your hopes up. Though this is a prime example of why I started this blog: Because I can't imagine forgetting *random* things like this.

On a side note, I can probably add a few more foods to the first time list: chicken feet with beer, pig's feet lettuce wrap (I guess this was just a foot kinda week), skate with makkeoli (like stingray, tough and gnarly as balls).

And I found out what its like to be lactose intolerant. Out of curiosity I made a point to go without dairy when I came here. I had a couple pieces of pizza that first week, but went about 7 weeks without any. Of course I eat some pizza without thinking on Friday, and of course the cheese on the pizza proceeded to mold itself into a screw and churn its way through my intestines. I didn't think I would change that fast, but I have no otherexplanation under the circumstances. The homestay family saved the day yet again, though, with some random pellet mixture that actually helped. Live and learn. Live and learn.