Sorry I haven't been posting.
 On the other hand, I'm not. Realizing I can't be living up my time here if I'm busy writing about it.
Of course, I run the risk of not reflecting on things so much because things have been go go go. Most times, at a faster tempo than my life back in NYC. Can you believe it? (It's a problem...) Then again, this blog hasn't become overly personal. I know you guys don't want to read my diary. So I'm sparing you all. Just leaves more to talk about when I'm face to face with you sooner or later...
I have been loving your wonderful emails!
Fall has already begun. It's been raining a lot. It hasn't affected my activity, though. Always out and about, managing to escape the heavy rainfall by ducking into cafes, museums with friends and walking around when it's a drizzle.The weather is still really hot and humid. I still don't know how Koreans get by. I've read blogs before heading out here, about how foreigners end up explaining to locals how they just sweat so much more. The entries were written in disbelief. I read it dismissingly, thinking I wouldn't have a hard time because of inheriting my parents' body chemistry and all. Boy, was I overconfident. How others manage to look comfortable without any air conditioning is beyond me. Public spaces have a government enforced temperature standard after a power outage months back.  Why some homes I've visited chose not to turn their A/C on isn't a simple one. Some older folk brag "we didn't turn it on last year, not once!"
I've been adjusting too. It's a relief to stay with friends who are like me. Otherwise, there's nothing two or three showers a day can't fix.
Be prepared for an overload of random snippets of my meanderings throughout not so little Korea. I'll be posting unpublished drafts while taking advantage of wifi.
Currently typing away in sweet couple's place. I'm growing fonder of cats. (The cultural consensus towards cats is changing, by the way. Cats are just as lovable as dogs.)
I met the couple this afternoon, engaging in the same volunteer work as me. Totally clicked, and they invited me over for the next two nights! How crazy is that? Crazy loving and crazy trusting.

I love how there's a chinatown in every part of the world. This is my favorite obsession at the moment. This order fed 6, don't worry BrBrown!

a souvenir gift for me!

"When you buy something in another country, you always have a story to tell about where you got that particular item".

What’s the big deal over overseas retail therapy sessions? Well, it’s just that: big deals.

There’s a reason why I see people toting empty suitcases for Seoul-Hong Kong flights,or onto coach buses to Outlet malls in NY, or at 6am outdoor lines during NYC secret sample sales. For me, it was the 80-percent-off sale at the Garment District by Ralph Lauren this winter.

I ended up weighed down with so many bags my mom and I agreed we might as well open up a shop. Still, it's hard not to justify the shopping when I was thinking about what to wear to the wedding in Cali. Into my suitcase went in my formal, deep blue floor-length evening gown I'd scored previously for $30!

Then there’s the emotional value.

Jill Fairchild, founder and publisher of the “Where to Wear” city shopping guides, told Forbes magazine, “When you buy something in another country or another city, you always have a story to tell about where you got that particular item. You create lasting memories with your purchases.”

Amen.

That’s exactly why it was so hard for me to part with a beloved rope bordered green Amazonite ring, scored during a summer trip to Brazil. Every time I wore it, as tired I get of seeing the distinct crack on the gem, I could still remember the subtropical heat as my sisters and I navigated the homey, steep streets in Liberdade District. We were hungry but too intrigued by all the little shops to waste time eating. We were hungry for adventure. After my purchase, I temporarily stopped admiring my latest purchase to taste that smelly durian a man was selling from his wooden cart off the street.

You see, this is what a beloved purchase does: it crystallizes your memory of a particular time and place. And hopefully, in the future trips, it is these memories that lure you back for more, regardless of the tangible.

I won't mistake quantity for quality. For now, these will have to do.

They give me the same mixed amount of excitement and nostalgia two bags filled with clothes and accessories would have years ago.