Plants

Before you get a bank account, before getting paid or even buying food - any cozy home must be fitted with its first plants. Walking the streets of Gwangju you will see just as many plant stores as we have Wawas back home. I have spotted fig trees, bonsai, pitcher plants, and my longtime favorites - succulents! There is a lady by my school who sells these little guys for "chun won" (1 Korean Won - the paper money here is produced in denominations of 1000, 5000, and 10000).
Here are the plants I have picked up so far, I am open to name/nickname suggestions for each.





Living rocks! The first time I was given one of these, I managed to kill it within two weeks. I am giving it a second try - this time I hope to nurture it towards a healthy bloom. These plants are aptly named "living rocks" for their surface patterns generally resemble that of their surrounding rocky landscape. As they grow, a new bud will slowly emerge from the center, causing the current body of the plant to split off and die. They are members of the Lithops genus, a family of plants native to the arid climate of Souther Africa.

The lady I bought these from also gave me a pocket-full of clementines with my purchase. Apparently, gift-giving is customary in Korean culture. It is not uncommon to walk into your local Bodega and walk out with a free treat.

Apartment 303

As is the case anywhere else, time moves fast in South Korea. It has already been one month today since arriving in Gwangju (Kwangju) and it seems like the next 8 will fly by. I can say that it takes the full first month to feel like you have any sense of place in the Korean culture. Since I am not going to recap an entire month of "blogging," here is a run down of some of the things I have learned since being here.

1. cab drivers watch television while driving
2. the bathroom is your shower, there are no sliding glass doors or curtains dividing the two
3. take your shoes off before entering a room
4. traffic lights are optional
5. October 9th is Korea Day, celebrating the birth of the Hangeul language
6. don't drink the water
7. having hot water means pushing a button and waiting 5 minutes for it to heat up
8. the 7/11 has soft pretzels - however, it is simply a sweet dough with a creme filling in the shape of a pretzel
9. toilet paper goes in the trash bin
10. Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise

Here are some pictures of my bare apartment so far. It kind of looks like Drew's place in NYC, except here you don't actually need any chairs. (11. sit on the floor)







Things you won't find here:

1. cheese
2. deli sandwiches
3. soft pretzels
4. granola bars
5. good music
6. cilantro
7. good beer

That being said, here is my address. My mailbox will be accepting any of these items from now until forever.

Apt. 303 Jo Eun Villa
1086-1 JuWol Dong, Nam Gu
Gwangju City, South Korea 503060

I also recommend that everyone download Skype and create an account. (my username is justinmrazik - look me up. now!) This way, Ill be able to see if you are wearing any clothes or not when we talk about the weather. It is much easier to get in touch this way rather than figuring out phone cards, email is good too justinmrazik@gmail.com.

Until then, happy ventures. Check back often. Coming soon...posts about Honda pocket bikes, my snazzy new bike, a trip to Gyeonngju, and what's for lunch.