7.03.2011

Shopping in a thunderstorm: Korea 11

Every day I am constantly amazed at this country. What really impressed me today was actually something quite small.

It's monsoon season here in Seoul, as I've mentioned before. Obviously life can't just stop because of the rain. Otherwise nothing would happen for the entirety of monsoon season. Instead, the Koreans have devised a variety of ingenious systems for dealing with rain.

Take footwear for example. In the states, rain footwear consists of rain boots. The Koreans, however, are not satisfied with just boots. You can get ballet flats and flip flops made out of the same material as rain boots. In fact, today I picked up these cuties for $15:

I did have a little trouble keeping them on but they truly are a great invention. They stand up to monsoon season so well!!

It rarely rains hard here. Mostly it's just a constant, steady drizzle. Today however it poured. I don't think I've ever seen rain like that. Water was streaming down the stairs into the subway. Since we hadn't eaten yet and it was closing in on 3 pm, we braved the rain to find somewhere right near the subway for food. The area of town we're in is known as Itaewon, which is right by the American army base. Right outside the subway stop is a variety of American fast food, ranging from Taco Bell to KFC to Coldstone. We were originally aiming for the Taco Bell but when we went to cross the street it was completely flooded. There were cars that couldn't even drive up the hill due to the water. Eventually we bolted to a FKC. I know, not the best choice here in Seoul but desperate times call for desperate measures.  While we were in the KFC we found this little gem:
Fantastic, isn't it?? I've seen some bad translations in other countries but so far Korea has the worst. This one's not even as bad as many others I've seen.

Apparently the rain will subside tonight and then pick right back up on Thursday. Given that I start my internship tomorrow, I'm quite glad I won't be wandering in rain quite like today's trying to find work. Wish me luck on my first day tomorrow!!

1 comment:

  1. Cute shoes... but KFC? Really! You know our family rule... :)

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