1: Mace
I've decided that I want to buy some mace. I've never really considered doing this before because I've never really doubted my security. I grew up in a small town where it would take you 15 minutes to drive from one end to the other, and that's with hitting the red lights. We were so drenched in boredom there was no room to be scared. Then, there was college. Of course it was a bigger city, but we lived in Orange County. The only thing you really had to be afraid of were the plastic ladies with their self induced paralyzed faces and their anorexic, yappy dogs. Yet despite all of that, I lived in a safe community with family or friends. People I knew lived all around me. As a female, it's not uncommon to experience those moments when you feel as though you're safety is threatened. Living in the OC, I never really felt this threat. Living by yourself, without the comfort of your friends or the familiarity of the area is different. Feeling secure...well you don't really feel secure. For the most part, Seoul is a safe city. I mean, little kids ride the city buses, subways, and taxis all by themselves. Despite that, when night hits, the devil comes out. Korean's love to drink. It's so intense over here that Korea has become known for it's "Drinking Culture." The alcohol is so ingrained that it's a "culture." Did you know that alcoholism wasn't even a concept until just recently. People didn't know that it was a problem because everyone seemed to have it, it was just a norm. Anyways, I'm getting off topic. At night, doesn't matter if it's the weekend, if you're on one of the last subways and you're a girl, cover your head, don't make eye contact and just hope that no one bothers you. Today for example, I was walking downstairs to the subway and this drunk man comes running behind me. I thought he needed help so I stopped to see what he wanted and he starts yelling, "Hey, hey, gobble, gobble." When I saw glazed over eyes that were just staring off into the distance, I turned around and kept walking. He kept following and yelling at me, so I started running and hid behind a pillar until he got distracted with something else. Although I was around other people, for a moment, I felt a little fearful. I waited for the subway and when it came I jumped on. Probably 80% of the people were drunk men. The guy sitting across from me had his head down and was swaying back and forth. About 6 or 7 stops later, he popped and slimy vomit just went all over him and his shoes. He got up to leave, but not before throwing up again on the door. I finally got to my transfer and when I was walking I encountered another old drunk guy. He stopped in front of me and was trying to get up in my personal space, so I pushed him and just kept walking. Again, it's creepy, but not too scary because I know that there are people around. Although I take my precautions, there's still that fear. Especially after seeing all the drunk men on the subway who are bigger than me and knowing that the nearest friend is 25 minutes behind me and doesn't have a car.
2: Breathing
Pollution in Korea is bad. It isn't as bad as China, but it's worse than L.A. Although I quit smoking, I feel like living here is worse than being a smoker in Cali, especially since I'm walking all the time. So, I've decided to give in. I don't care if it looks dorky, I'm gonna buy a face mask. I'm gonna try to find a cool one, or buy one and bedazzle it! I'm actually really excited about this new mission/project. This little guy is rocking a pretty cool one. I wanted to snap some pictures of the ones they wear here, but I would feel like such a creep.
3: Bond
I watched James Bond tonight. Please don't watch this movie. It's so horrible. Everything is over the top and the ending sucks. I feel like they've just exploited the franchise and he doesn't have a personality, he's just a pimp who's not even that good looking.
