Day 2: PUPPIES!!!!

This morning, I woke up at 5:20 am. My jet lag has turned me into an early bird, and I am enjoying all this morning time to drink coffee and eat toast. Nom, nom. Also, I got a chance to Skype my family and my Tricia. It was lovely catching up, and I was able to give them a tour of my apartment.

Side Note: I haven't quite figured out the time difference thing. I created a little chart that outlines the time difference between Seattle and Seoul to help me decide when to Skype my family.  I still haven't figured it out. I sometimes read it backwards, and I'm the one who created the damned thing! I probably should label my chart. I mark kids down for that kind of sloppiness. ;)

After my relaxing morning, a coworker of mine met me at my apartment building to teach me how to use the subway system. In Seoul, you use your T-Card (basically Seoul's version of Seattle's Orca Card) to enter and exit the subway system. Isn't that interesting? I don't remember doing that in New York, and you definitely don't do that in Seattle. Then again, Seattle's public transportation is mostly buses. We went south one subway stop, popped off, and grabbed some lunch. In this time, I realized that I really need to learn the word "thank you" in Korean - kam-sa-ham-ni-da. Whenever I say this word from memory, I skip a syllable. So, I'll be practicing. My coworker tilts/bows her head when she says this. I just smiled really big; I figured it would translate loosely as the same thing.

Alright, folks! Finally! I'll tell you about 'dem puppies. I went to Emart (Korea's version of Walmart/Costco) to pick up some household items, and they had a whole puppy section! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

This was the best part of Emart. Hands down. I hate shopping in crowded areas, so this was a little treat.

One last Animal Channel update. I walked from my neighborhood to the neighborhood across the river, and there was critters in the trees making a huge racket. It sounded like rattlesnakes in the trees. I stopped and stared for awhile, trying to find these birds. No luck. It turns out that the sound is a bug called the cicada. I found a short video that gives a quick introduction to the bug, and I found a long artsy film. Does anyone know if Seattle has cicadas? I tried a half-hearted search and found nothing. I did find an article about the Midwest's cicada population appearing in 2007.  I guess South Korea and the United States are on different 17 year cycles.

A picture of me alongside the river enjoying the cicadas' harmony: