This morning was ... abrupt. My b-mom had left early in the morning to get back to Incheon for work. Again, just me and my b-father. We woke up, got "bathed", and then left. No breakfast, no grandparents. We said goodbye in the hall, hugged for the last time in who knows how long. My b-grandmother gave my father money for my breakfast like any grandmother would. And then we left, just as fast as we arrived. Swift, and then they were out of sight.
On the road again, headed towards Geongju, about 1 1/2 hours south of Cheongsong. We went to Bukgalsa temple and it was raining. Not too bad, similar to the last time I was here and in Seoul. People here have very little sense of personal space, give them an umbrella and it's even worse.
Being from a rainy area I was fine with just using my hood. This was not allowed. I was surprised I wasn't soaked, and that my Minimus shoes were so far not wet throughout. Not true for the next stop. Anytime we went somewhere new, my b-dad would say "Megan, wait a moment". He'd get out, open the door with his umbrella opened so I wouldn't get wet. It was cute at first, but by the end of the day I'd just get out and open my umbrella. It started raining harder and sideways. We were walking to a Buddha that was carved in a rock I think, until we got to the stairs. My father had forgotten about the stairs. No way. So we turned around, and went back to the car. I just put my umbrella away hoping he'd get the hint but then he just walked closer to me. I don't know which was worse, holding something when walking or having someone really close to you. I just walked as fast as I could back to the car. I was definitely soaked then. And wearing denim. Bad choice but I didn't bring my rain gear to Korea, such is life.
We then went to the Geongju museum since it was raining, us and every other Korean in the area. It was nice to be inside and drying off. Seeing all the artifacts is interesting, to see how much has changed and how we're still using the same objects today. Museum walking is the worst. I'm all about momentum when walking so walking slow is tortuous. He drove to another temple, still pouring outside, and I actually put my foot down. I said no, I was dry, my shoes are not waterproof and it's too wet. And I was sore. He knew what I was trying to say because he said "ahh, no more walking". Yes. Lunch time! Again, noodles in soup.
We had a lot of time in the car today. One of the roads was very windy going to the Buddha we didn't see. He asked me if I was okay, started laughing, and said "Lindsay not, hahahahahaha". Last time I was here, my friend Lindsay came with me and felt a little under the weather. Not because of the windy roads, but the time change and everything else. He started talking about when we went to lunch and the waiter guy folded up the meat and veggies how it should be and shoved it in each of our mouths, except mine of course. He said he felt bad and that he was also surprised. He said old men like this, old man tradition.
Now we are on our way back to Incheon, and it's still pouring. He said all of Korea is raining. We stopped at his favorite rest stop, "the best rest stop in the world" he said. It was quite impressive, a mini mall really. He also explained Korean mountain tips are round, not pointed. He asked if there are the same country in America. I said yes, because besides the buildings, it's similar. My father is singing to his CDs, and an English song came on about the cotton fields in Louisiana. Some Korean band, some of the words you can hear the accent. And now we're back to the K-pop. He's a good singer.
So I read that vitamins and supplements are a good gift to bring since they are very expensive here. I brought a multi-vitamin and fish oil. Once we were home, my father opened them tonight, took one, and bit down. *pop!* "No! Don't bite it" He gave me a curious look, like that is the obvious thing you do with a gel capsule. You could tell he was sucking the oil out of it and trying to chew the capsule. I couldn't help but crack up. It was too late to tell him not to bite it, so I just explained to him not to bite them in the future. And to not bite the multi-vitamins either. Water, take with water. He was reading my Entertainment Weekly magazine and was confused that Chevrolet and Chevy are the same thing in America. The Sun Chip ad also confused him. "I like to eat a little bit better, I also like to eat a lot bit delicious" did not make sense to him. He understood "a little bit" after asking me if it meant small or smaller. "A lot bit" was a little bit over his head.
It was his turn to make dinner I guess, and guess what he made. Ramen.
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