And to think I Saw it in Gumi...

When I was a little girl, my mother used to read a Dr. Seuss book called, "And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry St." It was about a little boy who is walking home and he sees all these things on his walk home but at the end you find out that he was making them up.

Everyday on my walk to work or home, I see so many things I thought I'd share here some of those things. My building is located in a popular date district with nice restaurants, bars and a huge public parking lot in between two streets. I love it here. Every morning I walk down 8 flights of stairs and start out towards the institute. I pass a few restaurants, a daycare, some hair salons, a dry-cleaning store, more restaurants and a 7-11. With the exception of the 7-11, at 6:45am everything is closed and empty. I usually see people with bags cleaning the street with huge trash bags and pickers, or a dustpan and broom. I pass a small hair salon every morning and I'm amused to find that although it's closed the people who run it do not understand English and their sign is hanging in the window, "Open". It's closed. Trust me, I've checked. Then there's this old couple who ride a scooter. And everyday around quarter to 7 the old man drops off his old wife, whom I think works as a gypsy nim (cleaning lady). Every single morning without exception I see them across the street from the 7-11. Outside the 7-11 I usually see a business man or two, maybe a child waiting for the bus. But other than these aforementioned, the streets are quiet and empty. When I'm walking home around 9am, the street is beginning to wake up and stir. By 10am, the people come out in force. By 12 the restaurants are beginning to fill with shoes at the entrance. The dry cleaners have their clothes at the curbside ready for pickup and the pre-school is brimming over with screaming Korean children. Trash has been mostly picked up and the buses are annoyingly always on time. Right now until June 2nd, we have elections in the city of Gumi and man do those Koreans know how to advertise. There are floats with techno music going up and down the streets all day. The people on the float can be the candidates or just hired dancers who wear white gloves and bow and wave to everyone. I cannot tell you how many times my class has been interrupted by a candidate's float music. And when there's no election, the street vendors use the same method for advertising their products; driving down the street like an ice-cream truck with products instead of Yankee Doodle.

By nighttime, all the businessmen come out drinking or on dates. There is a street vendor selling packaged snacks and stunning flowers. So a guy can run by and pick up some roses even if he's late for his date. Then after the movie or a drink they can grab some snacks and head for a walk in the park. The lights at night are bright and romantic, if you have time for that sorta thing. But since I get up so early, I prefer the quietness of the morning to the busyness of the night.

And I promise you, this is all honest to God truth.