Shopping in Korea

Arlene, David and I have had to do a lot of shopping. The Fulbright people provided us with a really wonderful apartment. However, we still need to buy things for David and food. This is a little hard because the products are a little different then what is available in the states and while the dollar has appreciated against the won (the Korean currency) inflation has driven prices up.

What makes things really interesting is using public transportation. There are a couple of supermarkets within walking distance but we need to take a bus or the subway to get to places that have some of the products we need. On Saturday after going to the temple I went to a furniture district that was recommended to me by a Fulbright secretary. I was able to find a cradle and high chair there. On Sunday Arlene, David and I took the subway. That was interesting because you have to go up and down a lot of stairs and escalators (there are elevators but they are often hard to find and you still have to do a lot of walking), which meant we had to carry David and the stroller. Arlene liked the high chair and crib so we bought them. They will be delievered today. After that we went to Sinchon rotary and had lunch and then went to the Grand mart, a 7 floor department store.

The department store is a little different from the US. First it has a two story grocery store and then five floors of various other items above it. There is only one elevator and since David was asleep we had to take it to each floor. Moreoever, you pay for items on the floor that they are on. In other words, if you want something on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th floors, you have to pay three times.

Traveling with David was a little difficult but we had a lot of fun with the Korean sales ladies. Everywhere we went people said yepuda or kwiyopida (pretty/cute). Twice the sales ladies took him away from us (when he was awake) to play with him. He had a really good time and enjoyed all the attention. People also kept giving him food. One sales lady even took a picture of him with her cell phone. Strangers will also walk up and touch him (usually stroking him on the cheek). So people really like babies and they are a kind of public property:). So far people have been very kind and helpful. For instance, we bought something at a little store that was up some stairs. The clerk came out and helped us carry our stroller down.

So all in all we are settling in well. I will start Korean language classes on Wednesday and hopefully will be able to meet with my adviser this week.