inauguration, cinnamon pancakes, and ignorant nodding

we didn't want to miss the inauguration so we tried to stay awake for it (it began at 2:00amish here in korea).  i fell asleep, but peter, being the determined trooper he is, set his alarm, woke up and caught the end of it.  i am watching some recaps on CNN now.  it's just kind of strange to watch your home country from so far away.  we want to stay updated on u.s. politics while away...so thank goodness for cnn in korea.  it's hard to be so far away from home in times like these or when dear friends are pregnant or getting married (you know who you all are : )....i'd love to be there for all of it, but unfortunately won't be able to see all of it.  so, to all of you reading, please don't forget about us!  keep posting your comments and keep in touch with all of your life changes...we want to hear it all.  : )

as an update on my settling into korean culture, i feel like i've changed a lot these last few weeks.  part of me was feeling frustrated with myself because i was having such a hard time transitioning into this new place.  i think part of my difficulty with all of the change was not just moving to another country but also becoming part of the military world.  both korea and the military have their own culture, language, social structure that is very different to the american civilian world.  initially, both the military and korean culture was shocking and intimidating, but now i'm seeing things differently.  

peter and i were walking down the street going to the market where we stopped to buy some street food, cinnamon pancakes (which, by the way, are delicious).  i noticed the cart had a very precise listing of prices typed out: 1 pancake is 1,000 won, 2 pancakes are 1,500 won, etc.  i was struck by the detail because prices are not usually listed so carefully.  most vendors have prices scribbled out on a chunk of used cardboard.  the pancakes smelled good so i asked peter if he wanted one, he said ok, so we stopped.  i waited patiently, watched the women grab balls of sticky dough, rolling each ball between the palms of their hands and spooning in the cinnamon mixture inside each ball and smooshing them on the hot griddle.  the whole procedure looked like a dance.  the women knew exactly how to spread their arms and fingers to manipulate the dough.  i told the women how many pancakes i wanted and proceeded to pull out my money.  side note: koreans are very particular about not handling money and food so many vendors ask customers to deposit $ in a box and collect their own change as to prevent any contamination to the food.  i placed my money in the box and grabbed my change.  the women, looking at peter and i, started to say in korean, "it's very hot, be careful."  but instead of actually saying the words, they mouthed it and touched the top of their hand.  i realized the women were deaf and were trying to sign to us.  i thought, no wonder they didn't give me a funny look when i ordered the pancakes in my mumbled korean. : )  

anyway, we walked away happily with our cinnamon cakes, but the whole experience stayed with me for a while, because in the tiny instant when i realized these women were deaf, i felt this connection to them.  i felt as if i understood them, not in the sense that i know what it's like to be deaf, but the feeling of being disconnected--in terms of communication.  having limited korean, i can't talk with people like i want to, at least not yet.  these women experience that feeling/perhaps frustration everyday.  it was humbling to have this realization and also inspiring to be bold with my korean.  

since then, i have conversed with several daegu-ians (don't know the actual term, but i'm going to keep using that cause it's fun to say).  i don't always know what they're saying to me and, i admit, sometimes i just nod in agreement even though i am clueless : )  i hope this ignorant nodding doesn't get me in trouble...

in fact, one afternoon a woman came by my apartment and came in for coffee (she invited herself in...it's a korean thing).  i didn't learn until midway through our coffee that she was actually a buddhist ancestral worship coach..?  and she was trying to get me to buy something from her or take lessons.  we just sat in our empty apartment, on the floor, talking together, relying on our korean-english dictionary to clarify things with one other.  it was weird but nice at the same time.  i just told her i wasn't interested, we continued our conversation and eventually she left to go home.  

i was happy i was able to converse with someone who knew no english and also proud of myself that i didn't do any agreeable nods and accidentally sign myself up for buddhist ancestral worship school or at least that's what i think she was selling..