Destination Unknown

After school finished for the day, I had the urge to go home and read in my pjs. The sky was dark and the clouds looked menacing. However, while I was walking to my buildling, I decided that I wasn't going to just sit around at home. When I got to my apartment, I changed into more comfortable clothing, ate some yoghurt and then set out with my umbrella and rainboots (yes, I bought rainboots!).  

I decided to walk down Suyeong-ro, which is the closest major road to me. As I walked against the strong wind that was blowing, I noticed an alleyway that was lit up with lamps. I turned into the alley and discovered that I had entered an outdoor fresh food market. The market was bustling with little Korean ladies selling fresh fish, seafood, chillies, garlic, and even shoes! I couldn't believe that this busy market existed in an alley way that I had passed so many times and had not even paid attention to! I would have taken pictures but raindrops were falling in between the tarps so I didn't want to get my camera wet. Next time!

After leaving the market, I continued down Suyeong-ro for a while. I walked way further than I had previously. I was curious about what I would find. After about an hour of walking and checking out little stores along the way, I noticed the sky was becoming even darker than before. It was then that I decided I should end my wandering session. Instead of walking down the same road on the way back, I descended underground to the Suyeong subway stop. The subway stops have multiple exits so if even you're not actually taking the subway, you can walk underground up until a certain point. Much to my surprise, I found an underground shopping centre! Although the stores weren't all that exciting, I thought it was cool that there was yet another place I had walked by multiple times but not actually discovered until now. When I came back up to the street level (after a gazillion stairs!) I ended up going into Home Plus Express, which is a store that sells groceries, clothes, appliances, etc. I picked up some bananas and brown bread (YAAAY FINALLY). I should have got more cookies because now I'm craving sweet stuff.

Just when I was nearing the corner where I would have to turn to get to my apartment, I saw a tiny plant store and I suddenly had the urge to go in. I think I had subconsciously decided that I wanted a plant for my apartment. I greeted the owner with "annyeong-haseo" but the older looking man responded with, "hello, how are you?" I had unknowingly found an English-speaking Korean! Yaaaay! His name was Jeong and he was super friendly! He automatically started conversing with me in almost fluent English; he explained that before he retired, he was a mechanical engineer and he had lived in many places around world such as Mexico, Phillipines, South Africa, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia. Jeong insisted that if I needed anything, I could drop by the plant shop and he and his wife would help me out! Such a nice couple! They even suggested a small plant, called kompact plant, that would be easy for me to take care of. Here's my new living partner, my plant:

As I walked up the hill to my apartment with a new plant in one hand and a bag of bananas and bread in the other, I came to a realization: my apartment door is the only thing that stands in the way of me experiencing all the amazing things that Korea has to offer, whether those things include discovering new places, meeting amazing people, or just absorbing the Korean culture. All I have to do is make the decision to turn that door knob and see where life takes me.