The Perils of Logic

Friend Caitlin is reading a book about Korean business for a course she's taking and one of the chapters is titled The Perils of Logic. I can't get that title out of my head because it makes me laugh so hard. (Yes, another teacher I work with is also getting her masters here while working. I'm tired just thinking about that!) Basically, through her I've learned that Koreans don't really use logic with regards to business. Logic is more of a western thing, so that is why we've found it so difficult dealing with our contracts and desiring SO MUCH to be notified before things are sprung on us that involve planning. Like today, when at 2:30 I was told I would be teaching a new class at 4:30 with no time to prep in between because I had to teach a class in between. Cool. 

Anyways, let me recap the weekend. First, it's monsoon season now so it rains every day. And if it's not raining it's so humid it feels like it's going to rain, and then it does the next day. Getting into the habit of carrying an umbrella around all the time is tough. I had a compact one that fit in my purse but it's too flimsy. I bought a massive one that will hold up to the winds better. Too bad I left it in a changing room the next day. 

On Saturday I went to an area of Seoul called Dongdaemun which is known for it's fashion and architecture. I loved the area! I didn't think I'd find much there for myself since I'm almost the opposite of anything fashionable, but I was actually able to find a few pieces of clothing that fit me and were pretty neat! 

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park is a giant, futuristic-looking building designed by the famous architect, Zaha Hadid (not the mother of the famous Hadid sisters as I thought - thanks Google!). Inside is a bunch of design spaces for people who make objects and for them to sell. It's like a marketplace for people who don't have a huge store. I bought a few little things in there to bring back home!

I liked it so much, I brought Kenneth and Caitlin back there on Sunday to see it. 

I stood looking at this building and literally said out

loud to myself: I think I like architecture!

Kenneth and I in front - you can barely see us!

Later, we went on a double-decker bus tour of historic Seoul. "Historic Seoul' is a bit of a misnomer because the old and new are mixed together in this beautiful mish mash of architecture. But, it took us by a lot of temples and fortresses. What the tour didn't provide is any words in English. It was kind of just a bus ride. Even the words we heard in Korean were just spouted out of a speaker that was recorded, there wasn't a person pointing things out. It also started to rain IMMEDIATELY as the bus started driving. Almost a mockery of us, really. But, we went under cover for a bit and then moved back out as the rain died down. It was neat to see the city whether the tour was worth it or not. Here are some photos I took.

Three's a party!

A rally against animal abuse. 

These tree trunks look fake!

Barbie store

This is probably the worst blog post I've done. It's not that exciting and it's a mish mash of information. I've also used the phrase mish mash twice now. Three now! My apologies on that front.

Stay dry my friends!

Love,

Alli