SPICY

Kiwon's dad (who will henceforth be referred to as "my Korean dad") took me to the grocery store last week and hooked me up with consumables. We got a variety of stuff, including SUPER SPICY RAMEN. I was worried about it being too spicy, so we got medium hot and MEGA HOT. Also picked up a sample of plum juice/tea (which is fantastic) and a Korean rice wine, which is supposed to be like Sake. More noodles, spaghetti sauce, green beans, tuna, and cereal. Also got milk and bread and soup.

Out of all of these groceries, I enjoy the green beans the most. As some of you may know, I enjoying popping open a can and immediately going to work with a fork. This is the taste of home that feels good to indulge mostly because it's healthier than the #2 tastiest item from the shopping cart, SPICY RAMEN. Here, it's spelled rameon, and the noodles are sometimes thicker, and sometimes there are two packets of flavorings (one dried veggies, one MSG powder). There is a simple, delicious spiciness to these noodles, and the faster you eat them, the spicier they are. Best to let 'em cool a bit, then bulldozing em into your mouth by putting your lips to the bowl. It's spicy that will linger on the corners of your mouth after you're done. Peanut butter crackers and milk get rid of that pretty quick, though. The soup i got comes in pouches - boil water, drop in the pouch for 4 minutes, take it out and snip it open for delicious 'baked potato' or 'cheese and broccoli'. I've also got quaker oats oatmeal variety pack which has been providing a consistent breakfast every morning.

Now that I look at this, i boil water for every meal, ha! Too bad it takes fr'ever on the dopey little pot i have. Should have brought my teakettle.
Speghetti
Oatmeal
Ramen
Soup
...PB&J
Ok, so not everything i eat is boiled first. At least it's not 100% bread like it was in Columbia, eh?

I'm down to my last 5,000 won. That's not a lot. I've now got enough food to get me to and from work every day of the week, and the only real problem with that is walking in the cold...which is literally up a hill...and therefore, inversely up a hill on the way back. That's for the best, seeing as I don't get outside to run around and there isn't a whole lot of room in my apartment for anything other than pushups (yessssssss). So walking to work has me burning a dozen calories or so everyday, which is good because i've gotten my appetite back. The problem with THAT, is that ramen is not filling, and green beans only do so much to provide genuine nourishment.

I'm more worried about cabin fever. I've already watched all of my DVD's and movie files on my computer, and there's no internet signal in my room strong enough to keep me entertained. I am constantly invited to go out to bars and such, but have constantly (and responsibly) told everyone that I HAVE NO MONEY AND CAN NOT AFFORD ANYTHING LET ALONE ENTERTAINMENT. Rough going, but payday is the 10th. We'll see how long i last without going totally bonkers :P