the small victories

I learned how to boil an egg last night.

Googled "how to boil an egg" and boiled three at 1 A.M. before bed for my lunch today. Hopefully the yolks don't turn out green, but I don't eat them anyway. Haven't eaten them yet, but I'll let you know how they turn out.

It's around 11 A.M. here in Seoul, and I'm writing from the computer lab at Sogang University while I have a twenty-minute break between my Reading/Listening Class and Speaking Class. As I type, I am munching on delicious Kellog All Bran(yes, the rabbit-food-resembling cereal) and about to start on a juicy nectarine.

I'm in a rush these days after class lets out at one. I told Magdalena House that I'd probably usually arive around 1:30, 1:40. So far, it's been 2:15. But, since I just discovered a subway station close to school that sets me out in a more direct route, I should be getting there quickly from now on.

I love working there. It's been fantastic so far. I get to hang out with hilarious Korean ladies in the office and gossip as I'm researching American grants for sex work research(shocker: these don't really exist in Korea, hence, what I'm doing) eat lots of food(their "snack time" is the equivalent of a lunch or dinner--and, now, they've invited me to eat dinner with them everyday in the house after work too), and hang out with some amazing women who are surprisingly upbeat and cheerful considering the life histories. I've worked their only three days so far, and already they all treat me like family. The women(both social workers and shelter residents) closer to my age treat me like a 동생(younger brother) and the ones much older treat me like their 아들(son). There's even a running line now between me and the woman quoted in my last post. Whenever we're both around, people always tell her, "oh, your son's here."

Well, class starts in a few. My nectarine awaits.

Coming soon: a special post dedicated to Leane on supermarket shopping in Seoul