Sunday, and the new Popeye's, same old stuff.

I walked down to Hanshin Core ( pronounced Han-shin Co-rah ) to pick up some Popeye's Chicken at the new, oh-so-much-closer location, while listening to some music on my mp3 player, just trying to forget I am in Korea for the day. Sometimes I just need to step back and not think about it all, the culture clash feels like a razor blade sometimes. I just need to escape reality, be it for an hour, or for an afternoon, so that I can decompress from all things Korea.

So much for trying....

I was approached by a cute Korean college student, who's not-so-english-english-name escapes me now. Sulna? Something like that. Bravely, she struck up a conversation with me, while I still had my headphones on. Impressed at her determination, I took out my earbuds and let her practice her English conversation skills. She asked me the typical questions, and spoke with a confident fluency, even commenting on how she thought Korea was could be very boring. I smiled in agreement, and told her the basics about where I was from, what I was doing, and what I thought of Korea in general while we walked a block and waited to cross the street.

We parted ways at Popeye's, as she was going home and I heard the call of Cajun fries. A friendly chat from a stranger was something I haven't had in a long time, but I expect to increase as the World Cup approaches. An influx of foriegners gives the Koreans a chance to impress the world with how hard they try to learn English.

I wanted to eat in peace, check my email, surf the web, and be left alone for the rest of the afternoon. Instead, I got sandwiched between two guys who both think the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon is listening to Korean pop, turned up way too loud, while playing video games without using headphones.

I'm buying a laptop as soon as I get back to America for my return trip to Korea. My sanity just can't take this sort of stuff anymore.