1. I spent most of today exploring Louis Theroux's BBC documentaries on weird American subcultures. I love his work - he's able to keep such an open mind and operates on a real humanistic level so the viewer can really get a glimpse into the inside world. His work reminds me a lot of his father, Paul Theroux, the travel writer, famous for exploring off-the beaten trail places like Turkmenistan, Romania, Georgia, etc. I've been leafing through his book "Ghost Train to the Orient Star" and I really appreciate his objectivity -- no talk of "amazing experiences" or "life changing moments". Only the interesting and (quite often) the dull. "Travel only looks exciting in retrospect" says Theroux.
2. I dislike going out on Saturday nights in Korea because I get so many uncomfortable stares. I sometimes feel like it's taboo to walk around in Korea alone - actually, a group of hikers on the mountain once stopped me in surprise, wondering why I was by myself on the mountain. But Saturday night seems to be the prime night for girlfriends/boyfriends/groups of friends to promenade up and down the streets and I feel so uncomfortable walking by them. It's a tough physiological battle one faces --- what are they thinking? Are they wondering why I'm alone? Are they wondering why I don't have a girlfriend? Why are they gaping at me? Why can't they just mind their own business? Although I live in an area where I received more stares than if I lived in a major city like Seoul or Pusan, I think it's mostly a battle in my mind. You have to let go your suspicions of what people think about you. I do think I get stared at a bit too much, and there have been several times where Koreans have froze in mid-action (like picking vegetables out at the grocery store) to gape their mouths at me. I have to let it go and remember this is not always the case. Some people do stare at me and make me feel very uncomfortable,but there are plenty of Koreans who could care less.
3. You can buy peanut butter in Korea but it's a bit expensive (about $6 a jar). I've been told that many Korean don't like peanut butter as they find it "too sweet".
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