Don't Let Life Ruin Your Life

So yesterday we went to Sanchon which is a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in Insadong (I read it spelled, 'Insa-Dong' somewhere else?). It was founded by a former Buddhist monk who retired from monkdom after 18 years. The food was all vegetarian and pretty much the best thing ever. Then after dinner is served there is a traditional Korean dance show. The authenticity of the dancing seemed a little suspect because I couldn't help but notice that everyone else there seemed tellingly....not asian. But I just clapped and snapped pictures with all the other dumb Americans.

Today after classes I went shopping with a couple of my peeps and I am really going to miss being able to afford clothes. I am also going to miss how ridiculously flattering all of the salespeople here are. I was trying on some shoes and the woman was like 'ooooh you have such pretty feet!" Of course, I ate it up and was thinking to myself "wow. I DO have pretty feet!" (i do!). Then we went to another store and I tried on this belt that was clearly too small and the saleswoman was totally trying to convince me of how I was so thin that I could wear anything. By the way, all of the women here are ridiculously skinny. It's insane. I bet the average clothing size of Korean Women under 30 is a 0. Seriously they make me feel like Oprah Winfrey. Another thing about the women here is that they all wear heels all of the time, rain or shine. Last night I was walking back to my dorm and it was pouring (it's their rainy season) and there was this woman in front of me in stiletos climbing up a hill.

I can't believe I've already been here a week and my goal now is to not let my life ruin my life. The biggest impediment to me enjoying myself has thus far been my life at home. I've been trying to get a job for when I get back and next year in general is really looming on the horizon. But I watched this really crazy documentary on North Korea (you should watch it, it will blow your mind: http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU
) and it's so weird that everything I worry about is so small in comparison to the suffering of millions of people who are living so close to where I am currently living. Watch the documentary.