Paparazzi!!

It was another rainy day, so I stayed at home and worked on lesson plans for the week. It's a 3-day week because of vacation, so it didn't take me very long to finish. There was a short break in the rain around 4:30pm, so I decided to venture into the city to find some dinner. I could tell from the clouds that it was going to downpour again soon, so I decided to get something to-go (or "poh-jung").

On my brisk walk there, I pondered my options and tried to figure out what I felt like eating. After much deliberation, I decided on porridge. It's one of my personal favorites!! I thought that hot porridge and a movie sounded like a good plan for the night :)

At all Korean restaurants, they make everything right when you order it so it's fresh every time. The porridge takes about 7-8 minutes to make, so I paid and wandered outside until my order was ready. I was waiting on a bench, when a lady and her daughter came along and sat down next to me. The daughter was around 7 or 8, and she was talking to her mom, whispering. After about a minute, she looked over and asked me in fairly good English, "Can I take picture of you?" I smiled and agreed to it, not sure what else I should say. The girl squeezed next to me, obviously wanting to be in it, and her mom snapped the picture. They thanked me and kept talking. Not even 30 seconds later, these two teenaged girls came over, who were waiting at the bus stop nearby. They ALSO asked me if I could take a picture with them. I agreed to it again, and they were so excited!! They asked the guy they were with to take the picture, and he snapped a few. They thanked me and walked off. About that time, I went back into the porridge shop, and my order was ready. I took my food and headed home.

Not to sound conceited, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised about the picture-taking. Beth warned me about that before I came over here. She told me that people will randomly snap your picture while you're out sometimes, but I'd never experienced that until now. I'm constantly being stared at by everyone around me because I look so different. With my tan skin, my curly hair, and my height, I don't exactly blend in...I've gotten used to the stares, especially from women, but it hasn't bothered me. I know it's just part of the culture here. I think it was kind of a reverse of roles almost. As the foreigner, you'd think I would be the one asking for pictures, not the other way around. Oh well...I felt flattered that they wanted my picture, and enjoyed the paparazzi while it lasted :)