living la vida loca
the town of vernazza in cinque terre, italy
if you've been wondering where in the world is suddenly susan, i have left korea. for good. my three years there were trying, filled with both good and bad moments. korea is my birthplace but ultimately, i don't consider it my home. i tried to adapt and make the most of my time there but you can only try squeezing a square into a circle so much before the square loses its corners and ceases to be a square. wait, did i just call myself a square in that analogy? well, you know what i mean.
i'm now on an extended holiday in europe. i've been traipsing around the italian boot for three weeks overdosing on pasta, prosciutto and wine. i never thought i'd be sick of pasta but i had at least one plate everyday for 21 days straight: bucatini in rome, pappardelle with rabbit in florence, ravioli in lucca, chitarra with scampi in cinque terre, trenette with pesto in genoa, spaghetti alla vongole in venice. as delicious as it all was, i need a break from pasta. the highlight of my trip was staying on a vineyard. what the italians call "agriturismo." (yeah, italians have a lot of funny names for things.) i had no tv, phone or internet connection. nothing but grapes, olive trees and a view of the tuscan hills so gorgeous, i know why diane lane bought that villa in that movie. the lowlight was paying 3 euros for 30 minutes of web access at internet cafes across italy. it was 0.15 euro/minute in cinque terre! they say italians and koreans have a lot in common (hot temper, disregard for the law, disorganization) but embracing new technology is not high on the priority list for italians. neither is sticking to generally accepted business hours.
this trip to europe is right on the heels of my three-week jaunt to vietnam where i was blasted by the sun daily despite liberal applications of sun screen. i didn't think it was possible but i actually developed a tan. the vietnamese sun must've triggered the melanin in my skin. anyway, i am now officially golden and my friends back home won't have to call me "powder" any more.
i'm currently in budapest in a furnished apartment with a very fast broadband connection. hallelujah! budapest holds a special place in my heart because i came here 12 years ago on a solo backpacking tour of eastern europe. it's changed. a lot. but the food still sucks. sorry, but there's a reason why you don't see hungarian restaurants all across the world. however, i was thrilled to discover that mexican food is pretty good here. i am avoiding the italian restaurants here like the plague. bad local food notwithstanding, the city is gorgeous, especially right around the banks of the danube which is so not blue, strauss must be rolling over in his grave. (the last time i used that line was 12 years ago and a hungarian man actually thought it was funny.)
it's late at night now. i am craving kimchi jjigae. i haven't had kimchi in 26 days. i think that's a record for me. i am considering changing my blog name because i am no longer "suddenly susan in korea." so what am i, "suddenly susan in europe?" "suddenly susan abroad?" "suddenly susan is homeless?" i am accepting suggestions for a new blog name. the winner gets...nothing really. you can leave your ideas in the comments section or just hack into my e-mail account and save it as a draft.
Labels: europe 2007
posted by suddenly susan @ 8/30/2007
23 Comments:
Beautiful photo of cinque terre. Brings me great memories of my all too short time there!
man i'm envious of you susan! how do you do it?! you're living the life.
suddenly susan globetrotter?
hi amyable~cinque terre is just stunning. i love the colors of the houses. "globetrotter" isn't bad but i keep thinking about goofy basketball players. thanks for the suggestion.
anon~well, i quit my job when i left korea and i always told myself when i have no work commitments, kids or anything else to saddle me down, i'd have to seize the opportunity to travel. the good thing about korea is that the cost of living is relatively low so if you don't blow your money on booze, designer clothes, or other extravagances you can save a lot.
magnicifo! very picturesque photo. well balanced, good composition, interesting texture. i'm tempted to follow my wonderlust and strike out into europe. (i'm thinking, how do you deal with the various languages? is it difficult to communicate to the locals?) i suppose in the meantime, folks like me will have to live vicariously through your postings of your travels. damn you're lucky!
anon~i say if you have the time, go out and do it! don't worry about the languages. i always try at first to speak in the native tongue. that way the locals will see you're making an effort. they will either revert to english or play a vigorous game of charades with you. if you know basic spanish or french, italian isn't so hard to grasp.
I too will be leaving the ROK for good very soon. My 4.5 years were enough - I will miss the food.
Guano Island
i already miss the food. sadly, i don't think i'll be able to find kimchi jjigae for quite some time...
hey guys, is living in korea all skittles and beer? 'cause i'm thinking of going over there on one of those english teaching gigs for a year as a gyupo....if nothing else...i want to go there so i can (shi an ha ga) pig out on korean food. (don't know why maybe it's the "kimchi" gene that's kicking in or maybe it's the recent kmovie bings but... I yen for some authentic korean food!!!)
but i get the sense from reading several blogs that native koreans can be somewhat nasty/sociopathic at times. Not sure if that's for me. for those americans who have spent time in korea...i'm keenly interested in your opinions/thoughts.
hi anon~i think korea can be enormously fun. the nightlife is great; lots of bars, restaurants, noraebangs. the korean food is delicious. and if you're a straight male, seoul is going to be eye-candy paradise for you.
for me, personally, these attractions weren't enough to keep me in korea. with a few exceptions, i found it difficult to establish meaningful friendships with native koreans. yeah, there are some nasty , miserable people but the majority are nice, decent folks (once you get to know them them). i think i couldn't click on certain levels with most natives because we have different values and i often felt i was unfairly judged. but that's just my personal experience.
more times than not whenever i see kmovie eating scenes it makes my mouth water. one can almost smell the food through the screen if you grew up with it. scrumchious!
first thing i'd do if i landed in korea....i'd head straight to a jja jong meon restaurant with sides of dacong, sliced raw onion, jja jong dipping paste with some vineger. I so love that noodle sauce when done properly, brownish/black, piping hot, viscous, with all sorts of veggies and small tender morsals of meat that just melt in your mouth. i'm talking noodles freshly made....those really chewy ones made by stretching out the doe. i'd wash it down with chilled bo ri cha. heck, if they had this in fluid form, i'd have it iv'ed directly into my veins.
where is your husband? i thought you were married.
good question. yes, "were" married - that is the key word there.
What happened?
that would fall into the category of "none of your bizness."
Sorry to hear about the split.
I hope your experience has not soured you on Korea.
I know personally that being a Korean-American living back in the motherland can be challenging, but so can being a Korean-American in the U.S.--- just gotta find a happy medium.
Hope things work out for you wherever you end up.Good Luck!
thank you~ ^-^
Susan,
First time commenter here, though I've been enjoying your blog for a while. I left Seoul in 2003 after having worked there as a foreign correspondent for a couple of years. When I first got the job, I've had every intention of settling down for years and making a go of it. As a Korean American, I figured I would be coming home.
By the time I left, I felt much the same way you do now. I loved Seoul for what it was - a chaotic amalgam of people and commerce where you can easily keep yourself distracted. But I too missed easy friendships, access to good bookstores and ethnic restaurants, diversity of thoughts and people, the open road, logic, etc.
Now that I'm here, I'm all smiles when I think of my Seoul years. I've achieved some important things there: I can now sing a few songs in Korean to my son; I've folded away the long-held belief that Korea was my home; and I now better understand my parents.
Anyway, I'm simply rambling here to tell you that I will miss your reviews of hole-in-the-wall restaurants and the familiar impressions of Seoul that only certain types of Korean American can convey. Happy travels!
turning gate~thanks for your sweet, heartfelt message. i will miss blogging about the food scene in korea too. i don't regret my time in korea. at the very least, i think i have a better understanding of the korean psyche and you're right, that gives me much insight into why my parents are the way they are. in my travels, i am realizing that the "american way" is not the only way and it's refreshing to see the differences in perspectives.
wow!! just wow!! i haven't read your blog in a while.
i'm glad to hear that you are following your heart and doing what YOU want to do.
is this a long term gig in europe? or are you coming back to the US?
anyways, it's nice as usual to see you back.
james~so much about living in korea for me was doing what is "proper" and expected of you. with those shackles off i feel like i can finally spread my wings again.
i don't know how long i'll be here.
thanks for the good wishes!
Susan, in your experience, would you say that most Koreans in S. Korea are snarky?
i found most local koreans to be cold at first, kind of suspicious of people who are different. it's only when they get to know you they warm up. i also think many koreans are shy and awkward at conversation so that often comes across as aloofness.
i've yet to meet a korean as snarky as me ^-^
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