What does Seoul smell like?
During orientation today, I sat down for lunch with a few of my fellow foreign teachers. One of them, a Canadian from Vancouver, asked me if I thought the city smelled like trash.
I confirmed, as politely as I could: "There's a pocket here and there that do."
He assured me this was something I'd (more or less) get used to the longer I stayed and explained that it had something to do with the country's sewage system. Honestly, though, I don't think that Seoul is unique in being a sometimes smelly city to live in, and it's got its perks, too.
One of those perks? The food, the food, of course, the food. This was my first meal out of quarantine: kimchi fried rice (김치볶은밥) with various side dishes.
So, quarantine was actually quite nice. I had permission to stay shut up in my new apartment -- in a new country 7,000 miles away from home -- and adjust to my most immediate surroundings. (Except it was more like an order.)
I researched the recycling and waste disposal rules of my -gu (basically, my county). I learned what all of the terms on my thermostat and washing machine meant (well, kinda) and fell in love with the traditional floor heating system (온돌).
Twice -- at the beginning of my quarantine and at the end -- I was able to take a nice long walk to the local public health center to get a PCR test. Those 30-minute walks were just the toe dip into exploring my corner of Seoul that I wanted.
This is Edible Village's Library Campus where I'll be teaching seven-year-olds English. Each class has a name and I'll be working with two groups: Maple and Magnolia.
When I first saw a picture of the school, it had beautiful ivy cascading across the front of the building, and it'd be a lie to say I wasn't a little disappointed to see it missing.
Things I watched during quarantine, in no particular order:
- Pride and Prejudice
- Notting Hill
- Elizabeth
- Tick, Tick... Boom!
- Anne with an E (1 1/2 episodes)
- Enola Holmes
When I was still in quarantine, a Korean friend of mine who moved to Toronto a few years ago asked what I thought Seoul smelled like. I didn't really have an answer for him then; I had been in Seoul for less than five days and hadn't seen (or smelled) much of the outside world. I had shuffled from one confined space to another: airplane - shuttle - apartment.
"I think it smells like garlic," he said.
Here's to the day where I think Seoul smells like garlic (or cherry blossoms or barbecue) instead of sewage.
FYI
Just so you know, you can respond directly to these emails if you have a question or just want to express your jealousy about the food. Oh and, speaking of food: please consider sending a little Shuttle gift card voucher my way so I can occasionally treat myself to delivery before pay day next month.
