Skip to main content

It's a Location Thing

The best part about being back in Toronto is how easily I can get access to all of the things I love about the places that are NOT Toronto.

Like, thanks to David's Tea, I'm able to have authentic, Chinese green tea, as referenced in this entry, any time I want. I can bring myself back to that afternoon in the tea museum, pretty much every time I pour a cup of tea.

I was able to have some delicious kimchi jigae a few weeks ago with a vegetarian friend I introduced to Korean food. The restaurant looked exactly the the ones in Oe Dong D and I used to frequent - tons of tables crammed into a tiny space, full of Koreans enjoying their food. They even had the cutlery boxes on the table AND the napkin boxes as well.

There's an Irish pub right around the corner. It has the old wooden booths, the Irish beers on tap and (although a little OTT) the girls all dressed in kilts (also because kilts are kinda Scottish and..well..you ge the picture)

The beauty of all these experiences is that I get the only part I didn't get when I was there - I get to go back to my Canadian home, turn on my Canadian TV, call my Canadian friends and easily pop by and see my Canadian sister.

I missed all of these things when I was away and of course the one thing that Toronto can't replace is the people that I miss in all the places where I was.

But I guess I'm just realising what a good transition this place has been. And to think, I said I wouldn't want to be here again.

Well, as my other mantra goes, never say never.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

They Started a Heat Wave

(sing) a tropical heat wave.... (White Christmas fans? anyone? c'mon..) Yes, there is a heat wave, with warm sun and highs of 30 but NOT HERE IN KOREA. Yes, it is warm and humid but there is no sun. Do you want to know where the sun has ended up? BELFAST!! Lucky bastards....I wanted a tan by August gosh darnit - I should have stayed with the Guinness. And, it wouldn't have been a day on this blog without some reference to the weather. The weekend was a nice long relaxing one but super panic hit on Monday night and I was ready to get out of the house. I was freaking out yet again about the garbage (what the hell is wrong with me?) and didn't have a great sleep. There is something to be said for cooping yourself up in your house to watch English speaking DVDs for a day. But I think this only stops you from experiencing the culture. I did venture out on Saturday by bus (whoa, crazy bus drivers) to Pusan where the open markets you can barter and get cheap shirts - thanks to my...
8 comments
Read more

I'm baaaack!

Hard to believe that last entry was almost three years ago! Many moons ago, I set this blog up to chronicle our journeys. Once we were grounded a bit more, it kind of lost its way. I spent some time working on my writing offline, taking on different projects and working full time as a technical writer. It was difficult to keep this blog up. Not for any real reason I can articulate. Just had my words redirected to other avenues for awhile. But, I'm pleased to say, after over a decade away, we are back in the UK, living and re-experiencing a place we enjoyed in the mid-2000s. Social media has certainly changed the way we look at blogs. I'm excited to navigate this new world, explore just what people post, what people read. What's better on one of the many new platforms and what's still appropriate for good old fashioned blogosphere. For now, here's a peek at where we're staying -- in a pretty little village just outside of Oxford. A temporary home ...
2 comments
Read more

Korean Drivers Manual

1 - First and foremost, you are the only car on the road. Please drive this way. 2 - Be sure to keep a tally of the number of pedestrians you hit. 10 points for old ladies, 20 for young children (they can run faster you see). You can also add 5 points for each near miss and pat yourself on the back for trying. 3 - Red lights can tend to get in the way of your driving. Simply proceed through them if you need to. Honk your horn to make sure the cars that actually have the right of way know you'll be sailing through the intersection. 4 - Signalling is recommended but your car does not have blind spots. Just go ahead an change lanes. 5 - It works best if you keep one foot on the gas and one foot on the brakes at all times. This will allow you to continually pump the breaks all the way down the street avoiding 'other cars' while still revving your engine and going at the speed of light during those intervals when you are not slamming on your brakes. (By 'other cars' I ...
4 comments
Read more