Election Day

So, listening to the reports earlier, it sounds like what's-his-name will win. I don't think this will affect Busan very much. From talking to my students, they are not interested in politics at all because the politics do not seem to affect anything.
Today I went to Seomyoun with one of the gals from Meyoungjung. This is sort of interesting. Sung Sung Duck introduced us--her name is Yenni--and Yenni is a wealth of information about many things here in Meyoungjung Dong. For one thing, she knew that my father had been here to visit, she knew that I was from America, she knew that Sung Sung Duck worries about me. I asked her why Sung Sung Duck is so worried about me, and Yenni said that Sung Sung Duck is worried that I am all alone so far away from my family. Later today, though, she remembered that Sung Sung Duck's daughter is away in Japan, and I remind Sung Sung Duck of her daughter, alone in a different country, far away from her family.
Yenni is very interesting. She is probably seventeen years old, will go to college next year, plans to go away to Seoul (which is like going to Jupiter for students in Busan) for college, is very close to her family, has sacrificed her hobbies for her studies, and wants to travel. She is similar to many students I have met: curious and interesting, but quieter and more reserved than any teenage girl I have ever meet.
This suits me just fine. I don't think I could spend several hours on my day off with a typical American teenager.
Although Yenni did take me to a strange place flooded with Korean teenagers. Wow. This "store" for lack of a better term, had a dozen or so brightly decorated photo booths. I have heard that Koreans are fond of taking pictures of themselves--a sort of vague cultural egotism maybe? Anyway, after taking ten or so different pictures with different poses and different backgrounds, we can add pictures, writing, coloring, and other computerized effects. Pretty fun but a bit strange. Tried to email the pictures to myself, but it didn't work.
Oh, and there is this dish that Dad and I tried--taco yaki--which are these doughy balls fried with some different seasonings and squid and then soaked in mustard and barbecue sauce. When I come home from work, often Sung Sung Duck gets me some taco naki from the stand next to her fish stand which belongs to Kim Bong Sue. The first few times I have eaten these, I did not like them very much. On Monday, I realized that I think I am actually developing a taste for this strange food.
So, one week until Christmas. I plan to spend all Christmas Eve at a youth hostel with the fellows from the church. Sounds like they have quite an evening planned. I'm grateful. Christmas is drifting by quietly and quickly--this is fine. I'm not too sad or homesick as long as I don't think about it too much.
I have been getting a ridiculous amount of cards from my family back home--mom mostly, but Meg, Grandma Weezie, and Aunt Barb, too. Wow. This means so much to me. I usually let my afternoon classes read the cards, and they think the cards are great--Aunt Barb, the kids loved the musical card. They thought it was so funny!