My last 36 hours in Seoul was remarkable! Deygi Gogi – NO!!!! has been my big language lesson. I kept saying it ‘cuz Korean people love their meats especially pork. Though Kalbi is not meat, Kalbi is culture. Dennis taught me that. Of course the joke was that I’d say “deygi goki- no!” along with making the X-symbol with my arms and a stern expression – just incase the English “no” word wasn’t understood. Body language and international gestures are important. Let’s say in my last 36 hours…I learned about fierce tigers and even more fierce persimmons…I got a horrible haircut and color that made me look like a prim and proper girl or anchor woman…I was told that the dumplings were vegetarian when in fact they had ground pork in them (something I noticed upon my first bite) and then the lady at the stall decided to cook pig intestines in front of me shortly after our “no pork” conversation…just imagine me –muslim girl trying to be vegetarian – eating at a food stall and then suddenly a huge wad of pork intestines is cooked right in front of me with a wad of pork smell blown directly into my face – it was a funny scene. Going on with my 36 hour adventure…went to a Korean co-ed bath house where we tried to sleep but just couldn’t cuz I was surrounded by a symphony of snores – yes they have sleeping areas where you can stay overnight. In the same neighborhood Linda pointed out “love hotels” that could be rented by the hour. I had my performance at Aura which was a phenomenal experience. I ended up sharing the stage with some phenomenal readers including a crazy queer muslim brother who shared similar views about islam…we bonded over poetry, kalbi and karaoke. I also teared up when Julayne read and a writer named Jane Jeong Trenka read. It was nice to connect with Midwesterners. So I actually sang 80s music in a really hooked up Noraebang! – not in tune or anything…met a crazy Italian Korean guy who fit just about every stereotype you’d have about crazy Italian Koreans! Think korean ‘deuce biggalow – male gigolo’ or see picture below. I continue to do my leaping poses around the world – again see the picture on flickr site. The picture below has filled me with hours of laughter. I’m talking the kind that gives your belly a workout. After soju and late night karaoke one simply should not sleep with only 4 hours left before your flight. So we stayed up with Linda and her man David exchanging the hundreds of digital photos taken during this 4 day journey. Seoul is a bustling metropolitan where people love trendy fashion. It’s not about making a quick dollar as I learned trying to shop at the Dong Dae Mun. I wanted to try on a vintage jacket but the vendor told me that I couldn’t for fear of ruining it – instead she could try it on for me even though she was a different body type. Another vendor told me I could try on a different sweater if I bought more than one. Apparently trendiness is mainly for the boney girls with toothpick sized arms and legs. Regardless, the people I met and hung out with have big warm hearts and spirits. There’s an amazing community of Koreans from all over the world here and I was just happy to share my story and poetry with them. I have a much deeper understanding of Han and I’m looking forward to coming back one day.

take a look at my journey thus far through my photos from day1 and day2 in seoul