"The temple of god who is hot!!" and other amusements

I went downtown this afternoon for the purpose of buying Revolution, a heartworm preventative for cats. When I met Mia's first vet up in Seoul, he told me that he had applied Revolution to prevent heartworm, and that this drug should be applied periodically. While I thought the man was fantastic in general (not only was he a fantastic vet, but he was fluent in English and a hotty to boot!), I thought that giving a cat a heartworm preventative was going a little overboard. I thought, don't only dogs get heartworm? Then, two weeks ago when I brought Mia to her vet here in Daegu for the first time, one of the questions she asked me was whether or not Mia was on a heartworm prevention regimine, and if so, what medication. She also stressed the importance of keeping her heartworm prevention meds current. According to Mia's records, she was due for her next dose of Revolution (applied to the back of the neck in the same manner as Advantage) on December 30th, so I said I would come back then (today!) to pick up the medicine. Before going in, I googled cats and heartworm infections, and found out that while heartworms pose a greater threat to dogs, they still can infect - and kill - cats. Here's a pretty good article on the topic for you cat owners out there.

I continue to be impressed with my vet. While I had said that I would come in today, I had not scheduled a time. I entered the clinic, and the secretary immediately knew who I was, "Mia's owner"! The vet came down and talked to me, reminded me that Mia's due for her last injection next Saturday, and sold me my Revolution. She told me that unfortunately she has been unable to locate the brand of glucosamine which I have been giving to Mia; however, she said she will continue to look. (In the meanwhile, I have located the product online.)

After leaving the vet's office, I decided to walk to the center of downtown (about a 20 minute walk from the vet), where I did a little shopping and saw some things which amused me enough to photograph:

I know that 2007 is supposedly the Year of the Golden Pig and all...
...but I just don't understand how the Eiffel Tower fits in.


Close-up of the Golden Pig


The cute guy working at the Starbucks asked me if I wanted
"A lot, a lot, a lot of whipped cream" - I said yes. Yum!


There were several people in various places throughout downtown
holding bilingual "free hugs" signs. Weird.


"The temple of god who is hot!!"
This was on the window of a restaurant selling spicey Korean foods.


The cat's not out of the bag yet! :-)


I took this at work yesterday.
Gwen melted the school's new computer with a space heater.

The Koreas in 2007 (via Forbes)

The Korean peninsula faces a worse year in 2007 than in 2006. Growth will slow in South Korea, the political climate will become increasingly fraught in the run-up to elections and the North Korean nuclear issue will remain unresolved.

South Korea’s GDP growth of around 5% in 2006 will slow to around 4.4% in 2007. The Bank of Korea (BoK) sees export growth falling to 10.8% from 12.9% in 2006, while facilities investment will grow by 6%, down from 7.4% in 2006. Private spending will also ease, from 4.2% growth in 2006 to 4.0% in 2007.

Positive trends are likely to be outweighed by a slew of negatives, and current robust indicators in areas such as exports and consumer confidence risk are being overtaken by the continuing appreciation of the won, high oil prices, a potential property price collapse in Seoul and uncertainty over North Korea. [read full article]

Ahhh.... cold!

Today it was finally cold enough for me to break Big Orange out of storage. You remember Big Orange, right? Yes indeed... my fantabulous Russian winter coat. It was below freezing the entire day today here in Daegu, and I figured that meant that it was finally time for the orange down filled wonder to make its winter 2006-2007 appearance. Having spent so much time in Russia, I definitely developed an appreciation for cold. Even though I'm very grateful not to be experiencing a winter as harsh as last winter, I was looking forward to some genuine winter weather. Donning the coat (and matching woolen hat and scarf) is definitely a ritual, one which I performed innumerable times last year, and I really did miss it. I found the cold invigorating today. Just check out the temperature as I was walking home:

(from weather.com)

It was nice, but it won't stay this chilly for long. Check out the 10 day forecast for Daegu - it'll be warm again in no time. I do enjoy a real winter... but I'm from Florida. My first "real winter" was in Tennessee, my Freshman year of college, and my skinny Floridian ass thought it might very well die. I've certainly come a long way since then... but I'm must admit that while I'm enjoying this cold snap (and it is definitely a snap; on Christmas I spent hours outside without a coat), I'll be equally as willing to enjoy the warmer days that are on their way.

(PS - Don't forget to check out the BlogSupergroup. This week's topic? Stamps.)

Various purchases.

These are seriously the biggest hoop earrings I have ever seen.

New boots! (Because my Russian winter boots were a little too warm...)

The distant and actually attractive cousin
of the hideous Ugg Boot that is so popular here.
(Seriously, "so ugly they're cute" only works with manatees.)

Super-cute (and according to Mia, super-delicious) canned catfood
imported from Japan. Because Korea apparently doesn't manufacture
catfood. Come on, Korea! You're letting the Japanese out-do you here!

How does an agnostic pseudopagan celebrate the winter holidays in Korea?

Indian Food!! Gwen, Samson and I met up downtown this afternoon, where we dined on Indian food and did a little shopping. (I bought a lime green passport-and-ticket holder and some hoop earrings bigger than my hand. I kid not.) Anyway, happy holidays from your favorite hermiting oddball!

Me


Samson and Gwen


Some of the decor was a bit scandalous for Korea!

Lest ye tire of images of my cat...

I admit that since acquiring Mia, the content of my posts has been quite cat-centric. In an effort to return the Daily Blah to it's more normal Korea-centric format, my camera and I took a rather lengthy walk around the Banyawol District (my corner of Daegu) today. The main purpose of the walk was a trip to E-Mart, but as I walked there and back and then some, it was also a good way to get my lazy ass some exercise. (It's about a 45 minute walk from my house to E-Mart.) Nothing particularly exciting came out of the walk, although I do have some interesting (I think) photos to share.

An old mailbox


I thought it was quite picturesque...


...which is why you get to see three shots of it.


Jars and Rooftops


E-Mart!


The Banyawol District Christmas Tree


Remember the Yulhacheon Stream?
Well, this is how it looks in winter.


Mountains to the north

Friday Cat Blogging: Special Mia's a Weirdo Edition

The chair at my desk is usually covered by a coat or a sweater or something, although it wasn't this morning, and Mia totally went to town on it. What a weirdo!

I am so glad I'm not a teenager.

One of my middle schoolers wrote this in her diary...
So depressing.
So glad I never have to live through that age ever again.
(If you can't read it, here's a larger version.)

Veteranarian in Daegu!

Since Mia is a special needs kitty, I was quite concerned about finding a *good* vet for her here in Daegu. As cats are not commonly kept as pets here, it's a lot harder to find a decent vet for treating cats than for treating dogs. I asked around, and was fortunate to get a referral to a vet who seems to be really good... so I thought I'd post this information here, in case there are any other English-speakers in Daegu looking for a good vet. The clinic is called Plus Animal Hospital, and it's located directly across the street from the front door of the Home Plus near Daegu Station. [The address is #381-7, Chilsung-2ga, Buk-gu, Daegu and the phone number is (053) 424-2455]

I walked in the front door and was immediately reassured by the sight of not one but three very large, fluffy, beautiful white cats, lounging around the waiting room. The vet spoke English and was very thorough. She read through Mia's records from the vet up in Seoul, and asked me lots of questions about her history and medications. She gave her the series of vaccinations she needed and placed an order for the exact brand and dosage of glucosamine that Mia is accustomed to. I was very pleased to find this place!

On being a foreigner in a homogenous society, Part 2

This post was inspired by the following comment, left by Megan on this post:

Do you find it in any way EASIER being a foreigner in a country where you physically look foreign than you did, say, in Russia? I ask because although I've lived abroad for some time now, I've only been to European countries, and I always feel like I should try to fit in as much as possible and sometimes feel scared of being publicly "outed" as a foreigner (moreso in Russia than in Sweden). I sometimes think if I were in a place where I just COULDN'T fit in it would be in some ways more difficult, but in other ways somewhat liberating. Am I making any sense?

Do I find it easier… For me, Korea is easier than Russia in that strangers and service industry staff are more helpful and more patient with my foreignness than their surly counterparts in Russia ever were. However, my scant Korean skills make life over here far more challenging in a lot of ways. But that's such a simple answer, and this was such a complex question, one which has spawned all sorts of thoughts in my head. So prepare yourselves for a bit of a long post, oh readers.

First one must consider one’s race, the country in which one is located, and one’s country of origin. During my three extended periods in Russia, I spent a lot of time trying to blend in. True, I’m not as hot as so many of the devushki, but given the right clothes (and you know how I *love* Russian clothes) and the right facial expression, I can be (and often have been) mistaken for one. This meant that during my time in Russia I could (usually) walk the streets in anonymity. Unless someone stopped to talk to me, my status as an inostranka (foreigner) would remain my little secret.

Now, if you’re a foreigner in Russia, the ability to blend in definitely has its advantages. For one thing, Russians love to charge one price for Russians and another, much higher, price for foreigners. Getting into museums and the like for the Russian price can be done, assuming one looks the part and says as little as possible. Other than times when I wanted to avoid foreigner rates, I never really worried too much about being outed as an American while I was in Russia. I’ve spent a lot of time in Russia (including my first trip in 1999 when, owing to the presence of US troops in the former Yugoslavia anti-Americanism in Russia was - according to the US State Department - at a ten year high) and I have never personally encountered anti-Americanism.

But racism now... that’s something a little different. Being a whitey who spent most of her time in Russian cities where the overwhelming majority of the population was also white, racism was never a problem I encountered personally, although it’s something that is a lot easier to spot. Let me give you some examples:

In the American Home, I taught students who ranged in age from teenagers to retirees. Students of all ages were very candid about their views on race, and these views came out when we watched Forrest Gump in class. I was very surprised to hear some of my students say, “Oh yes, I’m racist. I don’t like black people,” quite calmly and candidly in class.

My friend Youngmee, a Korean-American who taught at the same school as I did last year was unable to blend in as I could, since the Western Russian city in which we lived was populated nearly entirely by whites. As far as I know, Youngmee never ran into any trouble on account of her race, although on more than one occasion she was told “Russia for the Russians!” by passersby. (“Russia for the Russians!” is a nationalistic slogan that frequently appears in Russian graffiti these days. Obviously, the morons propagating this slogan have never ventured into the Russian East, which is chock-full of Asians.)

Two years ago, a tan-skinned Italian-American working at the American Home was arrested and harassed by the police on more than one occasion; because of her skin color, she resembled a Chechen, and was therefore suspected of being a terrorist. Things got so bad for her that she ended up leaving the country several months earlier than she had planned.

Additionally, there have been several well-publicized murders of non-white foreigners in Russia in recent years. Suffice it to say that Russia isn’t exactly the friendliest of places for non-white travelers. Of course, if you read Caitlin’s comment on my previous post, you’ll see that this is not a problem endemic to Russia:

I did find that the Swiss (based on a year's worth of experience in Swiss high school classrooms) can't comprehend a Western society with black, Asian, or otherwise not-white people as citizens on equal terms with whites. I brought my high school yearbook in and the kids pointed and laughed at -- you guessed it -- EVERY SINGLE black face in the damn thing. And if you know Lake City, you know that they did a lot of laughing. I had another kid (Dutch kid) get really puzzled when I explained to him that people in Vancouver, Canada, could be of Asian decent AND STILL BE Canadian. He pulled back the edges of his eyes with his fingers and said, "What? Canadian???"

But let’s shift the focus of this post to South Korea. Now, I have no hope whatsoever of blending in over here. Even if I spoke fluent Korean and owned a 100% Korean wardrobe, my foreignness would still be obvious a block or two away. I am a very, very, very light-skinned whitey; I’m always going to stand out over here. Luckily for me, most Koreans are incredibly helpful to white foreigners. I find that nearly everyone is very patient with my fumbling attempts to communicate in their language, and they tend to laugh good-naturedly when it becomes obvious that I understand little more than a handful of Korean phrases. I’ve had complete strangers offer to help me numerous times. And let’s not forget the frequent greetings!

Anti-Americanism is present here, although it is most commonly associated with the US military presence, and we civilians are rarely bothered by it. I did have the misfortune during my first trip to Korea back in 2001 of having an Anti-American psychobitch as my boss (she told me to my face that she hated all Americans and had only hired me because parents preferred American teachers); however, I have personally encountered no other anti-Americans during my three trips to Korea.

But, then we come back to racism. Luckily for me, Koreans apparently view white people as second on the totem pole of quality, below Koreans of course. When applying for a job teaching English in Korea, native-English speaking candidates are required to submit a photograph. White teachers are preferred. Jobs can be found for Asians, but it’s difficult. If you’re Hispanic, chances are low; if you’re black, they’re essentially nil.

As a result, non-white foreigners don’t get the same fabulous treatment by the Korean masses that we whiteys do, and that’s damned unfortunate.

Let’s take what happened recently to African-American woman Leslie Joanne Benfield. She speaks fluent Korean, and in 2004 she became South Korea’s first foreign civil servant. That in itself is awesome and shows amazing progressiveness on the part of the Seoul government. Recently, Benfield took part in a Korean talk-show, featuring sixteen young, hot, foreign women, all of whom reside in Korea. They were supposed to talk about their lives in Korea, answer questions, and do the rather absurd things that people on Korean shows tend to do (sing and dance and make an ass of yourself, in my opinion). But anyway, the idea of the show supposedly was to break down cultural barriers. Instead, one of the panel of Koreans put on an afro-wig and got up on stage with Benfield and began mocking her. [check out the Marmot’s Hole for the full story]

The Metropolitician, an African-American living and working in Korea has created an online petition demanding an apology from KBS (the tv station which produced the talk show). The following is an excerpt:

I, as a black person and foreign national living in Korea, continue to be shocked and offended at the Korean media's continued racist and sexist stereotyping of foreign people. From the Bubble Sisters to now, the excuse has always been "we didn't know" or "the intention wasn't to offend" – but is that really an excuse? Many of your general viewers and citizens' organizations seem to know. Why doesn't a national television station?

I am one foreign national who works in Korea, pays taxes, rent, utilities, and otherwise participates in the economy here. I have done good work here that has benefited the Korean economy as well as the countless Korean students, researchers, professors, and other working professionals I have come into contact with, as much as I have benefited from working with them.

I am tired of seeing overtly crude representations of foreign workers as supposedly being unable to speak proper Korean (most foreign migrant workers here speak Korean very well, actually), or hearing the "ching chong" parodies of supposedly Chinese speech, ridiculing Japanese for the wooden footwear they rarely even wear any more than Korean wear traditional rubber shoes, or the constant efforts of the Korean media or the Kyeonggido chapter of the Korean Teachers' Union implying or outright saying that foreigners have "low sexual morals" when in fact no scandal involving foreign teachers and student minors has ever been reported, even against the context of a media that constantly reports about incidents involving Korean teachers and students, as well as "wonjo kyojae", a set concept that doesn't even exist in American culture, are regularly reported as major social problems.

This distorted view of foreigners is merely on example of the simplistic stereotypes through which foreigners are seen in Korea. [click to view and sign the full petition]

I'm not really sure how to conclude this, so I suppose I'll stop typing now and go to bed.

The Ministry of Cross-Cultural Confusion Presents...

...the Christmas Bunny


Hippity Hoppity Easter's Christmas's on its way.
Move over Santa.

On being a foreigner in a homogenous society

I wonder what it is about growing up in Korea that makes a kid (and many an adult) feel that it is perfectly acceptable - even expected - to see a foreigner and shout, "Hello!" or "Hi!" or to talk audibly amongst themselves about the waygook (foreigner). This happens to me numerous times every single day, simply walking from my home to school. On the rare occasions when I venture out to more populated sections of Daegu, this occurrence multiplies exponentionally. I haven't yet reached the point where this annoys me, although I can see how it might one day come to that point. Thus far, it is simply a daily source of amusement. But I do find myself wondering why this is.

I grew up in a small town in the Southern US, where most people were either black or white. There were, however, small groups of asian and hispanic folks in my community as well. Like many Americans, I studied Spanish in high school. On the rare occasion when I would run across Spanish-speakers in the local Wal-Mart, I might have eavesdropped in order to see if I could understand anything (I was an over-studious dork), but it *never* occurred to me to approach a Spanish speaking stranger and say, Hola, como esta? or to giggle hysterically as they passed then shout HOLA!!! to their departing backs.

Additionally, growing up in a country created by immigrants (even though in my rather ignorant neck-of-the-woods, I'm sure there are many people who assume that WASPS have lived in America since the Dawn of Time, and everyone else is a dirty foreigner... but that's a topic for another day), I never saw people who looked foreign and simply assumed that they were not citizens of the US. I might have assumed that they or their ancestors had moved to the US from a certain somewhere else, but I never thought of them as foreign. (To me foreign implies foreign citizenship, not foreign ancestry.) I certainly would never take one look at them, then turn to my companions and say loudly, Hey, look at the foreigner. (Often Koreans even point as they say this!)

Now, if someone like me, who grew up in a town where most people were either white or black, can grow up with views like mine, then I would imagine that children from more cosmopolitan environments would be even less likely to automatically assume that someone who looks different is automatically not a citizen. Conversely, it does make perfect sense that people in a country where most (nearly all) citizens are of the same race would assume that someone who looks different is, in fact, a foreigner. But that doesn't explain the speaking thing.

It also doesn't explain why "white girl" automatically equals "English speaker." I think that I would be annoyed to no end if I were a native speaker of any other language and traveling, living, or doing business here in South Korea, as I would undoubtedly still be accosted numerous times on a daily basis with shouts of, "Hi! How are you!" I have been asked a handfull of times if I am Russian (which might, in theory, be an insult, as most Russian women in Korea are prostitutes), although no one has ever shouted Privet! Kak dela! at me.

xmas decorations

The school put up its Christmas tree today.
(It's got a bit of the Charlie Brown thing going on at the top.)

The turnstile bandit strikes again - and comes home first class with a cat

I got up pretty early yesterday morning, and made it to Dongdaegu Station by 9:00am. Since last weekend I simply showed up, bought a ticket and hopped right on a train, I had assumed I'd be on a train out of Daegu by 9:15. Unfortunately, the earliest available seats were on the 10:17 train. Boo! (Although in hindsight it makes sense: I left at 11:30 last week; most people who go to Seoul for the day/weekend probably leave early in the morning, not at 11:30.) I had a lot of time to waste - what to do?

Well, first let me tell you how the train system works. When you buy your ticket, you're given a small paper ticket with a magnetic strip. You insert this ticket into a machine, which then opens an electronic gate and allows you access to the tracks area. Your ticket tells you which train, wagon, and seat have been assigned to you, alhough no one checks your ticket either when you board or after you're seated. You should, however, hang on to your ticket, as you will need to insert it into a machine at your destination station in order to be allowed out through the electronic gate at the exit.

I decided to go ahead and descend to the tracks area so that I could take some pictures. It wasn't really all that scenic, although I did get a couple of interesting shots. And somehow, while pulling my camera out of my pocket numerous times, I managed to dislodge my ticket from said pocket. Yes, I lost my $38 train ticket. It's not like they give you a receipt or anything, just the ticket. I noticed its absence from my pocket about 10 minutes before my train was scheduled to arrive. As I had already inserted it into the gate machine and descended to the tracks, and as I knew no one would look at my ticket anyway, I wasn't too worried, although I was a bit stressed out over how I would get out through the electronic gate in Seoul. In the remaining 10 minutes, I retraced my steps along the tracks, but couldn't find my ticket anywhere. Luckily, I remembered which wagon and seat number had been assigned to me.

The KTX Bullet Train

Misty morning train tracks at Dongdaegu Station
(I'm guessing it was around here that I lost my ticket.)

There were only two foreigners on the train... and whaddyaknow, our assigned seats were next to each other. There's no way this was pure chance; I am convinced that when I bought my ticket, the woman made a notation in the computer along the lines of "Wagon 1, Seat 12D, waygook" so that if any other foreigners were traveling to Seoul that morning, we could enjoy each others company. Of course, you know how anti-social I am, and I was kind of annoyed to have been put in a position where I felt obligated to make small talk, when all I wanted to do was nap. But, my Canadian companion provided me with a way out of the electronic gate in Seoul: she inserted her ticket, and I walked through pressed against her - the machine never knew! (In return, I guided her to the subway and showed her how to get tickets, as it was her first time in Seoul.)

I took the subway to Shinchon (the correct station this time!), and then caught a taxi to Yonsei University. Anne Marie was teaching, so I had lunch with one of her friends and fellow cat-lovers, then spent the afternoon playing with Mia and Anne Marie's cats (all of whom *loved* all the extra attention). Once Anne Marie was finished with work, she, Jennifer (Mia's foster mom), and I loaded Mia up and set off for the train station. I arrived back at Seoul Station at 6:00pm... and was told that the earliest available seats to Daegu were at 7:10, and they were first class; it would be a few hours before economy seats were available. Not wanting to subject poor Mia to three or four hours in a carrier inside the hectic Seoul Station, I shelled out the $54 for the first class ticket back to Daegu. I must say it was *quite* luxurious. (Gwen, this is where they put the swivel seats!) There was enough room to have Mia on the floor by my feet, as well as for me to have room for my backpack and coat and still stretch out my legs. Granted, I have freakin' elf-sized legs, but still... Most of the first class passengers disembarked about halfway, in Daejon. At that point, I was able to put Mia up on the seat next to me. She was perfectly quiet all the way, and never even made a single sound.

I wanted a shot of the lights reflecting over the Han river at night,
but it was so bright inside the train, that it simply didn't work out.

Mia, exploring my cavernous apartment.

A contemplative Mia

At some point, she was wrestling with a coat hanger...

...and then decided to take a nap.

Literary cat!

Guess who is sleeping in my bed?

We just got back from Seoul - Mia's a great traveler.
Now it's time for a catnap. Will write more tomorrow.

Do your holiday shopping here!

I've got some really cool stuff for sale through lulu.com - give them as gifts or buy them for yourself! (Everyone needs a 2007 calendar, right?) You should know: Lulu.com automatically sets the shipping option to one of the more expensive choices; re-set it to USPS media mail - it's much cheaper!! Also, international shipping *is* available.

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(Many of the images on this page are contained within this photobook.)


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This 36 page, full color photobook contains 36 of my best photos.
Each photo is displayed full-sized. (Preview here)

Photographs from Siberia - $12.99

This 24 page, full color photograph contains images from Siberia, Russia
(Many of the images on this page are contained within this photobook.)

2007 Calendar: Images of South Korea - $13.99

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Prisoner of Wonderland - $7.99

My trip to Seoul to play with kitties

Saturday morning, I got up early to catch the KTX bullet train to Seoul in order to meet with some people I’d met online regarding adoption of a special-needs kitty. The KTX bullet train is a wonderful, wonderful thing. The last time I took a train from Daegu to Seoul was in 2001, and it took about four and a half hours. This time around, with the train averaging 260km/hr (161mph), it took a little more than an hour and a half. (Also, Melissa – do you remember if we left from Daegu Station or Dongdaegu Station back in ’01? Because if it was Dongdaegu, it’s changed a lot. I’ve got one word for you: ESCALATORS. Damn how those would’ve been handy.) Anyway, I’ve ridden on a lot of trains, and this one was by far the smoothest and most comfortable I’ve ever ridden. My assigned seat was facing backwards (something that people prone to motion sickness should try to avoid) and yet I felt no nausea whatsoever. Additionally, the train was clean, plush, comfortable, and very modern. The whole train ride was fantastic, and I found myself imagining what the TransSiberian could be like if they let KTX re-do it... ahh, paradise. Of course, one way to Seoul was $38, so I certainly paid for this luxury... but it was definitely worth it. I spent the trip taking pictures through the train windows and getting strange looks from fellow passengers for doing so.

Just north of Daegu


Halfway there.


See, there I am.


Just south of Seoul, everything was dusted with snow.


This was in a magazine on the train. Now, I don't read Korean, so maybe it says something like, "Get your mind out of the gutter, this is not a saddle-shaped vibrator." However, as I don't read Korean... use your imagination.

I arrived in Seoul, and was supposed to meet Anne-Marie at the Shinchon subway station. Now, I love subway systems in general, and the Seoul subway system is pretty easy to navigate, but what I didn’t know was that in addition to Shinchon, there’s also a Shincheon station. Thanks Koreans. Anyway, I think I may have spent more time on the Seoul subway than I did on the bullet train on my way down before Anne-Marie and I finally figured out what had happened I was able to get to the correct station. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the way the Seoul subway works, you purchase your ticket based on how far you’re going to be traveling (short distances cost 900w, long distances cost 1200w – or something like that). You have to insert your ticket in order to both enter and exit the subway (I much prefer Moscow and St. Petersburg, where they just charge a flat rate per metro ride, and you don’t have to have your ticket out upon exiting). I’d always wondered what would happen if you paid for a 900w ride and took a 1200w ride. Well, it turns out that the machine spits your ticket back out at you and refuses to open the turnstile to let you out. I’m not entirely sure what a person’s supposed to do in that situation, but if you’re me, when that happens, you look around, then squat down and duck-walk under the turnstile.

Anyway, I finally met up with Anne-Marie, and we headed over to her place to meet the kitties. She’s doing a great job up in Seoul: rescuing kitties, getting them fixed and immunized, and doing her best to find homes for them. When Anne-Marie found Mia, she was living in a tiny cage on the side of the road. The cage was the size of her body, so she didn’t have room to move. Inside her cage was newspaper, on top of which she slept, urinated and defecated. It also was atop her empty food dish. In order to get the cat out of this horrible situation, Anne-Marie ended up paying roughly $50 to its owners. She was promptly taken to the vet, where she was treated for liver and kidney problems, as a result of malnutrition, dehydration and (no doubt) having consumed her own fecal matter. Her liver and kidney problems have cleared up, but she has been diagnosed with hip joint dysplaysia. The vet said that this is probably a result of having been confined to such a tight space from a young age, causing her bones to grow improperly. (She is only about six months old.) Anyway, the hip joint problem is being treated with a daily dose of glucosamine, and with pain-killers if/when necessary. Mia is beautiful and loves to play, and I can’t wait to have her down here with me in Daegu. She’s going to love having this huge apartment to romp in.

Mia


Just look at those sultry eyes!


Mia in action!

In addition to playing with Mia (who was being fostered by one of Anne-Marie’s neighbors), I got to meet all of the lovely kitties who currently reside with Anne-Marie. I have definitely been suffering from kitty-withdrawal here in Korea! (At least last year I had Gosha...) I played with kitties for hours and hours, which was awesome. I also took tons of pictures.

Mom, who does this remind you of?


Awww....


This guy is awesome!


I liked this shot, with the sunshine.


This is Baby, a "mini" cat - her growth was stunted, so she's full grown, but little more than the size of a kitten. She's also a biter like Brie. I must admit, it made me nostalgic. ("Awww, I haven't been bitten like that in a year and a half, " said Jane, as the jaws clamped down... That cat still has me trained into thinking that kind of behavior's normal.)

Anyway, Mia has to return to the vet for a checkup at the end of the week, after which I can pick her up and bring her home. I’m planning on heading back up to Seoul for that very purpose this Saturday!