I had two interesting experiences yesterday. The first occurred at Costco, the second while on my run that night.

1. I decided to visit Costco yesterday. It's only two subway stops away and I figured they might have some good deals on western food. So I get there and this Costco literally has 7 floors. Enormous. Anyways, usually when I'm out I just listen to music and get in my zone, it also helps to alleviate the fishbowl effect: Basically Korean's just stare at you. I'm browsing the home section, turn the corner, and what do I see? I see a little boy (age 3?) pissing into a plastic water bottle. Fortunately, I was there just in time to witness his mom shaking it off in the middle of Costco. So as I walked passed I nearly burst out laughing at the "shaking sight." As I walked away I thought to myself, "This is normal in Korea." So now I never leave home without my nalgene.

2. Running in Korea feels like running in a smokey sauna. On a scale of one to hot...it's SO HOT! So I run at night. Koreans are a nocturnal people. They're afraid of getting a tan because it means that you're a poor rice farmer who works in the field all day. But luckily I've found some great running paths and trails around where I live. Koreans love their public park and recreation areas. Every sidewalk and pathway is covered in this soft green matted material. Basically, it's like running in heaven. Or, like that feeling you get when you get a new pair of running shoes. Anyways, it's great for runners. Last night I was running through this park area where there were people doing their typical Korean speed walking. I'm going about 6:40 pace. All of a sudden I hear this pounding come from behind me and immediately realize someone is trying to race me. The only reason I don't think anything of it is because this is not the first time a Korean has tried to race me on my evening run. So I look over my shoulder and this little boy looks up at me with a wild craze in his eyes. Once he passes me he immediately drops from exhaustion. End of story.