KOREA - INCHEON AIRPORT

       Here I am on our first stop, which equals South Korea.  My mom and I are staying at the Incheon Island Best Western, which is basically the same as any other Best Western in the midwest except that there are many more Korean people.  The flight over here did not feel like 14 hours, but that's what it was apparently.  In the span of 14 hours I didn't get very much done although I read a bunch of Oscar Wilde short stories including one called "the fisherman and his soul".  The fisherman cuts off his shadow (his soul) so he can be with a mermaid.  The shadow runs all over the place committing horrible atrocities because the fisherman refused to give him a heart.  In the end, the soul/shadow tricks the fisherman into reuniting with him, leaving the fisherman unable to return to his bride, and both the bride and the fisherman kill themselves.  Guest appearances by Satan, a priest, and a dancing witch.   
   
      It was very strange getting off an international flight and not seeing you at the other end.  My body wasn't used to it and got really excited at first, and then sick when it wasn't the same as my return from England or to Russia.  

        On a lighter note, I've eaten a lot of kimchi.  It's supposedly one of the healthiest foods on Earth, being great for your immune system and digestion, but it's also just cabbage.  We met my mom's friend John Qi at the airport, and he seemed pretty uncomfortable.  Apparantly, he's one of my mom's ex-boyfriends. John just seems like a Chicago man in Korea who happens to have been born here.  He doesn't speak Korean well except for a few phrases (though he's lived here for five years) and refers to himself when asked by Koreans as a "Yi-Gook" or something similar (American).  He's also considered by many Koreans as an outsider/traitor because he moved to America and so he has a tough time doing business here.  It sounds like two companies own most of Korea's capital gain.  Both of these companies are family owned businesses, and John complained that the family members are not qualified for the positions they receive in their companies.  Before this trip, I did have an LG phone, but I lost it a day before I left.  
       Most Koreans seem to speak English, and quite well.  I feel embarrassed about using my English (as in Russia people were not as receptive) but Koreans seem obliged to use it with me.  Koreans don't seem to look down on me for using English in their country (I feel like a guest who refuses to eat what the host provides), but Korean businesspeople become embarrassed about their shortcomings with the English language.  
       It's now 6am, and I don't know where my mom has gone.  I'm sitting in a completely dark room as she's taken the key (the key turns the lights on in our hotel room) She did leave me with a Koala yummy-like snack, which I munch munch.  I'm continually impressed with how much we've eaten thus far as I didn't think we would be able to eat most things anywhere.  I believe Korea will be by far the most advanced/easiest country we visit.  
      Crime is also far below the USA here.  Or at least that's what John says.  This is probably due to their lack of firearms, and it's making me think we should change the 2nd amendment.  Every country I've been to without easy access to firearms (England, Korea, some other place that's not Germany or France) seems to have a much lower murder rate while countries such as the USA, Mexico, and Latin American countries with lenient gun laws tend to have more violent crime.  But this is obvious, and our founding fathers slash my Dad would be disappointed with anything else.  
      Today to Taipei.  Now I'm in the airport again.  The toilets here in Korea have those shoots of water that go up your butt.  I am not man enough to try them yet. I did get a Korean tourist t-shirt which I may post.