I love free stuff.

One of the benefits of being a foreigner in Korea is that often we are given unexpected free stuff. Most of the time it's nothing big but I am always delighted. People who know me know that I love free stuff, even if it's something I really don't need. Sometimes this means free stickers when we're buying things at one of the stationary shops, other times an extra cream horn at the bakery. In the past week or so we have gotten a fair amount of interesting/odd free stuff.

It started last Saturday when we were on the subway going to Seoul Tower. Three ajummas got onto the crowded train and Matt and I got up to give them our seats. One of them was especially aggressive and shoved me out of the way (apparently I wasn't moving fast enough or something) and then she grabbed my hand and made me take a bunch of her dried squid out of a plastic baggie. The squid was okay but I wasn't really in the squid eating mood. This would never have happened to me in Canada.

The next free thing we received was the next day which was Easter Sunday. We decided to go grocery shopping at Home Plus and when we stepped off the bus we were accosted by a group of ladies, one who was wearing a han bok. They were handing out hard boiled eggs and pamphlets (in Korean) about the church they go to. Here's a picture of the egg I was given (Matt's and Joi's were completely in Korean). It says, "Jesus, My Saviour".

Another thing I doubt would happen to me in Canada. Probably because any food a stranger offered me on the street would be laced with poison or something.


Then we were at another stationary store later in the week and were given free candy just because we're foreign. Nice! And then last night they gave us free coke at the restaurant we were eating at (but I think this time it's because we eat there so often). When I go back home I am definitely going to miss the free stuff. It's like being a mini celebrity.