Trash Bags and Pity Parties

I had a mini-breakdown last night.  It's been kind of a rough week; nothing huge, just small things that added up and wore me down.  It was my first week back on night shift, and I couldn't seem to get a solid block of sleep, plus work is still a bit crazy due to recent current events here.  I was looking forward to having the weekend to sleep in, clean the ah-pah-tu, do some laundry, and in general regroup, but Mike couldn't come down to Seoul this weekend because his work is also still a bit crazy, so if I wanted to see him I had to go to Dongducheon.  I woke up Saturday evening, excited to go see my sweet husband but feeling like I really should stay in Seoul and impose some kind of order on my living environment there.   I compromised by folding the clean clothes that had never made it out of the laundry basket after I washed them a week ago and taking out all of the trash (I still had a turkey carcass in my kitchen--I know, gross).

Taking out the trash here in Korea is a bit more involved than it is in the States.  In San Diego, all I had to do was bag everything up and dump it down the trash chute.  Here, I have to sort everything into separate bags:  paper, styrofoam, glass, plastic bottles, vinyl (still haven't really figured out what's supposed to go in this one, but most people put non-bottle plastic trash here), cans, other metal trash, lightbulbs, and food.  Only the food has to be dried (in place of a garbage disposal in my sink, I have a food spinner that is supposed to sling all of the water out of the food), bagged by itself, and put in a separate place from all the other trash.  Oh, and anything that doesn't fit neatly into these categories has to be thrown away in a special trash bag that you have to buy from the local convenience stores.  Did I mention that the trash room is on the bottom floor in another building?

Now, this system is probably better for the environment, but it is not nearly as convenient as throwing everything into one trash bag, maybe setting aside a few cans or bottles that can be recycled, and tossing the lot down a chute or in a big garbage can that the garbage man picks up.  I'm usually conscientious about it, but on rare occasions I have given in to my laziness, dumped everything in one bag, and either taken it on base to throw away (even though the dumpsters say "no outside trash") or bought a big mixed-trash bag ($2 or so) and put everything in that to throw away in the ah-pah-tu trash room.  I know, shame on me.

So back to Saturday night.  I had a gross turkey carcass, a bunch of bathroom trash (no way I was about to sort that), and random kitchen and cleaning items that needed to go.  I decided to go with the base option, but halfway down the elevator started feeling guilty and changed my mind.  So I walked over to the Mini Stop convenience store to buy a trash bag.  Only they don't put them out on the shelves, so I had to ask the girl behind the counter.  I said it in Korean first--apparently poorly, because she didn't understand.  I said it in English.  Blank look.  I said it again in Korean, miming throwing something away.  Oh, she said, she has 10 small bags for 3,500 won (just over $3).  But my stuff won't fit in a small bag, and anyway I'm on my way to the subway and don't want to take the other 9 bags with me to Dongducheon and back, so I shake my head no, and ask if she has a big one.  In Korean, then English, then sign language.  Yes, she has 5 big ones in a package for 10,000 won.  At this point I'm visibly frustrated.  No, I just want one.  This time the Korean works on the first try, and I pay, thank her and leave.  I toss everything in the $2 trash bag and dump it in the trash room.  Then I start crying.

Why can't I learn this language!  I've been here almost half a year, I should be making progress!  Why are there so many trash rules, anyway?  I miss the U.S.!  I was rude to that girl, and it wasn't her fault, and I couldn't even tell her why or that I was sorry because I don't even have the vocabulary of a toddler!  And my house is still a mess, and I'm frustrated with my boss, and I haven't worked out in a week and a half, and I have an hour and a half ride before I see my husband, and...and...and.

I spent 15 minutes or so on a bench outside the subway stop getting myself together, then headed up to Dongducheon, where my sweet husband picked me up from the subway stop even though it's just a short walk to base, gave me a long hug, and let me vent for the better part of an hour.  And even though nothing had changed--I still don't speak Korean as well an Junie, the ah-pah-tu is still messy, work is going to be ugly when I go back tomorrow--the world seemed much more merry.

And, since Mike lives on base, I can throw all the trash into one big trash bag.