I went to the U.S. Airbase for the first time yesterday. It was totally surreal.
The last time I'd seen so many Americans or heard so much English must have been back in America, over a year ago.
I was struck by how familiar it felt, too, though. So many of the buildings reminded me of the base I frequented in Germany when I was a kid.
The BX here had a stand with comic books, even Sonic the Hedgehog, which I used to buy in the mid-90's at Rhein Main. It had shoes just like Walmart and NFL apparel.
The food court even had Anthony's Pizza, which we ate at a few times in Germany, too. There was no Frank's Franks, but there was a Taco Bell!
And the money...the money was all green. The prices were in U.S. dollars and for the first time in over a year I saw all kinds of U.S. bills.
I ate at a buffet and immediately remembered upon entering that many restaurants in America have carpeting. I hadn't even known that I'd forgotten that until I went there yesterday. Korean restaurants just have tile or wooden floors.
The restroom on base had hot water and no trash can by the toilet - because you can flush toilet paper! In Korea the toilets are high-tech - some even have heated seats - but most restrooms aren't equipped to handle flushing paper down the toilet. Also, for some reason, most bathrooms in Korea aren't heated. That includes the water. Let me tell you, washing your hands in a public restroom in the winter here is anything but fun! And the base restroom had both paper towels and a hot air dryer. Many bathrooms in Korea have no way to dry your hands.
I was super fascinated by everything I saw yesterday and hope I can go back again. I would love to eat at Taco Bell next time!
The last time I'd seen so many Americans or heard so much English must have been back in America, over a year ago.
I was struck by how familiar it felt, too, though. So many of the buildings reminded me of the base I frequented in Germany when I was a kid.
The BX here had a stand with comic books, even Sonic the Hedgehog, which I used to buy in the mid-90's at Rhein Main. It had shoes just like Walmart and NFL apparel.
The food court even had Anthony's Pizza, which we ate at a few times in Germany, too. There was no Frank's Franks, but there was a Taco Bell!
And the money...the money was all green. The prices were in U.S. dollars and for the first time in over a year I saw all kinds of U.S. bills.
I ate at a buffet and immediately remembered upon entering that many restaurants in America have carpeting. I hadn't even known that I'd forgotten that until I went there yesterday. Korean restaurants just have tile or wooden floors.
The restroom on base had hot water and no trash can by the toilet - because you can flush toilet paper! In Korea the toilets are high-tech - some even have heated seats - but most restrooms aren't equipped to handle flushing paper down the toilet. Also, for some reason, most bathrooms in Korea aren't heated. That includes the water. Let me tell you, washing your hands in a public restroom in the winter here is anything but fun! And the base restroom had both paper towels and a hot air dryer. Many bathrooms in Korea have no way to dry your hands.
I was super fascinated by everything I saw yesterday and hope I can go back again. I would love to eat at Taco Bell next time!
